Caural

Originating from Chicago, instrumentalist and producer Zachary Mastoon first channeled his energies into jazz by co-founding Transmission alongside Stuart Bogie and Eric Perney, remaining with the group until its members departed for college, and into funk through an ensemble that ultimately backed rapper Diverse. Only upon enrolling at NYU in 1997—after sampling multiple other colleges and subjects—did he encounter the downbeat experimental electronica and hip-hop that most captivated him. There he began crafting Prefuse 73- and Daedelus-styled productions under the name Caural, pronounced like “coral.” His debut album, Initial Experiments in 3-D, surfaced on Toshoklabs in 2000. After moving to Chocolate Industries he delivered the Paint EP in 2001 and the full-length Stars on My Ceiling in 2002. Caural later signed with Mush, which released Remembering Today in 2005; the following year Mirrors for Eyes appeared, featuring vocals on several tracks.