missing scenes
dream or memory?

modular synth / jazz / dark ambient / drone / ambient

The brilliant colors and magical realism that make up Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams provided inspiration for "dream or memory?" A quarter of a century since he first saw the film, scenes from Dream’s vignettes still appear to Hunter unbidden but never unwelcome. Peach orchard, kitsune wedding, watermill village, Van Gogh’s crows…the rich tapestry of Dreams is mirrored in "dream or memory's?" sonic vignettes exploring Hunter’s love of nature, darkness, light and the importance he assigns to memory, sleep…and dreaming.

The initial outlines of "dream or memory?" came via a live performance at Megalith in Portland, Oregon on a shared bill with two talented musicians, Andrew Anderson and Jori Apedaile. Hunter tends to perform pieces live just once, and because he had recently performed material from prior release "who is this for?", decided a new piece was needed. The piece composed for and performed at Megalith ultimately developed into "dream or memory?’s" core pieces.

To fully realize these vignettes, percussion is present for the first time on a missing scenes album, courtesy of Steve Lyman. Though missing scenes was never envisioned as a rhythmic or song-based project, upon hearing Lyman’s darkly beautiful album "Spiral", Hunter was inspired to reach out, feeling Lyman’s percussion would add an interesting new element to dream or memory? And it does, enriching the compositions with additional textural colors and a rhythmic complexity heretofore absent in missing scenes’ discography.

Additionally, field recordings provide the connective tissue in "dream or memory?’s" compositions. Captured on hiking trips around the Vancouver area in Washington State, on location in Peoria and Jerome, Arizona and in Hunter’s living room, they serve a purpose greater than decoration or enhancement. They bring the compositions together into a cohesive statement.

The light on the forest floor. The darkness just below the surface. "dream or memory?" speaks to the liminality which binds these two states. As the eyes dim, the ears open.