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When Matthew Stringer initially formed Perge with Graham Getty, it was in response to the TD ‘Tape Tree’ bootleg exchange project being cancelled and that much of what was being put out as EM wasn’t really putting in the effort which was turning the audience off; the large interest in the ‘90s was in real danger of just disappearing without anyone new coming along. Kicking off with “Dyad” back then, Perge’s concept aimed for an outcome that stood apart from the rest of the nostalgic electronic music scene, with a ‘tick-tock’ approach that alternated between a semi TD-inspired ‘live’ album and then something more contemporary. Due to various reasons, Perge never made it onto the live stage in those days, although John Christian, whom Matthew knew since the halcyon days of the Derby EM music scene with the ‘EMMA’ shows of 1994, once suggested making it happen with him as the third man helping out. Graham eventually quit Perge in 2017, but it took until an Awakenings gig in 2024 where Matthew played and John came to watch that Matthew’s wife opted after the show that they should finally make that album together. Just a few weeks later, their collaboration took off when John wired some stems for a sequence he’d written called “Pneuma”. More sketches would follow and bounce back and forth between John and Matthew, the latter reworking, adding or reshaping what was provided. From my part, I would say there’s a profound, enchanting, joyful yet lush ‘80’s TD vibe running through the recording, propelling all elements nicely onward in one continuous piece of music. “Tall Stories” -a title Matthew came up with due to his and Mr Christian’s height- also incorporates Matthew’s own tracks “Route 101” (a solo piece following a conversation with Graham Getty that the Chris Franke’s “Pacific Coast Highway” was essentially a demo for the JD800 synth) and “Pillar of the Boatmen” (which Matthew thought about making something that was similar to “Daydream” by TD, which had a repeating melody that build up around it as it went through). “Tall Stories” simply offers lots of aural gratification waiting to be discovered and to be enjoyed to the fullest. |
| Website: perge.bandcamp.comYou can see what reviews I have done of this artist on the Perge artist page.
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