Photay Explained

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’.

Discography

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)

EPs

• Photay (Astro Nautico, 2014)
• Sadie (Astro Nautico, 2016)

Notes and References

1. https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/photay-onism/ Review of Onism
2. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/photay-mn0003343881/biography Photay
3. https://xlr8r.com/features/get-familiar-photay/ Get Familiar: Photay
4. https://www.stereogum.com/2112476/photay-villian-feat-golda-may/music/ Photay – “Villian” (Feat. golda may)
5. https://www.popmatters.com/photay-waking-hours-review-2646170013.html Waking Hours review
6. Web site: Interviews . Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & . Hussain . Shahzaib . 2024-08-14 . Photay's 'Air Lock' Is Elemental Euphoria News . 2024-09-27 . Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews . en-GB.