$YNDRM is the professional name of Brooklyn-based composer and multi-instrumentalist producer Howard Alper. An accomplished drummer and veteran of stage and studio, he has played with dozens of different projects in and around the NYC area, backing artists in genres ranging from Rock to Funk, R&B to Electronica and more.
The new project is the realization of a bucket-list dream for Alper on which he explores the world of experimental Pop and Electronic music. He describes $YNDRM as, “an Avant-Rocktronic project inspired by the late 70’s work of artists such as Peter Gabriel, David Bowie & Brian Eno.”
“Facade” is the debut album from $YNDRM, released worldwide to all major streaming services on November 12, 2021. The 9-song collection is a wildly creative mix of musical genres and transformative moods. It’s an immersive listen as Alper guides us through a mash-up of past and present. From the percussive arpeggios, Synthwave vibes and dark contemplation of “Shadow Life” to the Eno-esque ambience of “Fight or Flight” he blends the sonic science of his heroes with modern production and composition techniques.
Throughout the record, $YNDRM blurs the lines between analog and electronic. Each piece features a full ensemble including guitars, bass, keys and vocals. However, there is a rhythmic thread that ties the album together as a cohesive whole. He weaves acoustic and electronic percussion together on hypnotic tracks like the excellent “Everything,” recalling some of the best of Peter Gabriel’s early solo work. The album’s combination of complex melodic structures and syncopated rhythmic patterns also brings to mind the solo cinematic work of another drummer turned composer, the great Stewart Copeland.
As drums and keys provide the album its hypnotic pulse, vocals and guitars paint the periphery with meditative mantras and psychedelic Art-Rock grooviness. Pink Floyd moods and Adrian Belew riffs color tracks like the dreamy “Don’t Look Back” and “Humans.” “Q On The Brain” takes a fun turn into an avant-garde Jazz/Funk groove for a distinctly New York City vibe. The record closes with the trippy industrial ambience of the instrumental “Instant Quality.”
“Facade” is a great listen for any fan of forward-thinking experimental music from Post-Rock to Downtempo Electronic and everything in between. Check out the album in its entirety below, or listen on your favorite streaming service. You can also hear the song “Everything” on the Deep Indie Dive playlist and “Fight or Flight” on the Deep Indie Chill. Follow the links below to connect with $YNDRM. Get on his socials and join this talented artist as he explores the unknown.
Mixed by Kee Chung Tracks 1-6
Mixed by $YNDRM Tracks 7 & 8
Mastered by DOLBY AI
Recorded at Doxey Sound NY
$YNDRM – Drum programs, live drums/percussion, synth, vocals & sampling.
Kee Chung – Additional keyboards
Andee Blacksugar – Guitar Tracks 1-6
Dan Grennes – Bass Tracks 1,3,4,5,6
Evan Patrick – Guitar Track 7 & extra drum arrangement “Q On The Brain”
Buster Hemphill – Bass Track 7
V. Jeffrey Smith – Sax & Guitar Track 7