Sarah Davachi

Vergers

BY Bryon HayesPublished Feb 8, 2017

8
The duty of a verger in the Anglican Church is essentially to lead the clergy through the service of mass, without really playing a conspicuous role in the liturgy itself. A verger is seen without being seen — a virtual ghost. 
 
The music of Sarah Davachi, who calls both Vancouver and Montreal home, is equally spiritual: long-form works of drone, they are deeply textural and rich with overtones. A former student of Mills College, Davachi is steeped in the history of electronic music, favouring relatively antique synthesizers. She pairs the warm, alien tones of her electrified implements with hints of subtle acoustic instrumentation.
 
On her third LP, Vergers, Davachi employs the British-born EMS Synthi 100; with this immense, desk-like monstrosity, she weaves the subtlest of sound fields, augmenting the shimmering sea of drone with her own voice and violin playing. On the surface, the album feels like the most static of Davachi's recordings, but a keen ear and clear mind can pick up a host of subtle psychoacoustic phenomena emitted from this florid microcosm, crafted by a perceptive and adroit composer.
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