Asher Fulero Explores Organic & Electronic Territory On Latest Solo Album ‘Worlds’ [B.Getz on L4LM]
originally published on Live For Live Music
Three decades deep into a prolific journey in professional sound art, Portland, Oregon’s Asher Fulero confidently traverses new musical topography on Worlds, his latest LP on Full Arrow Records. With this ambitious amalgam of hi-fidelity beat tape and downtempo IDM soundscapes, the renowned keyboardist/producer masterfully blends a minimalist indie aesthetic with copious instrumental virtuosity, resulting in a kaleidoscopic caravan of nine ornate original tracks.
Initially born as a privately commissioned collection—basically a business arrangement that never fully materialized—Worlds blossomed to life almost accidentally. Undeterred by the industry hiccup and inspired by the fresh material, Fulero followed a curious creative process, eventually manifesting an avenue to artistic reinvention, which finds him reverse-engineering a brand new bag, resulting in a fascinating experiment for the veteran sideman to the stars.
In addition to dedicated solo efforts with his jazz-rock outfit Asher Fulero Band, electronic alter-ego Halo Refuser, all-improv instrumental electro-fusion trio Threedom, and extensive commission work composing for YouTube’s Audio Library, the recording artist/bandleader/composer/producer/engineer has logged an extremely accomplished resume, working alongside a smattering of celebrated artists that run the gamut of genre, geography, and generation.
Over the years, Fulero has lent his voluminous keyboard talents to an eclectic consortium of artisans from Emancipator to Paul Gilbert, Aesop Rock to Yonder Mountain String Band, John Craigie to Liberation Movement, Everyone Orchestra to Jah Levi, plus myriad points—and gigs—in between. Ever the in-demand session cat, he has been a part of 150-plus albums across his 30-year career (including over 45 original records), yet Worlds embodies a stimulating new beginning for the perpetually active artist.
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Over three years, Asher wrote, produced, and mixed the entirety of this record, though he was ably assisted by an impressive cadre of collaborators who contributed potent goods to his global vision. The Worlds lineup is led by a terrific tandem in the supremely gifted Nick Werth (Galaxe)—who handles drums on the lion’s share of the tunes—and stunning lap steel work from longtime co-conspirator Brett McConnell (Threedom).
In concert with Asher’s assorted synths, piano, bass, and production prowess, the three players exude a certain chemistry, collectively cookin’ up the earthy, atmospheric DNA that defines Worlds ’ unique sonic blueprint. Other crucial contributors anchoring the sound include Gina Sobel (Emancipator Ensemble) on flute and Robin Jackson (The Polish Ambassador) on clarinet.
Ever the mad scientist, Asher Fulero invites listeners into previously unexplored territories of his boundary-less imagination, painting the path with vibrant colorways en route to a different destination. The 40-minute document lands like one Floydian excursion floating through the time/space continuum—a stoical sojourn of multi-hued musicality, each track a congruous chapter in service to Worlds ’ greater narrative arc.
Nodding to pioneering producers in similar sonic spaces like Emancipator, Tycho, Bonobo, plus legendary Chicago post-rock scions Tortoise, the emotional quotient reliably rises to the surface, and is discernible early and often. There is a textural moodiness that permeates Worlds ’ patient compositions—though never quite too on the nose.
Asher Fulero – “Amazon Sunset”
Breakbeat snares, R&B rimshots, and bulbous basslines set a meditative framework, then course-correct into the background, thoughtfully tapered away to make room for more gossamer sounds such as flute, steel guitar, Fender Rhodes, or acoustic piano. Naturally, Fulero’s prolific piano performances are featured prominently, wonderfully woven into the other melodic elements, with Werth’s boom-bap steering the aircraft, and McConnell’s lap steel serenity steadily simmering the cauldron.
“Amazon Sunset” is the liftoff joint for this celestial voyage, the album opener unveiling the dreamy, contemplative nature of the forthcoming seance in very accessible fashion. Rich in layered instrumental dialogs, the woodwinds, keys, and lap steel connect for the first of several delightful dalliances. “Orbital Maneuvers” drizzles weightless vibraphone tones and saxophone courtesy of Jack Yaguda (a.k.a. Guda), before saturnine guitar, clavinet, and drums start to push, pull, and pulsate, producing a demonstrative, tangible tension that works wonders in the context of the composition.
On “Tasting Freedom”, Chris Couch’s acoustic guitar swims alongside amaranthine piano, the intro subversively reaching into your chest to inject a heroic dose of nostalgic feels. The track soon takes a hard left, with a psy-bassline determinedly stepping in search of new land. Arpeggiated synths blast off into the ether while Asher simultaneously tickles the ivories with aplomb, revealing yet another fantastic flavor courtesy of Fulero and his creative company.
“Cycles End” gives a subtle slice of Western cowboy town swagger, Chris Haugen’s dobro speaking in vaguely familiar tongues. The musicians take flight into airspace that Asher once traveled alongside Doug Appling in Emancipator Ensemble. Instead of Ilya Goldberg’s trademark violin accompaniment, it’s Brett McConnell’s laconic lap steel that serves an exquisite foil to Fulero’s Rhodes and piano musings, a peculiar pairing that’s beautifully disarming in its sublime simplicity throughout the record.
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Juxtaposed to the more organic offerings found on Worlds , “Tides Beyond” cautiously leans into an electronic ethos, as stutter-step drum programming provides a frenetic foundation for triumphant horns, together fostering a euphoric energy that casts this number as an effective aberration. Somewhat reminiscent of late-era Random Rab, “Canyon Sunrise” follows the water line further out of time, astral voyaging into an ecstatic state. Shoegaze-shamanic with a subterranean sliver of indie-rock, the track exhibits an almost empyrean aura sliding in the side door.
Led by bountiful bass work and more glistening keys, “Drive 2 Think” deals (likely) unintentional whiffs of Portishead and Khruangbin, another cross-genre composition that employs ghostly instrumentation. “Moving Transition” unspools something of a backward-masked intro before dropping into an immaculate groove featuring Ben Larsen’s elemental mandolin woven with McConnell’s sturdy lap steel. “Stronger Together”, the ninth and final track, offers resolution and disembarkation. A satiation delivered by way of Werth’s assertive drumming, Robin Jackson’s clarinet, McConnell’s lap steel, and, appropriately, Fulero’s majestic final piano melodies, all-in-together and swimming in harmony one more time to bring this bold, beautiful story to a proper conclusion.
Asher Fulero is the type of artist to embrace challenges and employ new methods to achieve magic, be they within the music or beyond the stage. On Worlds, he continues in that familiar tradition, further broadening his horizons while still staying true to form, mining copious creativity and a dazzling color palette to forward a cohesive statement of avant garde sound art.
Listen to Worlds below or click here to purchase the album on vinyl or cassette tape.
Words: B.Getz
Asher Fulero – Worlds