Act!
Face To Face, Day By Day
Toronto-based musician and producer David Psutka aka ACT! (f.k.a. Egyptrixx/Anamai/Ceramic TL) releases his project 'Face To Face, Day By Day' for his own Halocline Trance imprint. This is is Psutka's third album proper as ACT! following the release of the "sonic mixtape" 'Universalist' in 2018 and the augmented reality soundtrack 'Grey Matter AR' in 2021; a series of Snapchat filters created by artist Karen Vanderborght and soundtracked by ACT! which explored the poetic and existential potential of AR and social media. Psutka said about the recording of the album that he had a few months to sit with this album and see clear throughlines connecting it to previous projects. There are aspects of the experiential and structuralist sound design ideas from the Egyptrixx records; and also some arrangement tricks borrowed from Anamai - specifically, the use of interruptionist sound events. Perhaps most of all, it feels connected to the Ceramic TL + Ipek Gorgun record 'Perfect Lung' and its splattered take on musical complexity. Many of Psutka's releases have received critical acclaim from media outlets such as Pitchfork, Exclaim, The Quietus and Resident Advisor. The contributions on this album, from Robin Dann and Ben Gunning, reflect the deeply collaborative nature of the Halocline Trance label and the Toronto creative scene more broadly.