Tommy Embrich is a freelancing percussionist, composer, and educator living in Columbia, SC. He currently holds positions as percussion accompanist for the University of South Carolina Department of Theatre and Dance, and applied drum set lessons instructor for Columbia Arts Academy, aside performing with independent projects throughout the South Carolina region. His debut album Euneirophrenia was released in March 2020.
“Long, brutal, galactic.” -comeherefloyd
Homegrown in a Columbian-crafted DIY studio with the engineering production from fellow local musician Chance Glass, Euneirophrenia is an 8-track epic for late-night pondering. It is music for your dreams. With labels like “liquid free jazz,” “space rock,” and “dream jazz” floating around, stratification of the album appears cosmogyrally expansive.
This musical pneuma epitomizes the dreamy musings that desire to manifest- from architectonics of chance, reaction, adaptation, and balance; to abstractions of multidimensionality. The improvisational elucidations perpetually flow, creating between tension and release, chaos and order; tranquility within symmetry, form sparked amid friction.
With “a deep pensive and meditative drift through its light, tropical and balearic textures… shifting through jazzy percussion and ambient feel” (At Cost Magazine), “Temple Zephyr” symbolizes a myriad of eclectic universes- feathering the edges of time and space. The tail end seamlessly blends into “Driftwood”- harmonic palettes wading and gliding amidst a handpan duet. cher ivexterm
“Swimming in Green” is a 20-minute “multi-faceted epopee” best depicted by music blogger Grotesqualizer:
“The first part of the track concentrates on a pleasant universal slide, as if Satie edited Scriabin’s piano concert. At 5:30 the sound streams straighten and go into space rock endlessness with spiritual vibraphone lights, and the drums come in and run these enthralling streams back and forth. Tommy Embrich masterfully operates his rhythmic painting, the sound saturation gets the right percentage and, attaining access concentration, goes into a euphoric sound dance-flight a la Marco Beltrami meets Alice Coltrane. Just let the hidden thoughts appear and dissolve in the beauty of this superb experience.”
“Shades of Life (Passing You By)” is illustrated by Destroy//Exist as having an “unconventional artistic approach,” reflecting how our endless decisions forever converge and diverge amongst an infinite timbral forest of conscious pathways. Furthermore, renowned new-music tastemaker Alfitude states “quite a bold piece, experimental and very conceptual… More of an artwork – it’s something to be enjoyed as an experience rather than be on a blog.”
“Shawnee Falls” paints an improvised kaleidoscope of strings, textures, harmonies, and rhythms cascading through a flow of yin and yang. “Cave Dwelling” tales drums of the earth, rising from the ether of tone.
Other compositions include the colorfully lush, primitive nature from “Hanging Gardens of Babylon” and a short endpiece highlighting “Voice.”
Euneirophrenia was released on all major streaming platforms March 20, 2020. Physical albums are now available for sale. Accompanying audio/visuals have been created and premiered on Embrich’s YouTube channel as well. For more information, visit www.tommyembrich.com.
Please enjoy this holistic music experience, and support local music in any way you can.
Here are all the major streaming links:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3jzVE5fXblRc57RwTFun9q?si=cZ580A60TOK1oETMq1sM7A
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kwVuV723mIW6AyHKmY1dE2s5A-bgiD6o0
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/euneirophrenia/1503446788
Bandcamp: https://tommyembrich.bandcamp.com/album/euneirophrenia
Personal YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF_daMKufpExFHIHu-p_Sdg?view_as=subscriber