The Unexpected Arrival of a Singular Artist
Steven Hall, the creative force behind the musical moniker Nirosta Steel, has spent decades working in the shadows of one of music’s most revered experimentalists. After years of serving as the primary collaborator to the late Arthur Russell, Hall finally emerges as a solo artist with his debut full-length release, “My Skyscraper.” This album represents more than just a collection of songs—it stands as a testament to four decades of musical exploration, philosophical inquiry, and an unwavering commitment to artistic authenticity that defies conventional career logic.
The release, now available through the label Ulyssa, offers listeners a gorgeously realized yet fundamentally incomplete work that bridgessensual art-folk, leftfield disco, and experimental synth-pop. It simultaneously serves as an archival triumph and one of the most thrilling new releases of the year, establishing Hall not merely as Russell’s collaborator but as his true creative equal.
The Philosophy Behind the Music: Understanding “Deep Play”
Central to understanding Hall’s artistic approach is his embrace of the concept “deep play,” a term originally coined by 18th-century British philosopher Jeremy Bentham. This philosophical framework describes endeavors with impossible odds—activities that no rational person would undertake yet somehow yield profound meaning.
Hall’s journey exemplifies this philosophy perfectly. Born in Scotland, he relocated to America after encouraging his widowed mother to pursue happiness with her most devoted suitor. His creative education included poetry studies under Allen Ginsberg and Buddhist teachings from Chögyam Trungpa, the instructor who popularized the concept of “first thought, best thought.”
His partnership with Arthur Russell proved transformative, with “deep play” becoming the animating principle behind their numerous collaborative recordings. Hall has articulated his artistic philosophy concisely: there should be no distinction between rehearsal, performance, and studio recording—these elements should flow continuously as one unified creative experience.
Musical Analysis: Party Vibes and Experimental Curves
“My Skyscraper” functions primarily as a party record, though the atmosphere, participants, and mood evolve track by track. For every immediately accessible offering like “English Party”—which originated as a potential demo for Madonna—Hall introduces increasingly strange and provocative elements.
His vocal delivery carries a striking oddness that places him alongside musical visionaries like David Byrne and Jonathan Richman. His voice possesses a handsome, lascivious quality that makes more suggestive tracks feel almost indecent. Even when approaching ridiculous territory, such as the falsetto boasts of “Yhema” or the sweeping Chinese opera vocals of “Mohan (Mandarin Version),” Hall demonstrates remarkable versatility, pivoting effortlessly to seduce listeners anew.
“Boss Trix (Benny’s Song)” exemplifies his approach, presenting as a lost Balearic disco gem featuring muted strings and flirtatious guitar work. The song’s inspiration—his boyfriend’s spontaneous expression of arousal—led to an interpretation that poetically balances Buddhist non-dualism: simultaneously filthy and hilarious, deeply moving and utterly comedic.
Production Philosophy: Songs in Perpetual Evolution
Much of “My Skyscraper” builds upon song skeletons revisited decades later, enhanced through subtle production choices. Similar to later-day classics by Cindy Lee and Los Thuthanaka, this record exists in its own temporal dimension, echoing through years while challenging straightforward notions of tradition and musical progression.
Notably, nearly no song possesses a single definitive version. Many tracks appear in multiple musical permutations featuring minor adjustments that generate radically different emotional responses. “First Love” appears both as an echo-laden lo-fi recording and an ecstatic disco mix—the former’s stripped-down vocals transform the piece into a shaky elegy for lost innocence, while the latter embraces young love’s sweet hopefulness, reflecting it through a musical prism.
Hall and Russell shared a common production principle: an aversion to vibrato combined with a preference for pure tone and drone. “My Skyscraper” adheres to this ethos, achieving remarkable sonic depth comparable to passing through clouds. “Go for the Night” saturates the listener with muted horns, sultry vocals, and twanging guitars, conjuring atmospheric heat through texture alone.
Minimalist Moments: A Cappella Power
Hall proves equally compelling in more minimalist contexts. The a cappella track “Greyboy” functions as a desperate plea for comprehension—a reckoning with abandonment for someone with grey hair. Multitracking his voice into a haunted choir, the effect as vocals rise and cut out proves absolutely devastating, reminiscent of an endangered bird’s song awaiting a duet that its mate will never answer. The listener catches only snatches of breath before the multi-tracking returns with increased intensity and anguish.
Buddhism and Musical Expression
The Buddhist influence permeates particularly through the two-part “Fresh Feeling” and “Special Weakness”—22 minutes featuring Russell’s insistent drumming and Hall’s anxiously strung guitar. The composition commands absolute attention throughout its duration, elevated to masterpiece status through its struggle to articulate and inhabit complex emotional territory when engaging with another person’s heart.
Hall pants over the relentless rhythm, questioning the experience of loving two people simultaneously while struggling to locate love in future time, ultimately returning to love expressed in present tense.
Music as Play and Presence
As poet and naturalist Diane Ackerman wrote, “Above all, play requires freedom. One chooses to play. Play’s rules may be enforced, but play is not like life’s other dramas. It happens outside ordinary life, and it requires freedom.”
Despite years in development, “My Skyscraper” invites engagement with the same open-hearted approach Hall applied to its creation. Its greatest achievement lies in its ability to stand independently—a work that demands much while offering equally much in return, making the present moment feel like the only desirable place to exist.
