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The Face BUTCHIE Never Forgot: The Story Behind ‘ALABASTER’
BUTCHIE, the project of artist and educator Matthew Waldman, has released ‘ALABASTER’, an electronic, disco and psychedelic track shaped by a formative memory from New York’s club scene. It reflects on a young man Waldman repeatedly saw but could not get close to, and later reinterprets that apparent distance through the man’s experience of being closeted; the song considers how desire, silence and hidden identity affect perception.
Waldman began attending New York clubs at 15 and was struck by the man’s pale skin, dark hair and statue-like appearance, which inspired the title. Years later, he learned the man had become a prominent designer and had been protecting a concealed part of himself at the time. The track also draws on Waldman’s late-night café sketches and poetry, using nightclub disco, hazy psychedelia and electronic textures to recreate memories altered by time.
In short
- ‘ALABASTER’ revisits a formative New York nightlife memory.
- The song reframes apparent rejection through closeted identity.
- Waldman combines poetry, visual art and electronic music.
Explained simply
BUTCHIE is the musical project of Matthew Waldman, an artist and educator. His new track, 'Alabaster', blends electronic, disco and psychedelic elements to explore themes of desire, distance and hidden identity. The song draws from a formative memory that has stayed with Waldman since his teenage years in New York's club scene.
As a young person frequenting clubs, Waldman repeatedly saw a man whose striking appearance captivated him, though they never spoke. The man's pale skin, dark hair and statue-like quality inspired the track's title. Years later, Waldman learned the man had become a designer and had been concealing an important part of his identity at that time.
'Alabaster' uses nightclub rhythms and hazy psychedelic production to recreate memories as they have been altered by time. The track explores how hidden identity and unexpressed desire can shape the way people perceive each other and are remembered.
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