goldenSpiral: “Love is The Answer.”

Text by Cameron Robinson. Images by Charles Shan Cerrone.

Settled in a brick building in the warehouse district of Port Richmond, surrounded by gated parking lots and industrial spaces, sits the studio of up-and-coming producer and visual artist Adrian Palashevsky, better known as goldenSpiral.

His studio is reminiscent of a scientist’s lab but instead of chemicals and vials on his desk, he has a Wacom tablet, an AKAI APC40 and an Ableton Push. On the warm maroon walls is artwork, albums and a mask signed by Ghostface Killah. Most noticeable on his desk is not his work equipment but the book “Quadrivium,” a tiny Buddha and a golden Fibonacci spiral. The Fibonacci spiral is the divine proportion, the perfect mathematical ratio found in nature and even in humans.

“I first learned about it reading the book ‘The Holographic Universe’ during my time at Temple University,” Palashevsky says. “What’s weird is that I never actually made the decision to call myself goldenSpiral. I just woke up one morning during my sophomore year and that was my name. I never questioned it.”

And with that awakening came a vision.

“My dream is to have a large following,” says Palashevsky. “Or at least 100,000 people to anticipate an experience that integrates both audio and visual.”

Palashevsky’s grandmother, Irene Palashevsky, began to teach him to play the violin when he was 8.

“She was a world-class violinist and my first teacher,” he explains.

Palashevsky has since become a skilled violinist. He’s been the concertmaster for orchestras, like the Montgomery County Youth Orchestra, where he was featured in solo performances with a full orchestra accompaniment. He also was given first chair of the second violin section in the Philadelphia Symphonia.

While he has love and appreciation for the violin, he found his passion in music production at the age of 12 when he received Mixman Studio software. Over the next few years, he mastered the program popular with electronic musicians.

“It allowed me to mess with warping capabilities and change tempo without affecting pitch,” Palashevsky explains. “I sat on it for four years before upgrading to FruityLoops.”

This upgrade only solidified his passion, eventually leading him to Temple, where he graduated with a major in music and a minor in entrepreneurship.

In early 2009, Palashevsky went to see the musician Pretty Lights. Something in Palashevsky clicked while watching the artist perform.

“I decided on the direction I needed to be going,” he recalls.

That direction was west.

Within months, Palashevsky made his way to Flagstaff, Arizona, where he began to rethink the path he was going. During that time, he formed the electronic group, The City Music Project, though he eventually parted ways with the trio.

“Being in a band is great but the problem is everyone wants to play,” he explains. “Music needs to breathe.”

On his own again and back in Philadelphia, Palashevsky began to dig deeper into the underground electronic music scene, seeking out collectives such as Hungry Ghosts, who are featured on Palashevsky’s recent album Waveformation.

“He fully immerses himself in his priorities,” says O.H.M., a rapper who is part of Hungry Ghosts. “Working with him has showed me that if you’re one with yourself, things will work out.”

Palashevsky’s work has also brought him to the attention of other Philadelphia producers, such as Agent Zero. The two met when they shared the same bill for a show and quickly bonded over their use of Ableton Live.

“I first saw Adrian perform with his old band, The City Music Project,” Agent Zero says. “It was a really interesting fusion of electronic music and hip-hop with live instruments.”

Also interesting is the deal Palashevsky has with manager Isaac Gordon. Gordon’s label, Monster Entertainment, provides artists with an unusual arrangement.

“There is no contract. We work off of trust,” explains Palashevsky. “It’s the future of the music business. If you have a contract, it’s based on distrust”

Since he started working with Gordon, Palashevsky has opened for Ghostface Killah and his music can be found on major distribution platforms like Spotify, Apple and TIDAL. This past June, Palashevsky released Waveformation and recently released the track “The Reckoning,” which features the vocals of Alicia Talia.

“The song is about redemption, forgiveness and being held accountable to our mistakes and transgressions, even the ones that no one knows about,” he explains. “It’s open to interpretation enough for that to mean whatever it means to each listener personally, as well.”

Now, he’s back in the studio, hard at work on the upcoming Cosmic Servant EP and preparing for the PEX HeartBurn 2018 party at The Fillmore in February. The event will take over both The Fillmore and The Foundry, where Palashevsky will perform with his full band.

“People are going crazy these days,” he says, swerving back and forth in his chair as if moving to the cadence of his own rhythm. “This might sound corny, but love is the answer.”

And with that, he adds one last message.

“Support indie music,” he says. “And fuck Soundcloud.”