Spheres Collapser by Stephen O'Malley

 

A new album by Stephen O'Malley of Sunn O)))) fame which is a long piece composed for pipe organ. It's not necessarily a solo album as Stephen performs here with Kali Malone and Frederikke Hoffmeier. 

Beautifully released - one of the editions is curacao transparent vinyl.

The piece is divided into two tracks - each over 20 minutes - each per one side of the vinyl. 
Stephen with his collaborators explores the drone possibilities of the instrument and slowly engages in overlapping sounds to create a full harmony of a deep listening landscape. 

It is a minimalistic idiom but how it is built and how it works is a completely different story. Its rich narrative and stern direction of the composer and the collaborators shows how much you can achieve not necessarily showing a typical showcase of such a huge instrument. 

It's also a sharp and tight production which I think adds up to the fact how precise the whole approach was. Definitely a great listening experience from excellent set of musicians which we know are active in variety of areas. 

Katedral in collaboration with La Becque Editions are proud to present a new album release from Stephen O’Malley, co-founder of SUNN O))). This record contains two long-form compositions for pipe organ by Stephen O’Malley, which he performs alongside Kali Malone and Frederikke Hoffmeier.

The album was recorded on Les Grandes Orgues (Scherrer (1777), Walker (1867), Kuhn (1995)) at Église Saint-François, Lausanne, Switzerland, on Christmas 2021, initially composed by Stephen within a suite titled Les Sphères (effondrez-les) Phases I-V, for a collaboration with Belgian/Swiss choreographer Cindy Van Acker.

Stephen O’Malley is a guitarist, producer, composer, and visual artist who has conceptualized and participated in numerous drone and experimental music groups for over two decades – SUNN O))), KTL, and Khanate being among his best-known creations. Wildly prolific, O’Malley’s oeuvre is defined by its remarkable breadth, complexity and multidisciplinary interests. It includes collaborations with a wide range of experimental artists, including Scott Walker, Kali Malone, Alvin Lucier, choreographer Gisèle Vienne, the authors Dennis Cooper and Alan Moore, Peter Rehberg, Fujiko Nakaya, Jim Jarmusch, Johan Johansson, experimental music research centers IRCAM...  more

credits

released February 27, 2026

Composed by Stephen O’Malley

Performed by Stephen O’Malley, Kali Malone & Frederikke Hoffmeier

Recorded by Stephen O’Malley on the Les Grandes Orgues (Scherrer 1777, Walker 1867, Kuhn 1995) at Église Saint-François, Lausanne in December 2021.

Mixed by Stephen O’Malley at EMS, Stockholm & by François-Xavier Delaby & Tristan Mazire, Paris, February 2022.

Mastered & lacquer cut by Rashad Becker, Berlin, June 2025.

Perfect pressing at Optimal, Germany.

Artwork by Stephen O’Malley & Kali Malone

300 copies on curacao transparent vinyl

700 copies on black vinyl

XK032

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