In Chemical Transit is ALL MEN UNTO ME’s striking and poignant debut. Through historic recordings of Rylan Gleave’s voice — pre-transition, 8 weeks on testosterone, and 2.5 years on Testosterone — In Chemical Transit is a time capsule of voices that will never sound again. In Chemical Transit will be released on June 29th, 2023, with a live launch show at St Vincent’s Chapel in Edinburgh on June, 30th.
Crossing a number of musical spheres from the new music/contemporary classical world and venturing into experimental realms, the album explores Rylan Gleave’s vocal journey from mezzo-soprano to bass-baritone, underpinned by Cherubino’s aria Voi che sapete from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro.
"When writing In Chemical Transit in 2020-21, I found a recording of myself aged around 14, singing Voi che sapete at Heather Slade-Lipkin's 70th birthday concert. I also found a recording clip where I was trying to sing the aria in preparation for an exam, but I’d been taking Testosterone for about 8 weeks and only had about 4 notes in my range. At the time of recording In Chemical Transit, I was still struggling with my settling voice; my falsetto was volatile, multiphonics splintered from me if my breath support faltered, and stringing together a phrase was a huge, huge effort.
My voice at times might sound rough, or ‘ugly’ to you, when listening. It does to me too — it’s nothing like a ‘classical voice' quality — but I’ve come to hear my former self in a kinder way. In Chemical Transit is a time capsule, and I will never again have a voice close to any of the three recorded on the album. Capturing this effort and this vulnerability is important for me as a performer, and as an artist. The journey of my voice still isn’t finished, and In Chemical Transit is an important part of that journey: breaks, shrieks, cracks, and all." - Rylan Gleave
About ALL MEN UNTO ME:
ALL MEN UNTO ME is a project led by composer and vocalist Rylan Gleave. Originally trained as a classical musician, Gleave now explores experimental and divergent fields in between genres. ALL MEN UNTO ME changes forces and shape for every release. In Chemical Transit was made with collaborators Simone Seales, Edward Cohen, Ewan Millar, Ollie Hawker, and Scott McLean, and was recorded live at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in around three hours, in 2021. Gleave’s exploration of the operatic material is influenced not only by his classical training, but also his avant-garde metal vocals for ASHENSPIRE, in addition to themes drawn from minimalism, Anglican church music, post-punk, and drone. His broken voice alternates between strangled falsetto, guttural shrieks, and full-bodied classical baritone, likened to ‘Tilt-era Scott Walker’ by C.M. Queen.
More about Rylan can be found at www.rylangleave.com
Recording Line-Up for In Chemical Transit is:
- Voice (Rylan Gleave)
- Cello (Simone Seales)
- Piano (Edward Cohen)
- Orchestral bass drum (Ewan Millar)
- Electronics (Ollie Hawker).
Credits:
- All songs composed by Rylan Gleave
- Recorded live at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland by Ollie Hawker and Bob Whitney
- Mixed by engineer Scott McLean
- Mastered by Alex Wharton at Abbey Road Studios.