Nathan Cook wears many masks. As the head of the local Close/Far label, he produces digital albums and limited-edition cassettes, curating an expansive sound through his compilation project, Rhizomatic St. Louis, and working with musicians from in and outside the city to fill a small but essential niche for experimental music. His latest project, BRUXISM, is a monthly concert series hosted by Apop Records on Cherokee Street. This Friday, January 31 marks the first in a year of nuanced, ambient shows at the local venue.
"[Close/Far and Apop] are both approaching ten-year anniversaries in our involvement and support of adventurous, difficult and odd music," Cook says. "The series is a way to bring together and celebrate many of the fascinating artists in the community working in peculiar modes that relate to the label and the shop."
BRUXISM aims to provide an entry point into experimental and electro-acoustic music. Attendees will receive a free cassette, print or zine, depending on the month. Cook hopes to keep the series fresh by providing a different theme for each show.
"The first one is all about the shift in noise and drone over the last couple of years away from a more static and textural approach into heavily rhythmic styles that are appropriating and distorting various dance music templates," Cook elaborates. "Everyone performing this Friday will be displaying their own personal type of rhythmic, electronic music."
