Photay is the stage name of Evan Shornstein, an American musician and DJ from Woodstock, New York.[1]

While a student at Purchase College, Shornstein took a trip to Guinea to study drumming, and the influence of this exposure led to the creation of an EP, released as Photay in 2014 on the label Astro Nautico.[2] He released several remixes for the Ninja Tune label soon after.[3] A full-length album, Onism, followed in 2017 on Astro Nautico. In 2020, a sophomore full-length, Waking Hours, arrived on the label Mexican Summer,[4][5] and in 2022, he released On Hold, a record stitched together from samples of telephone hold music.[2] In 2024, Photay released a new album, Windswept, on Mexican Summer.[6] Windswept explores natural phenomena, notably ‘wind’.[6]

Discography

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Albums
  • Onism (Astro Nautico, 2017)
  • Waking Hours (Mexican Summer, 2020)
  • On Hold (Mexican Summer, 2021)
  • An Offering with Carlos Niño (Self-released, 2022)
  • Windswept (Mexican Summer, 2024)[6]
EPs
  • Photay (Astro Nautico, 2014)
  • Sadie (Astro Nautico, 2016)

References

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  1. ^ Review of Onism, Pitchfork Media
  2. ^ a b Photay at Allmusic
  3. ^ Get Familiar: Photay. XLR8R, September 27, 2017.
  4. ^ Photay – “Villian” (Feat. golda may). Stereogum, January 15, 2021.
  5. ^ Waking Hours review, PopMatters, June 12, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c Interviews, Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews &; Hussain, Shahzaib (2024-08-14). "Photay's 'Air Lock' Is Elemental Euphoria | News". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved 2024-09-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)