Cloud Splitter

Cloud Splitter is an instrumental project composed and performed by three friends in the mountains of Utah.

Last October, Charles Van Kirk, Christian Li and Mike Bono traveled to the Utah to write and record while surrounded by the snowy peaks outside of Salt Lake City. The result is a full length album from which three sample packs have been derived. Each piece of music is inspired by a specific memory of a mountain from the composer’s past. Vals, Switzerland, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Mount Timpanogos, Utah and Upstate New York are all evoked in the music. Van Kirk, Li and Bono captured outdoor field recordings in Utah during the making of the album and integrated some of those sounds into the music.The production style of the music is a lush hybrid of acoustic guitars, piano and percussion with analog synthesizers and drum machines. The compositions were made specifically with the idea of sample packs in mind, including hypnotic minimalist grooves and slowly evolving harmony. Their inspirations range from Bach to Zimbabwean mbira music to Radiohead. The sample pack loops are ripe for placement in the context of film scores and albums. The album was recorded with Coles 4038 ribbon microphones and Neumann condensers into Class A mic preamps and Universal Audio converters. The field recordings were made with Neumann KM184s into a Sound Devices recorder. All songs composed by Van Kirk, Li and Bono Produced and Mixed by Charles Van Kirk Mastered by Kevin Reeves (just the album, not sample packs)Piano and Synths by Christian Li Guitars by Mike Bono Drums, Percussion and Vocals by Charles Van Kirk Additional Strings by Christopher Marion Additional Vocals by Julia Easterlin and Tim Foust