“Tug Champion” by Sailor Winters is a Fascinating Layering of Industrial Noise Drones and Abstract Looped Melodies

Sailor Winters is the project of noise artist Ryan Cox from the state of Georgia, USA. His latest single “Tug Champion” sounds like a distorted, flowing, abstracted howl layered over an enigmatic, repeating melodic figure reminiscent of the energetic yet melancholic piano work in Moby’s 1995 song “God Moving Over the Face of the Waters” as used to great dramatic effect at the end of the film Heat. The contrast between the two sounds paired together is fascinating on its own but the net emotional effect of the track is one of unease and catharsis. It sounds otherworldly like the field recording of an automated deep space mining robot relieving some of its own tedium with a bit of music as it repairs the life support system of a not often visited, asteroid mining colony. Whatever Cox’s inspiration the sound piece showcases the creative and expressive possibilities of not being tied to having to create music that adheres to a standard commercial genre or any of the tropes of harsh noise. Listen to “Tug Champion” on Bandcamp.