Dax Pierson will release his debut solo album on San Francisco’s Dark Entries and Oakland’s Ratskin Records.

Pierson, an Oakland-based musician, has called the East Bay home for 20 years. He was co-founder of the bands Subtle and 13 & God, a touring member of hip-hop group Themselves, and an associate of the Anticon collective.

In 2005, Subtle encountered black ice in the middle of the country while on tour and flipped over, leaving Pierson with a spinal cord injury. Since his individual fingers are now paralyzed, Pierson has switched to using a laptop controlled with iPad apps in order to produce. He’s spent the last 12 years exploring the possibilities that technology could offer.

He recorded Nerve Bumps (A Queer Divine Dissatisfaction) over the last 24 months. Across eight tracks, he blends hip-hop, jazz, John Carpenter-esque arpeggios, trap, anti trap-influenced percussion, and musique concrète-informed experiments. It’s mastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios.

The album’s front cover features a painting of pink and green horizontal stripes by Pierson’s partner, artist Chuck Nanney. A photograph of Pierson’s wheelchair graces the back sleeve, which you can see below.

“Futuristic synthesizers cut through layers of fog as Pierson’s bombastic drum programming forges new worlds within themselves,” the Californian labels explain.

Tracklisting

01. Adhesion
02. For The Angels
03. Snap
04. I Slay The Pain
05. Catch
06. Keflex
07. For 2_24
08. NTHNG FKS U HRDR THN TM

Nerve Bumps (A Queer Divine Dissatisfaction) LP is scheduled for February 26 release. Meanwhile, you can pre-order here and stream clips below.