“Weeping strings, playful pan flutes, boom-bap drum beats and raindrop synths. That’s how Emancipator’s Douglas Appling casts aural spells…This is the soundtrack to a fairy tale for an urban generation, and we happily accept the expedition.”
— Billboard on “Labyrinth” from Mountain Of Memory
LISTEN NOW HERE
Douglas Appling, the Portland based electronic musician known to electronic music enthusiasts as Emancipator continues to refine and consolidate his creative ethos with the release of his sixth studio album Mountain of Memory today (April 3) on his Loci Records.
Listen to Mountain of Memory here: http://ffm.to/mountain-of-memory
Recorded in his Mt. Hood, OR studio, 14 free-flowing tracks effortlessly encapsulate a variety of elements included in mid-tempo dance grooves, solid boom bap hip-hop beats and calm, reflective tempos blend with electric and acoustic guitars, classical violin, Persian dilruba, cimbaloms, finger snaps, symphonic strings, bubbling water, Latin and African hand drumming, music boxes, Baroque flutes and opera singers, who add unexpected vocal ornamentations to accent certain melodic phrases.
Underlying it all, is the bed of sound Appling produces using electric pianos, ethereal synthesizer washes, processed and almost inaudible vocals, soothing ambient textures and the pulsing of an infinite heartbeat produced by electronic bass tones. “The album has a loose narrative of rising from the swamps, to the summit of a mountain, and the journey of enlightenment in between. By the end of the album, you are standing atop the Mountain of Memory.”
Meanwhile, Emancipator Ensemble—who is Doug Appling (production/guitar) along with Ilya Goldberg (violin), Colby Buckler (drums), Mub Fractal (bass) and Asher Fulero (keys)—have rearranged their tour schedule due to the coronavirus crisis. Updated tour dates are as follows:
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Date
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City
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Venue
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New Spring Tour dates:
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7/9/20
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Nevada City, CA
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Miners Foundry
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7/10/20
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Sacramento, CA
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Ace of Spades
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7/11/20
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San Francisco, CA
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Warfield
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7/14/20
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Bellingham, WA
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Wild Buffalo
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7/16/20
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Vancouver, BC
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Commodore Ballroom
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7/17/20
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Seattle, WA
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Showbox SODO
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7/18/20
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Portland, OR
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Crystal Ballroom
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7/19/20
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Bend, OR
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Seventh Mountain Resort
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7/22/20
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Santa Barbara, CA
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SoHo Music Club
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7/23/20
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San Diego, CA
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Observatory
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7/24/20
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Phoenix, AZ
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Van Buren
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7/25/20
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Los Angeles, CA
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Fonda Theatre
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New Fall Tour Dates:
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9/23/20
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Minneapolis
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Varsity Theatre
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9/24/20
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Milwaukee
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Miramar Theatre
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9/25/20
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Chicago
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House of Blues
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9/26/20
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Detroit
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Majestic
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9/29/20
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Portland
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Port City
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9/30/20
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Burlington, VT
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Higher Ground
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10/1/20
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Boston
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Royale
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10/2/20
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New York
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Webster
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10/3/20
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Philadelphia
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The Ave
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10/4/20
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Washington
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9:30 Club
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10/6/20
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Nashville
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Cowan
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10/8/20
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Carrboro, NC
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Cat’s Cradle
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10/9/20
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Asheville, NC
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The Orange Peel
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10/10/20
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Atlanta
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Variety Playhouse
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10/11/20
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Tampa
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The Orpheum
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10/14/20
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Birmingham, AL
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The Saturn
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10/15/20
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New Orleans
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HOB
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10/16/20
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Dallas
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Canton
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10/17/20
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Austin
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Scoot Inn
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About Emancipator:
Classically trained as a violinist from an early age, Appling’s organic approach to electronic music production draws inspiration from a wide range of international cultures and musical genres, culminating in a refreshingly authentic brand of electronic music that has infiltrated global consciousness. Mountain of Memory due out April 2020–follows his other albums Baralku (2017), Seven Seas (2015), Dusk To Dawn (2013), Safe in the Steep Cliffs (2010) and Soon It Will Be Cold Enough.
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