Air Space is the sonic dialogue between keyboardist, Mike Effenberger and percussionist, Brian Shankar Adler. Inspired by the minimalist structures and analogue textures of artists like Brian Eno, Ólafur Arnalds, Jóhann Jóhannsson, and Nils Frahm, the duo transcends boundaries, creating an atmospheric soundtrack to the somnambulist’s night in the deep woods.

Their expansive sound comes from Effenberger's analog and digital keyboards and tape delays, pitted against Adler’s genre-defying use of percussion from South America, South Asia and the sewers of Brooklyn. Blending Indian raga, post-Cageian minimalism, and lo-fi nostalgia with an occasional field recording of crickets, tiny sparks fly while the music retains a deceptively serene appearance. There is a haunting alchemy in the collision of Effenberger’s hazy, warbly approach to synthesis and Adler’s incisive rhythmic personality. 

At times complementary, at times combative, and always richly musical, the duo explores site specific new music as well as the occasional unsuspecting gem from elsewhere. Effenberger says: "I have long been interested in the possibilities that come from two very different things being allowed to simply be different rather than negotiate a truce, existing alongside each other without giving up their individualities. Brian's musicality absorbs the challenge with a grace that is exciting and inspiring."

Adler and Effenberger were both heavily involved in the Brooklyn music scene in the 2000s and 2010s. However, it wasn’t until 2020 that they met and began working together in Maine and New Hampshire, where they now reside. Adler reflects: “Upon moving north, I was really wanting to make music in a duo setting. A mutual friend introduced Eff and I, and we arranged a session shortly thereafter. I was instantly struck by Eff’s musical choices: his patience in developing an idea, his intentional use of space and the way he recontextualized my musical ideas. I left that session thinking that we have something here (and also wondering if he ever cracks a smile)!” Shortly thereafter the newly formed Air Space made its debut in a casemate at Fort Gorges, an island off the coast of Portland.

Cricket Cipher was recorded on July 7, 2020 at The Noise Floor, New Hampshire’s finest studio and unwilling raccoon sanctuary. The duo took a minimal approach to the production, using as few microphones as possible while still capturing the magic of the space and of the interplay. The result is a juxtaposition of high and low fidelity that creates a sonic space all its own.