Biography
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Born
1996 (age 28)
biography:
Stephen Seto has been composing, recording and performing in the underground music scene for over twenty years. First as a member (bass guitar, guitar, synths and programming) of the experimental, dark electro-pop project ‘Parade’ from 1988-2000 and most recently as a solo electronic artist in the ambient, noise project ‘s:cage’.
Seto’s s:cage project first appeared as ‘Splintercage’ in 1996 with the release of ‘Still Movement Bliss’, a 4 song ep on the Plan Eleven label. With the disbanding of Parade in 2000, he re-conceptualized the Splintercage project, taking it on a new and always evolving journey. With experience comes growth, time for change and transformation, Splintercage becomes s:cage, a delicate balance of ambient soundscapes, moody and layered textures and deep rhythmic explorations. Incorporating found sounds borrowed from nature and urban environments, this work merges beauty with anger, harshness with light, and dreams with nightmares, creating an atmosphere of electronic sound that draws from a variety of genres. Add to this a strong visual element created through original video compositions, and it becomes clear how this project has drawn from its roots in the experimental to offer us a vision.
In 2003, s:cage signed to German electronic/noise label Ant-Zen and in May 2004, the debut s:cage album titled ‘Remote’, was released. The album, a distant observation of human fragility, was supported by well received live performances at major electro/noise festivals in Europe (Maschinenfest), Quebec (COMA) and the USA (Indoctrination) as well as performances in Japan and Ontario. Remote “is an artist’s journey along a taut string, balancing electronic ambience, blasts of controlled noise, rhythmic precision, and waves of melodic beauty.” - Michael Casano (Buzz Communications Music. 01.2005). November 2006 saw the release of the second s:cage album ‘Madness Turns To Glass’, an immersion into the chaos and balance of existence. “The music of s:cage sounds like a city awaking where everything starts to move, and millions of individuals devote themselves to their daily lives.” - TekNoir (12.2006). Madness Turns To Glass reflects the growth and maturity of s:cage as a composer, producer and communicator.
S:cage’s music has appeared on numerous compilations and remixes from countries such as Germany, Denmark, France, Canada and the USA. In 2006, s:cage provided the soundscore for ‘Héroïne: A Woman’s Tale’, an experimental dance opera portraying the life struggle of one woman’s survival from sexual abuse. This project was choreographed and produced by Atalee Judy for Chicago’s Breakbone DanceCo’. Other collaborative works are currently in progress with Breakbone, representing just another step in the growth of s:cage, as he continually searches to fuse music with visual and performance arts in order to create a completely absorbing aural and visual experience.
concept:
rust. its patina. and decay. surrounding. building. moving beyond. propelling you forward. immersed in its complexity. overwhelmed by its truth. and its beauty. resonating. imagined. or real. in this place. floating. dreaming. sinking. shining within you. like glass. a whisper. a scream. sounds encompassing, then fading away. layers of suggestion, seeping in the mind. peeling it away. leaving it bare. and whole. full of everything, then nothing. a soundtrack. for a dream. or a nightmare. taking you to a place inside. and losing you there. and i am haunted by this, always. (l. daugherty-seto)
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