Rhys Celeste aka Microlith passed away 26th February. 24 years old.
The fatal weekend when Rhys lost his life I was mastering the tracks for his release in Fundamental Records. Rhys sent me the tracks only a few days before. He kept about forty untitled tracks for Fundamental Records and together we selected a perfect track list for the album. I was with all these melodies in my head all that weekend, I remember perfectly that feeling. Today I still have that special sensation that you can feel in all tracks composed by Rhys, something nostalgic with a big doses of happiness and hope in every note. When I was mastering his tracks I was like a young kid with a new record in my hands, each track is great, even the interludes are very special compositions.
I am sure the people who support the projects we release in Fundamental Records will support this album not only for the circumstances but mainly because the quality of the tracks from someone with only 24 years… this is sad. I feel a deep emptiness inside of me because Rhys never listened the final tracks mastered… we released each track with the original references Rhys used for his tracks, except two tracks included in the very special 7″. This feeling is something I can’t explain in words, and it is very difficult to carry within me. The next monday after his death I was like out of my body, we had a mountain of work with the shipping of the 808 Box but I felt totally paralyzed, my wife Anais and I could hardly speak, we were speechless for some minutes, looking to the screen of the computer trying to understand what happened, then I decided I have to do what I said to Rhys only two days before, and I opened the player in my laptop and I started to work in the design for the cover with the music of Rhys in repeat mode. I was in front of the screen all day, printing many sketches and color variations.
I called Fundamental Records to our label for a very good reason and this project deserves this adjective in full effect. For the same reason I also decided to release this album under the real name of the artist, Rhys Celeste and use his music name, Microlith, for the title.