François J. Bonnet & Stephen O’Malley announce Cylene II

Cylene II is the new materialization of the collaboration between François J. Bonnet & Stephen O’Malley.

When talking about his collaboration with Jim O’Rourke (in The Wire, July 2017), Franco-Swiss composer and electroacoustic musician François J. Bonnet (Kassel Jaeger) said that he never collaborates with people he doesn’t know. In the case of O’Rourke; they had dinner and talked, and they became friends. He said:

“The idea of doing a record is almost never the first step. It’s the conclusion of a process of friendship.”

In the case of the American guitarist, producer, composer, and visual artist Stephen O’Malley, most notably known as a member of Sunn O))), their collaboration started in 2018. Since then, their partnership has continued uninterrupted, taking form in a myriad of contexts ranging from common practice to recording sessions, concerts and tours. Their first release, Cylene, was described as infinitely rewarding for those who succumb to its delicate detours. Cylene II will be released on November 10th, 2023, via Drag City, who state:

Cylene II offers a multifaceted sound signature developed on different occasions (artist residencies in La Becque, Switzerland and Modena, Italy, live performance excerpts and a studio session at INA-GRM Studios in Paris).

The first revelation from Bonnet and O’Malley is “Rainbows“, which features guitars in duet, a sound that reaches from the deep and scales up to the far firmament in its careful motion. Great powers are signalling from a great distance, appearing in the air like a mirage. Notes of mist, rays of light, silence, tectonic shift – as-above-so-below ethics, played out in remorseless song.

For the listener, Cylene II draws emotions viscerally from the chest, giving rise to the suggestibility of the soul. A séance of sorts for all who witness it, whether playing or listening.

Stream: https://lnk.to/cyleneii Drag City: https://www.dragcity.com/products/cylene-ii