When he isn’t making excellent prints for his Bureau Of Print Research And Design business or helping to release music from a vast roster of Midwest bands as co-owner of Triple Eye Industries, Francisco Ramirez is recording experimental and ambient material under the Whaler moniker. After his band Volunteer called it quits in late 2017, Ramirez revived the artistic endeavor he calls “a fluid musical research project” and has put out a steady diet of instrumental songs in both physical and digital formats in subsequent years.
On February 5, Whaler’s discography will be further bolstered when the project’s ambitious ex-tem-po-re is cast out into the world. The two-song picture disc features Bureau Of Print Research And Design artwork that Precarian Cuts lathe-cut by hand. In addition to the picture disc, the release has an interior cover (also designed by Ramirez) printed on Heavy Vellum. This rarity is limited to only 26 copies, and only 21 of those have been made available to the public.
Perhaps nodding to its name—meaning something that’s done on the spot and without preparation—ex-tem-po-re brings about a synthetic storm composed of cold, industrial noise that grabs the listener’s attention and holds tight for close to 13 minutes. The 7-inch was recorded by Ramirez in his Bay View print studio and mastered by Justin Perkins at Mystery Room Mastering. Before Whaler releases ex-tem-po-re on Friday, you can stream the effort in its entirety below.