Rudement
is a solo project of George Johnson*, originally from Detroit,
MI and living in Portland, OR via Boulder, CO.
As Rudement,
George utilizes synthesizers, sequencers and samplers to program
and record original tracks. These recordings form the foundation
of his live performances; in which he utilizes dub methodology
by cutting, processing and remixing his original tracks to make
each live performance a spontaneous and unique endeavor.
Rudement shifts
illbient from lush ambiance through modern electronica to the tribal—a
movement that contrasts a human’s spiritual imprint against the
manifestation of harsh and filtered realities. Songs roam between
the past, present, and future as he stirs in snippets of the world's
musical traditions and philosophical treatises sampled from archival
sources and his own extensive collection. His nomadic melodies merge
memories of a simpler more spiritual past alongside the lost and
poisoned world of technology to reveal the ultimate dichotomy of
human existence.
He says, “Each
track is a musical marker arising from past experiences, emotions,
and thought—a kind of electronic narrative connecting various
points in my life. There’s a spiritual presence there, trying
to attach the strands of individual histories and look toward
a hopeful future despite the never-ending dichotomy that humans
endure.”
When definition
is required, Rudement is self defined as tribal illbient (though
the preference is to exist in a state of post-genre orchestration).
In addition
to PAN ZEN, Rudement proudly represents Champion
Nation.
*George Johnson is a musician and social/artistic catalyst.
When he's not rewriting the book on illbient, George is
heavily involved with 2 Gyrlz Performative Arts (as Staff
Advocate on the Board and the Assistant Event Coordinator),
runs Bittersweet Productions and is also one of the primary
organizers of PAN-ZEN along with Llewyn
Máire
(Kabbage,
Sardonik Grin, Try
My Cabbage, gyrl
grip).
