counter:point

A collaborative pen-pal exchange of ambient bliss between Australia and Austin.

Sometimes the internet can really work in magical ways.

I was 35,000 feet in the air when I came across the music of Ruby Lulham aka Clariloops. We were both on a playlist together and as her track came on I opened my eyes to see who it was, I was completely struck by the atypical tonal qualities the clarinet brought to the ambient space - and hearing it blended with guitar effects and turned into loops was sonically adventurous and such a joy to listen and experience.

I reached out via Instagram and asked if she’d be interested in working with me - with little plan and zero pressure, she agreed and sent me a few snippets of ideas she had captured.

I then took these ideas with me into the studio and turned them into fully formed arrangements utilizing my guitar effects, modular synth effect rack, tape machines, and vintage synthesizers. Before I knew it, I had a few tracks fully formed. I sent them to Ruby and luckily she shared in my enthusiasm.

Filling out the record with an intro, interlude, and outro is my nod to theater - the arc a story tells, a beginning - middle - and end. A complete story, just waiting to be told again. On loop, perhaps.

Time being an ever present concept that I wrestle with, I wanted to break down the traditional way of thinking of the record and make it so that you could start it and end it wherever you please and the story will still feel complete.

Much like life, the circle that is our experience is never ending, we just have awoken at this point in the ride.

While we may be on opposite sides of the planet, working together on this record made the whole idea of distance feel nonexistent - the power of the internet working in beautiful ways.

I was honored to work with Ruby on this project and I hope you as a listener can hear the true enjoyment behind each track.

It is recommended you place headphones on and listen while in a darkened and quiet room, though wherever you most prefer to listen is the ideal location. Closing your eyes may result in occasional inner journeying, this is intentional.

Thank you for listening and being here.

TJ Dumser [Six Missing] - Moog Synthesizers, pianos, modular synths, guitars, field recordings, effect processing, arrangements, mix engineer.

Ruby Lulham [Clariloops] - Clarinets + Compositions

TJ Dumser - mastering engineer

Kyle Mangels - Atmos Mix Engineer

“counter:point” is the sophomore release from Six Missing on Nettwerk.

Art and design by: Irek Jania

Hand-drawn animations by: Lavinia Petrache

Recorded and mixed in various states during the late winter months of 2022 and then again during the spring of 2023 at Cabin in the Woods Music, Austin, TX.

Special thanks: Hanna and Nala - my two best friends, Tom and Terri, Kelly and Evan, Kathy and Bill, Maureen + Doggos, Pat and Dick, Phyllis and Bernie, Jeremy and Courtney, and too many others. My friends and family, you mean so much to me - thank you for all the texts and messages, rough mix checking, and brainstorming. Additional thanks: Chase Bliss, Hologram Electronics, Soma Labs, Moog Music, Meris, Walrus Audio, and Make Noise Music, amongst many others. Moog Music has had a profound impact on the sonic direction of this record, thank you Bob. Thank you Robert for the encouragement. And thank you to Brady and the entire Nettwerk gang, your support has meant the world to me.

Finally, thank you to seasonal depression for the spurts of manic creative energy, I truly could not have done this without you.