Known to travel off the beaten path, Boulder, CO based Page CXVI—Reid and Latifah Phillips and Dann Stockton—are readying their latest collection of Hymns, an ambitious remix compilation titled re:hymns that amasses their four-album discography, after recruiting esteemed singer/songwriter Derek Webb to helm the production. Webb was keen to take on an all-encompassing involvement in the project.
"I have admired Page CXVI for years and was thrilled to get a call from them about a collaboration,” says Webb. “I was even more thrilled at their desire for experimentation and disruption. It takes truly great songs to work so beautifully and believably over such diverse arrangements. And that's what these are."
Page CXVI made a name for themselves by taking traditional worship hymns and expertly transforming them into experimental artistic expressions, bringing to the world a new way to understand the role of hymns for the modern listener. View an exceptional recording of Latifah performing their soulful arrangement of “Joy” on YouTube here.
The band has a knack for eccentric and unusual elements in both their lives and their recordings alike. Some of the most interesting include:
The moniker Page CXVI was adopted from page number 116 in a particular copy of the novel The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis, the sixth book in the The Chronicles of Narnia series. This was when Aslan sang Narnia into creation from a black void.
The band formerly performed and toured as The Autumn Film, leading worship at churches around the country before submitting to their calling to recreate hymns in a more-accessible fashion.
re:hymns naturally fuses organic and electronic instrumentation, allowing Page CXVI to experiment with and integrate alternative textures in which to tell their story. This stretches to include subtle synthesizer phrases, minimalistic supporting percussion, and energetic drums that drive the album forward, providing also a solid foundation for Phillips’ introspective lyrics and lush vocals.
The group garnered overnight success (backed by 12,000 downloads in only two days) after friend John Piper hosted a free download on his blog, “Desiring God.”
Page CXVI employed their cryptic name intentionally – it’s drawn from the page number in a particular copy of The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis, specifically the passage where Aslan begins to sing Narnia into creation out of a black void. Since the formation of the band, the three have recorded four Hymns albums and have toured “just about every state.” Following re:hymns, Page CXVI is also planning a lullaby collection of Hymns to be released this fall.
