Mas Ysa is the music of Thomas Arsenault. Born to French Canadian and Ecuadorian parents in Montreal his family moved to São Paulo, Brazil where he went to high school and started making music. He moved to New York in 2007 where he lived in Brooklyn and later in Lake Hill. This 5-track untitled EP follows the release of 2015's full length Seraph, 2014's Worth EP. These records saw Mas Ysa touring with Hundred Waters, Phantogram, Deerhunter, Young Fathers, Julianna Barwick and others.
This release also follows an unplanned break from performing live as Thomas suffered a head injury in a car accident; making shows uncomfortable and touring impossible. Thomas took time to recover and write in Pueblo Eden, Uruguay. Some of this music was recorded at Future-Past in Hudson New York with Patrick Higgins and appears on this EP. After returning to New York Thomas had the help of Damian Taylor, Michael Beharie and Greg Fox to finish up the tunes. Watch the untitled trailer below
In the winter of 2016 Mas Ysa started collaborating with choreographers Rashaun Mitchell and Silas Reiner along with video artist Charles Atlas. Their piece TESERACT will show for three nights at BAM in December 2017.
Being released alongside this EP is a companion film that spans its entirety. Directed by Dan Shapiro and shot on 16 mm film, the music is set against simple, almost still moments of people doing things. As if to mark another break from performance Thomas decided to be in the film doing something he actually does.
"This EP is a section of time, viewed from a few ragged perspectives." - Mas Ysa
Mas Ysa - Untitled EP:
[September 8, 2017 - Self-Released]
Tracklist:
1. MapQuest
2. Holdout
3. Lakehill
4. Face
5. Appeal To The Panic
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