Anthony Sahyoun - Proof By Infinite Descent (Beacon Sound)

Photography by Aya Atoui. Design by ACN.

Anthony Sahyoun - Proof By Infinite Descent (Beacon Sound) After making a name for himself over the last decade in Beirut's vibrant contemporary music scene, Anthony Sahyoun unveils his solo debut, the evocative and atmospheric "Proof By Infinite Descent". Using guitar, synthesizer, and voice, Sahyoun tackles themes of mourning, accidental prophecy, and the new holy trinity of God, Capitalism, and Technology – all while mining the seams of experimental electronica and gravity-defying ambient music. Restless, haunting, at times breathtakingly beautiful, this is an album that seeks to rattle cages rather than soothe the comfortable.

Proof By Infinite Descent is the first installment in the Corrosion Series, a new project by longtime collaborators Ruptured and Beacon Sound that aims to showcase Beirut's blast-resistant music scene while building cultural connective tissue in a time of institutional corrosion.

Artist statement:

This album is a response to contemporary Lebanon –and, by extension, our fractured world– and is inspired by the complex web of institutions (religion, family, capitalism, etc) that work together to preserve the status quo despite looming catastrophe. Grief, futility, and perpetual chaos mix and reconstitute themselves in these songs, each of which contains a story within. Irhamna, for example, was written as a prayer to Mar Roukoz, the patron saint of plagues and epidemics. It's a piece that I produced in late 2019, thinking that it was a reference to the plague that is our government, completely unaware that in just a few months the world would be dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. Jesuit Literature... was written in an attempt to make boat sounds with my bows, reimagining the Levant without its history of colonization by external forces, specifically the Jesuits beginning in the 1600s and by the French after the defeat of the Ottomans. Khifat Al-Atraf (loosely translating to "mourning" in English), the piece featuring Firas al-Hallek, is a poem for his mother, who passed away when he was 14; Wasted Efforts, featuring the voice of Julia Sabra, is likewise dedicated to my own mother (still very much alive, thankfully). Requiem is an offering to those who lost their lives in the Beirut port explosion of Aug 4, 2020. Proof By Infinite Descent might represent my own futile expedition towards making sense of the present but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless, finding beauty in the cracks, which grow larger by the day.

Anthony Sahyoun is a Lebanese composer, musician, and producer. In 2015 he co-founded instrumental rock outfit Kinematik; the band has released two full-length albums entitled Ala’ (Ruptured, 2017) and Murur Al-Kiram (Beacon Sound/Ruptured, 2020). Their third album, Al Jadi, was released in the summer of 2021 by Ruptured and Annihaya. As a solo artist, Sahyoun works on electronic processing of acoustic elements, programming, drone, and ambient music - his music has been described as “apocalyptic, rich and emotionally charged.” He released his debut EP Post Coital Tristesse for Ruptured in 2016.

Sahyoun also scores music for film, including Ghassan Salhab’s Une Rose Ouverte (2018), Jean-Michel Vecchiet’s Peter Lindbergh - Women’s Stories (2019), and Cyril Aris’ Beating Hearts (2020). He has composed scores for various sound installations, including Rami Chahine’s Looking for Present Motion (2017) and Lamia Joreige’s Description of a Monument (2018). In 2020, he co-directed the audiovisual installation Shabah Al Rih (with visual artist Aia Atoui), which was shown at Opéra National du Rhin’s Arsmondo Liban Festival.

Sahyoun’s side projects include the electronic duo Stress Distress with guitarist Fadi Tabbal, experimental duo NP with producer Jad Atoui, duo May Berde with drummer Teddy Tawil, and Lebanese drone octet The Quiet Sanctuary. In 2018, he joined the ranks of Tunefork Studios, a renowned Lebanese studio, and sound-space where he works as a producer and mixing engineer.

released November 19, 2021. All tracks were composed, performed, produced, and mixed by Anthony Sahyoun at home and at Tunefork Studios, Beirut (2018-2020). Except for “Khifat Al-Atraf” spoken word written and performed by Firas Al Hallak. “Wasted Efforts” vocal by Julia Sabra. Mastered by Lawrence English at Negative Space, Brisbane. Huge Tip!