Photay is the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

of Evan Shornstein, an American DJ and electronic music producer from Woodstock, New York. While a student at Purchase College, Shornstein took a trip to

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

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.Photay
at Allmusic He released several remixes for the

Ninja Tune Ninja Tune is an English independent record label based in London. It has a satellite office in Los Angeles. It was founded by Matt Black and Jonathan More (better known as Coldcut) and managed by Peter Quicke and others. Inspired by a visit ...

label soon after. 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,''Waking Hours'' review
PopMatters, June 12, 2020. and in 2022, he released ''On Hold'', a record stitched together from samples of telephone

hold music Music on hold (MOH) is the business practice of playing recorded music to fill the silence that would be heard by telephone callers who have been placed on hold. It is especially common in situations involving customer service. Music on hold i ...

Discography

;Albums *''Onism'' (Astro Nautico, 2017) *''Waking Hours'' ( Mexican Summer, 2020) *''On Hold'' (Mexican Summer, 2021) *''An Offering'' with Carlos Niño (Self-released, 2022) ;EPs *''Photay'' (Astro Nautico, 2014) *''Sadie'' (Astro Nautico, 2016)

References

{{reflist American electronic musicians Musicians from New York (state) Record producers from New York (state)