Upon The Apex, by Rah Zen

Upon The Apex

by Rah Zen

supported by

Cristobal Dion Well, that's official. I've now bought it THRICE lol. Once digital, then cassette, and then this vinyl version came out... It's a good album. I believe it will age well. Favorite track: Incandescent (feat. 3Diety).

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Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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$10 USD or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Light of Day Records Exclusive Limited Edition Press of 500 on 180g Blue Translucent Vinyl with Bonus Track and brand new hand-drawn artwork by James Wells!

“A collection of the most innovative beat music to emerge from Boston. Darkness broken into pockets of light; eerie, otherworldly melodies grounded in earthy textures.”

Max Bell, Bandcamp

- Best Beat Tapes on Bandcamp, 2019
- WBUR The ARTery 15 Best Albums Out of Boston 2019
- XLR&R Best Releases of 2019

Available on vinyl for the first time, Upon the Apex maps out Rah Zen’s travels & experiences over a fast-paced, transformative period of his life.

Samples lace the entire record, slicing in film interludes, vocal chops, instrument loops & more. It's a perfect reflection of the expansive nature of the music, intertwined into the experiences of being on the road & what led to the final shaping of the record. Through the bulk of the album, Rah Zen navigates a burning hunger for a higher sense of self and explores these corridors of life through '90s era east coast instrumentalism & west coast futurism - his sound is soaked in that resonance.

Upon the Apex ambles with intent, slowing time & radiating through its intense detail. It’s bare & triumphant in the way that the cover art is: Rah Zen gazing out over an expanse of shrubby New Mexico dune, the San Andres Mountains clipping the horizon. The beats swagger & stagger, sometimes through drunken strings, other times through leering bass. Rah Zen renders distinctly human sounds — crinkling paper, jangling keys, the voice of Alfred Hitchcock — otherworldly, yielding songs that feel deeply spiritual. Rah Zen’s relationship with music feels innate, pulsing through his bloodline in an easily traceable way, but also readily apparent in his thought process. He was a listener well before he became a maker.**

*Street Date 10/14/22 -- Vinyl will ship week of 10/11/22
** Description compiled from excerpts of writing by Max Bell, Mano Sundaresan, and Erik Otis

Includes unlimited streaming of Upon The Apex via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. ... more

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Purchasable with gift card

$19.98 USD or more
BUY IT ON TAPE
Cassette + Digital Album
Limited Edition run of 100 High-Bias cassette tapes
Clear Cassette Shell w/ Full Color Label

Includes unlimited streaming of Upon The Apex via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Sold Out

1.	Ritual 01:33	buy track
2.	Godspeed 01:29	buy track
3.	Amen Rah 02:31	buy track
4.	Incandescent (feat. 3Diety) 02:43	buy track
5.	Ka Pow! 01:22	buy track
6.	Snake Charmer 01:54	buy track
7.	Ancestor's Call 02:44	buy track
8.	New Beginnings (feat. Kadeem) 02:28	buy track
9.	Moonraker (feat. CLYDE) 01:45	buy track
10.	Giants Arm (feat. Dirty Merlin) 02:02	buy track
11.	Transmissions 01:08	buy track
12.	Angels 02:13	buy track
13.	Earthbound (feat. Dephrase) 02:34	buy track
14.	Magnetism 02:02	buy track

about

"Upon The Apex is a testament to remaining patient while continuing to work hard, pursue goals, and improve. It’s trusting the process through times of uncertainty and feeling every step of the path. The release of Upon the Apex signifies the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one. It’s the second major piece in the puzzle of my artistic journey." - Rah Zen

Boston's Rah Zen returns to Dome of Doom for the release of his sophomore full-length, Upon The Apex. The new album is scheduled to release across limited edition cassette and digital formats worldwide on July 12, 2019. Bridging Rah Zen's love for the structural resonance of boom bap and the experimental edges of electronic, the 14-track album features contributions from 3Deity, Kadeem, Dirty Merlin, CLYDE, and Dephrase.

Upon The Apex was created during a series of travels to the deserts of Arizona, the cities and landscapes of Israel, and a cross-country road trip from Boston to Los Angeles and back via the southern route. Recordings initiated in the summer of 2017, months before the release of his debut album for Dome of Doom, Midnight Satori.

credits

released July 12, 2019

All songs produced by Rah Zen
Except “Incandescent” co produced by FortyForty
Mixed and Mastered by Dephrase
Cover by Cesar Manuel Perez

license

about

Rah Zen Boston, Massachusetts

I can't sleep, always hear that beat

SoundCloud

discography

Mannequin

Mar 2021
1992

Dec 2020
In Rah Form Vol. 1

May 2020
Upon The Apex

Jul 2019
Midnight Satori

Oct 2017
Tree of Life

Mar 2017
Beats Before Satori

Feb 2017
Change

Feb 2017
Mars H20

Oct 2015

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