In 2009, Matt Starling founded the Salt Lake Electric Ensemble, an electronic music performing group with acoustic touches. The group of 8 artists initially came together to perform American composer Terry Riley's classic 1964 minimalist composition In C, marking the first time the score had been approached primarily with electronic instruments. Under Starling's direction, the ensemble went on to turn heads in the contemporary art music community with the 2010 release of their recording of the piece, which earned critical praise throughout North America and Europe: "[The Salt Lake Electric Ensemble's recording of In C] is nothing short of a revelation. . . . [It's] already the most important addition to the discography since the premiere recording, and will likewise be recognized as part of a performance tradition that is a vital and remarkably apt expression of the present cultural moment." -Dr. Rob Haskins, Writing for American Record Guide, Associate Professor of Music, University of New Hampshire Now, On the 50th anniversary of the composition of Riley's hugely important but under-appreciated score "Dorian Reeds," Starling has released his recording of Riley's work for solo instrumentalist, microphone, two tape recorders, and playback. The piece has only been recorded with soprano saxophone performers up until this point. Starling, a brass instrumentalist since childhood, has now recorded the score using a flugelhorn. Its warm, captivating tone and its depth of sound when layered according to the instructions in the score has yielded a recording of the piece unlike any other. While this particular piece had previously been approached mainly through live performance, Starling chose to produce the music over the course of several months in the recording studio. This allowed him to leverage several powerful music technologies including high resolution digital audio (24 Bits/96 KHZ), sophisticated computer audio editing, digital signal processing, and precision mixing tools. The result is pure hypnotic minimalism, with a pulsating and constantly evolving texture. Critics of the record have been enthusiastic: Dominiy Clements, writing for MusicWeb International says "This is the kind of piece which requires you to relax your expectations of thematic development and contrasts of tonality, and to suspend your impatience with clock time. If however you have ever found yourself grabbed by an abstract painting, finding your imagination making transformative interpretations of lines and forms and losing yourself in inner spaces created by yourself and an unspoken dialogue with the artist, then you should find your ears will take up the challenge of Dorian Reeds in a similar way. Just to pick a moment at random, there is for instance a section from about 31 minutes in where just four notes tumble over each other in a joyous rhythmic consonance. If you enjoy change-ringing from English church towers of a Sunday then you can close your eyes and imagine a choir of shiny bells – blown rather than struck, but creating a comparable soul-tingling effect. Masses of effort and time – three years from start to the final mix – have gone into this project, but the results show in the quality of what is delivered. Matt Starling’s affection for this music is watermarked through the entire performance. He deserves every acclaim for an achievement which not only revives a 20th century minimal classic, but shows us all how much good music there is still to be made with the meagre handful of conventional notes at our disposal." http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2015/Mar/Riley_reeds.htm Ed Reichel, former classical music critic at the Deseret news and now managing editor at reichelrecommends.com wrote: "This is a powerful recording that underscores the immediacy of the work, its driving passion, relentless energy and hypnotic charm. It captures the infinite vastness that this piece conjures up." http://www.reichelrecommends.com/utah-musician-gives-terry-rileys-dorian-reeds-new-life/ Dr. Les Roka, writing for the Utah Review says: "The musical impact of Starling’s rendition is remarkable for how it redefines the typical listening experience for minimalist music. The listener is drawn into a journey that tempts with more intrigue and urgency each time the work is heard. It is as comfortable, approachable, contemplative and as rewarding as an artistic experience can be enjoyed with minimalism. The recording is highly recommended for any true audiophile’s listening catalog." http://www.theutahreview.com/matt-starlings-new-recording-riley-minimalist-classic-dorian-reeds/ Matt Starling holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, and a Master of Music Technology degree from IUPUI in Indianapolis, IN. Commissioned performances with the Salt Lake Electric Ensemble have included the Utah Arts Festival, the University of Utah, Brigham Young University, IUPUI, Music at Main (Salt Lake City Public Library), and the Salt Lake Arts Council's Brown Bag Concert Series (2010-2013). He is also active as a music journalist, music educator, audio engineer, and composer. Watch for Starling's first long form ambient composition to be published in the summer of 2015.