Limited hand-numbered edition of 200 LPs on 180g black vinyl and letterpress outer sleeve.

“Prisoner’s Cinema” is the 2nd full length LP by percussionist Sarah Hennies and bassist Tristan Kasten-Krause. It is the followup to their 2025 critically acclaimed LP “The Quiet Sun” (Dinzu Artefacts) which was hailed as a “marvel of shifting timbre, motion, and texture,” (Peter Margasak, Bandcamp Daily) and “an inspired meeting of two distinct yet harmonically aligned voices.” (SoundOhm) The album derives its name from a neurological phenomenon in which colors and shapes appear as visual hallucinations for those who have spent extended periods of time in darkness. Originally commissioned in 2025 as a 20-minute live work by the Wassaic Project, the piece was initially performed in total darkness except for a single candle flame which was extinguished by air from a pounding bass drum at the piece’s conclusion. For this new LP, the duo expanded this performance into two distinct sidelong compositions: “Whole Field,” which tracks a descent into contemplative darkness, and “Pareidolia,” which pairs hypnotic, waltz-like bass and percussion with an array of field recordings from around the globe, evoking images and memories as part of the music’s hazy reality. “Prisoner’s Cinema” offers a mature work of both depth and restraint from a duo that has developed an idiosyncratic and organic approach to collaborative composition with a vast sonic and emotional impact. 

Sarah Hennies - singing bowls, Thai gongs, Aarti gong, bass drum, mokusho, field recording
Tristan Kasten-Krause - singing bowls, double bass, clarinet, field recording

Guest appearance by Madison Greenstone - clarinet

Composed, recorded, and mixed by Sarah Hennies & Tristan Kasten-Krause

Recorded March 2026 at Bard Hall, Annandale-On-Hudson, NY
Field recordings made 2023-26 in Bochum, Boscawen, Marrakech, Medina, Paris, Rome, & New York City.

Mastered by A.F. Jones at Laminal Audio

Cover design by Tristan Kasten-Krause

Special thanks to Wassaic Project, Michael Ranta, and Cynthia Barton Kasten

Best Hill Records | BHR-001
www.besthillarts.org