Lost Forest Records is excited to announce the release of the split LP from Shumoto and Rambutan. Shumoto is veteran guitarist, sound artist, filmmaker and instrument builder Jefferson Pitcher. Rambutan is the solo project for Eric Hardiman. Each have extensive musical histories, but this is their first shared release. Pitcher studied improvisation and composition with Pauline Oliveros, Tomie Hahn, and Neil Rolnick. He has performed and recorded with Oliveros, Fred Frith, Ikue Mori, Okkyung Lee, Scott Amendola, Christian Kiefer, and many more. Hardiman runs the Tape Drift Records imprint, plays in several current bands (Burnt Hills/Century Plants/Sky Furrows/Spiral Wave Nomads), and has recently released a run of collaborative improvisation recordings with Jeff Case (Burnt Hills) and John Olson (Wolf Eyes).

The LP offers up one side from each artist, and is the result of many years of friendship, shared inspiration and discussion. Pitcher’s two contributions on the Shumoto side set the mood with deep and spacious guitar tones combined with hypnotic and meditative lyrics taken from a Ben Jahn poem. Hardiman’s three tracks on the Rambutan side continue his explorations mixing improvised guitar and electronics honed on numerous micro-releases for a range of labels. Taken together, the two sides form a whole that emphasizes abstraction, texture and mood while also offering intricate details for continued examination. The overall effect is deeply informed by each artist’s past work in the improv, experimental, indie rock, and psych realms, emerging on the other side with a gentle, introspective, probing and ultimately uplifting record. It is also a very personal record for each artist, representing a culmination of their shared obsession and joy with the wonders of sound and repetition.