Where It Starts, Where It Ends
Beyond The Beat
Where It Starts, Where It Ends is the debut album by Beyond The Beat, a duo made up of modular synthesist Arthur Fussy and extended‑technique drummer Judith Schwarz, released on April 16, 2026 by Austrian label Klanggalerie. Both musicians also play in the avant‑jazz outfit Other:M:Other, and their new project is framed as a “rhythmic affair” that asks how far rhythm can be stretched or abstracted while still remaining recognizable, blending acoustic drums with electronic textures in a way that sits at the border of jazz, electronic, and avant‑garde music. The album was issued on CD and digital formats (including lossless downloads), and retailers categorize it broadly under electronic music, though its improvisational feel and emphasis on interplay place it as much in experimental jazz as in club‑oriented genres.
Musically, Where It Starts, Where It Ends is built from a symbiosis of live percussion and modular synth, with Schwarz’s “extended drums”—using unconventional sticks, preparations, and techniques—locking into, shadowing, or deliberately sliding against Fussy’s shifting pulses, drones, and bleeps. Instead of fixed song structures, the pieces explore questions like “Is rhythm a melody?” and “When do the brain and conscience recognize a pattern?,” often starting from a simple beat or motif and gradually distorting it until it hovers on the edge of chaos while still giving listeners something to latch onto. Label notes describe the record as “an absolutely essential album” for listeners interested in the borders of rhythm, praising the duo’s virtuosity and encouraging audiences to “get into their groove and marvel,” suggesting that Beyond The Beat are less concerned with dancefloor functionality than with expanding how groove itself can sound and feel.
Where It Starts, Where It Ends
Beyond The Beat
Where It Starts, Where It Ends is the debut album by Beyond The Beat, a duo made up of modular synthesist Arthur Fussy and extended‑technique drummer Judith Schwarz, released on April 16, 2026 by Austrian label Klanggalerie. Both musicians also play in the avant‑jazz outfit Other:M:Other, and their new project is framed as a “rhythmic affair” that asks how far rhythm can be stretched or abstracted while still remaining recognizable, blending acoustic drums with electronic textures in a way that sits at the border of jazz, electronic, and avant‑garde music. The album was issued on CD and digital formats (including lossless downloads), and retailers categorize it broadly under electronic music, though its improvisational feel and emphasis on interplay place it as much in experimental jazz as in club‑oriented genres.
Musically, Where It Starts, Where It Ends is built from a symbiosis of live percussion and modular synth, with Schwarz’s “extended drums”—using unconventional sticks, preparations, and techniques—locking into, shadowing, or deliberately sliding against Fussy’s shifting pulses, drones, and bleeps. Instead of fixed song structures, the pieces explore questions like “Is rhythm a melody?” and “When do the brain and conscience recognize a pattern?,” often starting from a simple beat or motif and gradually distorting it until it hovers on the edge of chaos while still giving listeners something to latch onto. Label notes describe the record as “an absolutely essential album” for listeners interested in the borders of rhythm, praising the duo’s virtuosity and encouraging audiences to “get into their groove and marvel,” suggesting that Beyond The Beat are less concerned with dancefloor functionality than with expanding how groove itself can sound and feel.