"Lylantz and the Architecture of ZERO"
There comes a time, in between the beer soaked ground and the buzzing of static, in which Lylantz stops performing and begins confronting. ZERO lives there. Not in comfort; never comfort; but in purpose. Like the weathered figure chiselled from solid stone who is unafraid of natural erosion.
Hailing from the mind of Jack-of-all-trades polymath from Chicago named At-N Ausara-Lasaru, Lylantz creates more than just music; Lylantz builds psychological spaces. His ninth solo album truly has the feeling of being a project that is much less of an album and much more of a downward dive into something unknown and then an upward climb to the next step; it's more like a controlled fire that first creates ash and then creates flames; it's like using the Phoenix myth as both a reference point and a way that Lylantz is building a new creative landscape.
The feeling is very much conveyed through the textures that are present. Gothic sounding piano lines resounding with echo would sound like holy ground; metal surging forward without the slightest hint of asking to be listened to, creating a sound unlike anything heard before. Then, for no apparent reason whatsoever, hip-hop cadences appear providing the listener with a contemporary, human experience; creating a genre-fluid overall musical work but at the same time producing the ultimate example of chaos with a clear understanding and control over it.
Visually, Lylantz takes a cinematic approach to his art, with an edge of survivalist grit similar to The Revenant; however, what he expresses through his work appears darker and more introspective. The realms of existence that Lylantz portrays in his work can be summed up as Medieval, Victorian & Post-Modern. His use of shadow is intentional, so he actually studies and embraces (and even monetizes) it.
The audience does not have a passive observation of Lylantz's work; instead it is a direct connection with what he is trying to communicate. Through his art, he is connecting with those who are the Outliers - the Black Swans; those who have found clarity in their own discomfort. Lylantz has embedded in ZERO that Beauty cannot exist without Fracture.
Collaborative works across various continents add more dimensions to Lylantz's art, yet the core of what he is creating remains singular at all times. Lylantz produces and mixes his own material while remaining completely true to his vision and narrative.
"Before you become everything, you must first become nothing." While this line may come off as a cliché in the hands of someone else, in Lylantz's hands it comes off as a doctrine.
In Lylantz's vision, ZERO is not about achieving your end goal - it is more about initiating a spark. Once that spark has ignited, ZERO does not stop to inquire if you are ready to move forward.