Biography
Dante Carfagna, the Chicago-based producer and crate-digger, launched the atmospheric instrumental outfit Express Rising as a solo vehicle. The project first surfaced via a handful of enigmatic singles and a 2003 long-player whose sound sat between downtempo tracks built on organic breaks and ambient post-rock. Another decade elapsed before a follow-up appeared, by which time the endeavor had grown into a trio whose spontaneous compositions suggested a snow-covered rural expanse.
Two early singles, issued near the turn of the millennium, carried the billing Rising Express. The self-titled debut LP arrived in 2003; its indistinct cover image and minimal credits reinforced the hazy character of the instrumental pieces inside. Carfagna performed most of the parts himself, shaping a bleached sonic palette from airy guitars, programmed rhythms, and audio fragments whose origins stayed too indistinct to identify. The material was drawn from four years of accumulated recordings and shared nothing with the equally elusive 7-inch sides that flanked its release.
Far removed from the classic soul and deep funk collections Carfagna is known for assembling, Express Rising remained in the shadows until a second self-titled album surfaced in 2013. That release likewise supplied little documentation and carried no label imprint, though the Numero Group oversaw part of its distribution. Two years later the trio lineup of Carfagna, Kevin Blagg, and William Suran recorded Fixed Rope in rural Arkansas, yielding a dozen improvised instrumentals. The same three musicians returned in 2018 with Fixed Rope 2, a leaner and more atmospheric sequel.
Two early singles, issued near the turn of the millennium, carried the billing Rising Express. The self-titled debut LP arrived in 2003; its indistinct cover image and minimal credits reinforced the hazy character of the instrumental pieces inside. Carfagna performed most of the parts himself, shaping a bleached sonic palette from airy guitars, programmed rhythms, and audio fragments whose origins stayed too indistinct to identify. The material was drawn from four years of accumulated recordings and shared nothing with the equally elusive 7-inch sides that flanked its release.
Far removed from the classic soul and deep funk collections Carfagna is known for assembling, Express Rising remained in the shadows until a second self-titled album surfaced in 2013. That release likewise supplied little documentation and carried no label imprint, though the Numero Group oversaw part of its distribution. Two years later the trio lineup of Carfagna, Kevin Blagg, and William Suran recorded Fixed Rope in rural Arkansas, yielding a dozen improvised instrumentals. The same three musicians returned in 2018 with Fixed Rope 2, a leaner and more atmospheric sequel.
Albums
