Masque's music is informed by ambient soundscapes, progressive rock bands of yore, Middle Eastern scales, Indian ensembles, West African rhythms, European early music, Orchestral textures, experimental electronica, and so on; all within the framework of concise, memorable "pop-song" like arrangements.
Sounds Like
Eek, how artists hate to address this question, but how else are the uninitiated supposed to relate? We hope to achieve a sound with David Sylvian-esque vocals over a Dead Can Dance instrumentation playing material reminiscent of Peter Gabriel's "Passion" score with more V.A.S.T.-ish crunch and King Crimson polyrhythmic interest, in a succinct Peter Murphy-esque pop song format. Whew, I hope that's useful to someone!
Masque is an emerging Los Angeles based quartet, blending musical genres from around the world with touches of progressive, ambient, darkwave, gothic and rock music. The ensemble is intent on creating cultural mid-air collisions. The resulting richly woven tapestries of sound have been labeled filmic in scope; alternating dense, heavy orchestrations with minimalistic passages. From their beginnings as traditional rock instrumentalists, the members of Masque ravenously acquired and taught themselves numerous lesser-known instruments from around the world. Unusual instrumental pairings are a hallmark; such as Chinese dulcimer with electric guitar, Chapman Stick with Moroccan percussion, or even saz and synth. Brent, Chris, Rick and James view the writing process as a marriage of high-tech and no-tech; with a strong belief that any instrumental means to an end is acceptable as long as the resulting musical blend conveys the desired emotion and produces a memorable song with a melodic hook.
After traveling twice to Europe to study percussion and perform with Dead Can Dance’s Brendan Perry, Masque is currently recording their debut full-length release, with Greg Ellis (VAS, Mickey Hart) co-producing, and have recently played shows in the Los Angeles area, to resume when recording is completed. Masque’s commanding live presence and diverse instrumentation set the stage for a strikingly visual presentation. Their combined stage experience playing in various signed acts culminates in a tight, mature, uniquely identifiable sound. Fans of groups such as Dead Can Dance, Peter Murphy, David Sylvian and Peter Gabriel typically respond favorably to Masque's unique sound and vision.
