The pursuit of sonic bliss has led Ben Frost on a globehopping expedition. The forward-thinking Australian-born composer, producer and laptop-wielding sound sculptor of drone, metal and noise calls Iceland home, but his latest album, the dystopian A U R O R A, was hatched on a computer while in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and crystallized right here in NYC with help from local experimental luminaries. Marc Ribot and Laurie Anderson collaborator Shahzad Ismaily lends his multi-instrumental wizardry, and Guardian Alien mastermind and Liturgy drummer Greg Fox and Swans percussionist Thor Harris anchor Frost’s futuristic collage of harsh yet rhythmic tones.
The composer’s prior full-length, By the Throat, featured nails-on-chalkboard strings, piano and bass, but A U R O R A achieves an equally chilling effect via synthesizer stockpile and drum assault. While Fox provides blastbeat-style pummel and downtown-flavored jazziness, Frost unleashes Kraftwerkian textures and massive waves of industrial noise, crafting sci-fi vibes that could be the soundtrack to that long-rumored Blade Runner sequel. This week, with the Wick’s raw, cavernous space as their fitting haven, Frost and Fox (who will be on hand) set out to explore A U R O R A’s groundswell of sound.—Brad Cohan