Prolific, at times confounding musical chameleon Jason Vitelli has returned with a fresh instrumental release rich in both visceral sonic texture and unnerving, yet strangely inviting atmospheres. With a palette ranging from dense art rock and dark ambient to glitch and static noise, listeners are clearly to expect the unexpected. The second release in an ongoing series of epic, altogether different collections, “2. No Wave Gaze” taunts as much as it tantalizes.
2. No Wave Gaze functions as an optical illusion for the ears. Vitelli challenges our perception of ‘correctness’ much like a new flavor broadens a gourmet’s palate, delivering a darkly ambient soundscape that is as intellectually stimulating as it is haunting. This is a collage of terror and beauty—a raw, Expressionist exploration of the dimly lit corners of his aural world.
If 1. Ambient Corridors was a whisper, 2. No Wave Gaze is the complex, captivating soliloquy that follows. Merging the raw creative exploits of his formative years with modern technical prowess, Vitelli solidifies his place as an artist unafraid to expand the definition of his own sound.
The next installment of the instrumental series will be focused on classical pieces and will be recorded live. A new singer/songwriter album is in the works for next year.
More Info:
Artist Name: Jason Vitelli
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Release Title: 2. No Wave Gaze
Release Date: 1/30/2026
Label: Independent
Musician Names/Instruments: Jason Vitelli (sampling, guitars, vocals, keyboard, Bubbalin), Julia Palombe (voiceover on “Standing at Your Doorstep”)
Producer Name(s): Jason Vitelli
Similar/RIYL: Alva Noto, Leyland Kirby, Fennesz, Stars of the Lid
Genre(s): Dark Ambient, Glitch & Static, Art Rock
Tracklist:
1. Standing at Your Doorstep
2. Homicidal Tendencies
3. Echo Chamber
4. Marked for Oblivion
5. Alas
6. Train Alarm
7. Like Herding Cats
8. Khumbu Icefall
9. Grandfather Clock
10. Asimov’s Robots
11. Forever On Hold
12. The Black Lodge
13. Squall Part 2
14. A Piece of a Sing Along
Accolades:
Top 15 of 2018 (Head Above Tide) — Phil King, Audiofuzz
Websites:
Official Website: https://jasonvitelli.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/jasonvitellimusic
Twitter: https://x.com/jayvitellimusic
Instagram: https://instagram.com/jasonvitellimusic
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0rGzDBTELeRa9ngMhn9pMI
Bandcamp: https://jasonvitelli.bandcamp.com/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jasonvitellimusic
Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/jasonvitellimusic
Artist Contact Email: music@jasonvitelli.com
Artist Biography:
2. No Wave Gaze, Jason Vitelli’s second instrumental release and fifth album, stages a unique collaboration across generations, merging the creative exploits of his formative years with the technical prowess of the present day. Vitelli describes the album as “an evolution of his mind’s eye,” resulting in a darkly ambient soundscape that is as adventurous as it is captivating.
The album title pays homage to the “No Wave” movement of late ’70s New York City, a scene that eschewed commercialism in favor of experimental endeavors and raw expression. Throughout the 14 tracks, Vitelli explores the dimly lit corners of his aural world, citing the Expressionist art movement of the early 20th century as a key influence. This subjective aesthetic is further represented in the album’s cover—a manipulated self-portrait that functions as an optical illusion, challenging the viewer’s perception of “correctness,” much like how newfound flavors can broaden a gourmet’s palate.
Meanwhile, the sonic palette of 2. No Wave Gaze is defined by Vitelli’s fascination with sound design and aleatoric processes. Besides the use of stock sample libraries, he ventures to create his own instruments and map intriguing sounds onto a keyboard sampler, discovering a self-described “pathway beyond the weird.” In one notable example, he builds a collage of terror using guttural throat noises in the epilogue of “Khumbu Icefall.” In “Train Alarm,” he builds a percussion track by snapping and spinning plastic toys, which he then runs through various audio filters over a 4-on-the-floor beat. His innovative approach is perhaps best embodied by the “Bubbalin,” a homemade electric cello constructed from a modified Stratocaster clone, which lends its melancholic howl to tracks like “Like Herding Cats” and “Forever on Hold.” In “Grandfather Clock,” Vitelli enters the world of chance music, utilizing Cycling ’74’s Max software to feed the Fibonacci number sequence into a sine wave oscillator, creating shimmering arpeggios that fold back upon themselves.
While largely instrumental, the album finds an emotional grounding in “A Piece of a Sing Along,” the only track with vocals. Written twenty-five years ago during a moment of acute loss, the words function less like a traditional song lyric and more like a mantra. By retaining the original vocal takes and overdubbing a modern falsetto, Vitelli bridges the decades between them—literally harmonizing with history.
Jason Vitelli’s musicality extends to alto sax, soprano clarinet, piano, guitar, and voice. He regularly gigs at historic NYC listening rooms, performs stints as a sideman for various bands throughout the city and the Catskills region, as well as lead his own ensemble. His debut songwriting release, No Photographs, and the subsequent collection Confluence, were followed by the critically acclaimed Head Above Tide, lauded by the Nashville Music Guide as “… a musical phenomenon, one that has opened a new world of possibilities in a never-ending universe of new worlds.” Dancing About Architecture described his first purely instrumental release, 1. Ambient Corridors, as “… a subtle masterpiece that whispers rather than shouts.” With the release of 2. No Wave Gaze, the whisper has evolved into a complex, captivating soliloquy, solidifying Vitelli’s place as an artist unafraid to expand the definition of his own sound.