About this project
At nearly 400 pages of full-color artwork and editorial, Chromatic: The Crossroads of Color and Music is a dynamic print presentation of independent musicians and artists who are using or exploring color in unorthodox ways. It’s a highly saturated, prismatic presentation of some of today’s most adventurous underground artists, with the same stylistic reach and aesthetic standards that readers expect from ALARM Press.
Over the course of 12 chapters, readers are introduced to:
- Composers and other famous musicians who experience musical synesthesia, the involuntary intersection of senses where someone might “see” notes as different colors or shapes
- The concept of audible color, including the proposed mathematical correlation between color and pitch, and then crossing into psychedelic music, timbre (“colors” of sound), blue notes, and the chromatic scale
- Musicians who create concept albums based on color
- Performers who saturate their stage shows in vibrant shades
- Those who explore the absence of color
- Kaleidoscopic, polychromatic cover art
- Bands photographed in their favorite hues
- Wild illustrations of musical notes translated into hues to create elaborate geometric works of art
- Special guest editors and featured artists who share their inspirations, including photo-realistic collage artist Sonny Kay and iconoclastic printmaking duo Seripop.
- Among dozens of other contemporary musicians and artists, Chromatic features: Daft Punk, Blue Man Group, John Zorn / The Dreamers, The Zhou Brothers, Jónsi & Fifty Nine Productions, Ratatat, Holy F*ck, Andy Gilmore, Damon Locks, Kaki King, The Dear Hunter, and Rob Mazurek.
ALARM Press needs your help to release Chromatic as the striking print publication that it was intended to be. By supporting us with one of the Kickstarter options, you’re not only getting one of the most unique and colorful music books of the year; you’re supporting both independent publishing and independent music and art, two areas that are vital to our culture and society.
The limited-edition hardcover edition of Chromatic. Available to all backers of $50 or more. 
Invisble: Overlooked Albums and Unseen Artists, available to all backers of $100 or more. 
Ovation electric-acoustic guitar! Available to one lucky backer of $2,000 or more.
Video by Gus Gavino.
FAQ
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356
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$17,673
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Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on April 9, 2011.
Pledge $25 or more Pledge $25 or more
A copy of the paperback version of Chromatic (will retail for $40). Includes free domestic shipping. International backers please add $10.
Pledge $50 or more Pledge $50 or more
A signed and numbered copy of the special hardcover edition of Chromatic (will be available for limited retail for $60). Includes free domestic shipping. International backers please add $10.
Pledge $100 or more Pledge $100 or more
A signed and numbered copy of the special hardcover edition of Chromatic, your name mentioned in the book as a supporter, and a copy of our previous book, Invisible: Overlooked Albums and Unseen Artists (an $18 value). Includes free domestic shipping. International backers please add $10.
Pledge $250 or more Pledge $250 or more
A signed and numbered copy of the special hardcover edition of Chromatic, your name mentioned in the book as a supporter, a copy of our previous book, Invisible: Overlooked Albums and Unseen Artists (an $18 value), an original screenprint from Seripop, and a signed, limited-edition Chromatic poster by Sonny Kay. Includes free domestic shipping. International backers please add $20.
Pledge $300 or more Pledge $300 or more
A signed and numbered copy of the special hardcover edition of Chromatic, your name mentioned in the book as a supporter, a copy of our previous book, Invisible: Overlooked Albums and Unseen Artists (an $18 value), and a limited-time Blue Man Group package -- including 4 tickets to a Chicago Blue Man performance (a $200 value, weekdays and Sundays, black-out periods apply) as well as drum sticks, drum heads, and spin art from the Chicago live show. Includes free domestic and international shipping.
Pledge $2,000 or more Pledge $2,000 or more
An Adamas 1581-KK Ovation "Kaki King" acoustic guitar! This is the world's most advanced electric-acoustic guitar and retails for $2,999. A signed and numbered copy of the special hardcover edition of Chromatic, your name mentioned in the book as a supporter, a copy of our previous book, Invisible: Overlooked Albums and Unseen Artists (an $18 value), an original screenprint from Seripop, and a signed, limited-edition Chromatic poster by Sonny Kay. Includes free domestic and international shipping.
Project By
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About ALARM Press
Written by and for insatiable underground music lovers, ALARM is on a never-ending quest for new discoveries. Our record-hungry staff obsessively devours thousands of albums, concerts, art exhibits, and books a year to bring its readers the best music and art across myriad genres. Covering musical styles as diverse as punk, metal, jazz, electronica, insurgent country, underground hip hop, indie rock, world, and neoclassical, ALARM features innovative artists with a smart, unpretentious, and hype-free approach.
Project by:
Chris Force
With glue sticks and X-acto knives, Chris Force made his first music magazine in 1995 to support young, contemporary, and independent bands. Originally sold out of his backpack in front of rock concerts, Force's books and magazines on music and underground art can now be found around the world. He is now onto his third storage locker and sixth iPod, all crammed with great music.
