Chris Williams - Odu: Vibration II - Vinyl LP (Black)

Tracklist:

1. Moon
2. Visage (feat. Kalia Vandever)
3. location.echo
4. Waning
5. Stemmed outwards (feat. Patrick Shiroishi)  
6. Stemmed inwards
   

“Odu is a process of unraveling. Each vibration must unravel anew.”

Striking a balance between drifting levity and sculpted form, Odu: Vibration II the debut release from Chris Williams on AKP Recordings out September 26, melds a trio of horns with glacial synthesizers to evoke a music of slow emergence and ecstatic possibility.

Drawing parallels between the humid mystique of Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s cinema, the traditions of three-horn music, and the vibrational poetics of cave spaces, Odu: Vibration II is a deep study of resonance and the body’s response to it. “I composed from the place that connects me to sound most, modes of reaching ecstatic transcendence, spatialization, Black improvisational practices, and ambient music,” Williams shares. “The piece unfolds like a descent into an imagined cave, guided by a search awe, dizzying grandeur, and frenzied dissonance.”

A central figure in Brooklyn’s experimental sound community, one shaped by Piotr Orlov’s Dadastrain axiom of “rhythm, improvisation, community”, Williams steps forward here as a composer and conceptual leader. His creative path has been shaped by mentorship and collaboration: years spent working with expansive elders like Bennie Maupin, Nicole Mitchell, and Ras G; performing in ensembles led by Pink Siifu and Luke Stewart; and co-developing long-form projects such as HxH and History Dog. Since relocating from Los Angeles to New York, these experiences have formed a crucible, forging a singular voice that emerges from the haze with clarity and purpose—reminiscent in spirit only of Maupin’s A Jewel in the Lotus.

Culled from a live performance at Roulette Intermedium, the album features Patrick Shiroishi and Kalia Vandever, whose distinct voices amplify the record’s layered emotional spectrum. “Kalia’s incredibly lush sound and Patrick’s ability to truly wail on the sax allowed me to approach the trumpet in a more melancholic, introspective way,” Williams explains. “I used electronics as a kind of sculpting tool—as you might use to carve stone or shape a terrain. Each vibration emerges from that sculptural curiosity.”

The result is a glossy yet fragile composite of breath, tone, and texture: billowing horns, filtered bells, and digital haze converge in waves of static and dissonance. The fever builds, momentarily swelling into something close to anxiety, before dissolving as quickly as a dream.

Earlier this year, Williams released two other key works: STARK PHENOMENA (OFNOT) with HxH and Root Systems (Otherly Love) with History Dog. Odu: Vibration II sits at the intersection of those projects, tracing a throughline in Williams’ evolving relationship to the trumpet—not simply as an instrument, but as a vessel for vibration, memory, and transformation.

Chris Williams - Composition, Trumpet, Synthesizers
Patrick Shiroishi - Saxophone, Effects
Kalia Vandever - Trombone, Effects

Recorded live at Roulette Intermedium
Engineer: Andrya Ambro
Mixing: Kevin Ramsay
Mastering: Stephan Mathieu
Album Artwork: Kristina Bajunaishvili
Layout & Design: Matthew Sage

Special thanks: Laura Sofía Pérez, Kevin Ramsey, Patrick & Kalia, Harvestworks, Scott Osgood, Roulette Intermedium team

AKP039