Sans Serif

Artists: Forrest Fang
P: 2011
Unbound is veteran ambient musician Forrest Fang exploring lush and abstract terrain under the Sans Serif moniker. Using very small - at times microscopic - sounds as source material, Fang utilizes a vocabulary of long shimmering tones that gradually warp, mutate and transform over the course of a piece.
Fang explains, “The Sans Serif project is my tribute to minimalism. For each piece, I have stripped sound down to certain tones and sonic elements that reappear, with variations, on a much larger scale. The processed elements are the ‘clouds’ in each piece’s landscape that gradually shift from one end of the landscape to the other.“
On Unbound, Fang takes the Sans Serif concept one step further by creating a series of extended soundscapes, each with its own distinct personality and mood. The varied atmospheres range from incandescent ("A Silver Season") to dark ("Lost Oracle"). Though rooted in abstraction, at times the music possesses an almost luminous physicality. The pieces on Unbound contribute to an unhurried organic flow that culminates in the multi-textural closer, “Tone In Alium,” a piece loosely inspired by Thomas Tallis’ 16th-Century polyphonic work, “Spem In Alium.”
Unbound is Fang’s 10th solo album, 3rd Projekt release and 2nd release from Sans Serif. Not surprisingly, Sans Serif’s first release, Tones for LaMonte (2008), was a tribute to minimalist composer La Monte Young. Throughout, the subtle psychoacoustics invite headphone listening, but its grand scale may perhaps be best appreciated over speakers.