STEP INTO THE VOID
FOR YOUR GRAMMY® CONSIDERATION
Producer Of The Year, Classical
Mike Block, Michael Unterman, Louis Levitt
Best Engineered Album, Classical
Dan Cardinal
Best Classical Instrumental Solo
LISTEN
ABOUT
Step into the Void: The Complete Bach Cello Suites is the latest album featuring the Grammy® Award-winning cellist, member of Silkroad, and inventor of The Block Strap, Mike Block. Block’s newest exploration of the music of J.S. Bach features the Complete Bach Cello Suites, as well as a live phonograph companion album, a free improvisation on Bach’s suites with performance artist Barry Rothman, whose instruments-of-choice are record players, stacks of LPs, and a multi-effects pedal.
“The Bach Cello Suites have been a part of my life as long as I’ve been playing cello. In spite of my stylistic restlessness and years of artistic exploration outside of the Western Classical tradition, this is the repertoire I’ve played and thought about the most during my life. What I enjoy most are the moments when I am able to surprise even myself with how the music comes out. For this project, I wanted to maintain that commitment to playing from my gut, and phrasing on instinct. To stay "in the moment", I limited myself to two takes for each movement, with a few extra spots for coverage during editing. To record all 36 movements in just two days could not have been possible without the wonderful note-taking and musical perspective provided by my co-producer, cellist Michael Unterman.” -Mike Block
ARTIST
BOOKLET
PRESS
“An extraordinary mash-up of what feels like Block’s addled memory of Bach, and a live phonographic collage. The effect is that of a bizarre aural kaleidoscope, where fragments of Bach’s suites are tessellated into bluegrass, eerie electronics, a jazz-funk drum machine, or gospel singing, as the ‘phonographer’, DJ-like, syncs speech and recordings into Block’s improvisations.”
“There’s a refreshing freedom and a sense of exploration in his beautiful playing here, a feeling of “let’s see where this goes” with delightful results.”
“As one might expect, the resulting collage of sounds, words, and noises is by turns eerie, funny, disconcerting, and deeply beautiful.”
“I’ve rarely heard the Suite No 6 Prelude’s earthy lilt unfold to Block’s supple degree”