NEW SIGNING: CEILING SPIRITS

We're thrilled to welcome Ceiling Spirits, the cinematic instrumental project from Milwaukee-based composer and guitarist Mario Quadracci, to the Maximal Music Sync roster!  

The story of Ceiling Spirits ironically begins in a basement. For years guitarist Mario Quadracci would steal any moment he could to retreat to his cellar studio and try to coax the sound he was hearing in his head through his amplifiers. It took a while, but slowly, frustratingly slowly, something began to click. Without other musicians to lean on, Quadracci figured out how to create an ensemble of timbres using just guitar, effects and unconventional playing techniques. From the beginning his aim was to create a musical force that could be alternately ferocious and elegiac, soaring and sparse, but always decentralized in focus from its source: himself. Adopting the moniker Ceiling Spirits helped, but it was the screenings of self­-produced films at performances that completed the illusion. The films allowed for an exploration of sound’s ability to define the emotional, spatial and thematic qualities of images. The music and visuals became intricately linked. But that all changed when storied record producer, Gareth Jones, who had seen a video of a Ceiling Spirits performance on YouTube, offered to help turn the music from the live show into an album. Quadracci jumped at the chance to work with Jones. He was also curious to see if his compositions could be made to retain their emotional and thematic content removed from the films they were designed to accompany. The recording of Ceiling Spirits's self-­titled debut LP spanned two years and three countries, finishing with mastering at Abbey Road Studios in early 2018. The music does not fit neatly into the traditional categories of genre, but has hints of classical minimalism, post rock, electronic and ambient music sprinkled throughout.