“A song full of space and intricate detail which grows with subtle grace. Spoken word samples further the mood, and the result feels like a doorway into some adjacent, ethereal world.” So we wrote back in March of ‘a new shape’, a track from sachi’s mirror‘s debut release, coral miracle church. The solo project of Oakland-based experimental violinist and composer Shaina Pan, sachi’s mirror serves as a vehicle for the classically trained musician to explore ambient, avant-garde and art pop terrain. And it is clear that the initial two songs proved merely an introduction to the possibilities Pan’s ambitions.
sachi’s mirror is now returning with room to receive, an EP set for release later this month including a run of cassettes via Cone Shape Top Imprint. “Across five tracks, Pan explores the sonic capabilities of her instrument, melding violin with synthesizers, field recordings, and voice to craft icy-hot string textures, crepuscular melodies, and pulsing emotional undercurrents,” the label describes. “An alchemy of ambient vignettes, dreamy exotica, avant-garde classical composition, and art-pop sensibilities, room to receive reimagines a closed door as a shining portal.”
The first cut from the EP, ‘heat resonance’ embodies the care and craft of this style, once again matching precise detail with a sense of sweeping space. What results is something which complicates the distinction between the composed and the improvised, each detail feeling at once exact and organic, bound by an internal logic in the manner of a fantastic dream. Pan’s vocals and her signature violin only elevate this mood further, adding emotional resonance to the shimmering world and marking sachi’s mirror as a project to watch moving forwards.
