Vipassana

A 11 track techno album (1h 6m 52s) — released October 30th 2015 on Styles Upon Styles

Certain Creatures (born Oliver Chapoy) wrestles with the three marks of existence - impermanence, suffering and realisation of the non-self - throughout Vipassanā, his debut album on Styles Upon Styles.

Vipassanā, a Buddhist term denoting insight into the true nature of reality, explores Oliver's relationship between the self and external stimuli, chronicled across eleven episodes of power electronics, techno and darkwave pop. Oliver addresses a spectrum of expression, from ferocity and indifference to love and transcendence, with a narrative strength emanating from over 15 years of writing experience across various genres.

Oliver's resume extends from the early 90's when he was a pivotal player in Miami's hardcore scene by way of his band, Shai Hulud, before moving into post-rock territory (Saxon Shore) and electronic pop (Warm Ghost). Since departing from Warm Ghost, however, Oliver has focused on electronics in a solo environment: His first release as Certain Creatures dropped in 2013 as part of our Bangers & Ash 12" series, providing a menacing slap of dystopian techno w/ guest vocals from Stuart Argabright.

His collaboration with Stuart led to the most prominent credit in Oliver's production career: the opportunity to produce Black Rain's first album of new material since 1996. Dark Pool (Blackest Ever Black), heralded as Black Rain's comeback proper, provided the best scope of Oliver's production and compositional talent to date. With Vipassanā, Oliver offers a searing discourse on the harrowing beauty of acknowledging, confronting and transcending oneself.

The arc of the album is personal, conveyed to great effect through the use of Oliver's own voice in standouts, "Colour Me In" and "Nothing Changes", the former a deep trip through vocoded psychosis, the latter a noir pop odyssey akin to The Fragile's finer moments. Paul Corley (Oneohtrix Point Never, Tim Hecker, Antony) lends his revered mixing acumen to Vipassanā, casting shadows across haunting features from Bonnie Baxter (Shadowbox / Kill Alters) and Jon Philpot (Bear in Heaven) on "The Suffering Seas" and "In Safety of Cold Light," respectively. These collaborative efforts propel Vipassanā to heights beyond the traditional techno album. Years of experiencing and participating in club culture have provided the groundwork for Vipassanā, but it's his compositional prowess that carries Certain Creatures' debut album beyond the horde.

Certain Creatures' Vipassanā will be available October 30, 2015 on limited 2xLP vinyl and unlimited digital.

An Allegory For The Dispassionate' is a beautiful sketch with traces of rainforest exotica, but not exactly suggesting serenity – the nature samples get worked into the rhythm, creating an atmospheric backdrop to get lost within. - Boiler Room Debuts

Passages,' the lastest single from Certain Creatures’ upcoming double-LP on Styles Upon Styles, a Brooklyn-based imprint that dabbles in a variety of thoughtful, genre-agnostic sounds, emphasizes Chapoy’s approach to more headphone- or soundsystem-centric dance music. - Decoder Magazine

The chance to fully explore his sound as Certain Creatures will arrive in late October when Styles Upon Styles release the album Vipassanā, which takes its name from the Buddhist term denoting insight into the true nature of reality. Described as a “searing discourse on the harrowing beauty of acknowledging, confronting and transcending oneself”, the 11-track album features collaborations with local Brooklyn acts Shadowbox and Bear In Heaven’s Jon Philpot. - Juno Plus

Vipassana, the debut from Oliver Chapoy aka Certain Creatures - a term from Theravada Buddhism, meaning 'meditation involving concentration on the body or its sensations - explores Oliver’s relationship between 'the self and external stimuli'. Behold the product of 15 years hard labour. - The Ransom Note

  • Kudos happily ship all items worldwide.
  • Shipping costs and delivery times are available here.
  • UK items are sent tracked as standard at no extra cost.
  • We aim to dispatch orders placed before 2pm on the same day.
  • We are unable to ship orders on weekends or Bank Holidays.
  • If you purchase a pre-order item amongst an order of in-stock releases, we will typically hold your order until all items are in ready to send.
  • Although we use all reasonable means to ensure that your order is delivered within a specified time, we cannot accept any responsibility for late deliveries due to circumstances outside of our control. We will do our best to inform you of any unexpected delay.