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11/03/2015

Take a Sonic Journey of Transformation With ASW's Solo Single, 'The Monarch.'

By Aaron Martin //

ASW's First Solo Single is out now.

ASW is the moniker for self-styled music designer, event promoter, and scene innovator Alex Wagner. If you're not familiar with his work and his vision, check out Alex's recent interview with Oregon Music News previewing the premiere of Generate, a music and arts experience that debuted on August 15 here in PDX. 

The Monarch signifies not so much a departure form Alex's previous releases as a return. Alex has been making music since he was a kid, but back in August he admitted to setting aside dj'ing. He needed to focus his creative energies collaborating with visual artists and musicians to create live experiences of sight and sound, and last summer's Generate at Branx was the most recent fruition of those endeavors. The twist is that Alex has been quietly working on The Monarch for some time now. There's a clear parallel here between the musical journey expressed in The Monarch and the personal journey of Alex Wagner as creator. In a sense, the image of the monarch butterfly is quite apt. It signifies the sonic chrysalis, a transformation across soundscapes. In this light, 'Time for Me' can be interpreted as the caterpillar entering the cocoon, leaving behind the world, 'Confusion and Clarity' is the internal struggle of transformation, and 'The Monarch' is the emergence. Or you can take it from the artist himself, in his own words:

"Inspired by the idea that we constantly change in our youth, eventually emerging from our own cocoons to bear our true colors, this EP will take you on a voyage of growth and transformation." 

Ready for the journey? You can find The Monarch at these locations:

Beatport

iTunes

Spotify

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