Photay

Evan Shornstein, known as Photay, is an American composer, drummer, DJ, and producer from Woodstock, New York, United States. ^{[1] [2]}

Music

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. ^[3] He released several remixes for the Ninja Tune label soon after. ^[4] 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, ^{[5] [6]} and in 2022, he released On Hold, a record stitched together from samples of telephone hold music. ^[3] In 2024, Photay released a new album, Windswept, on Mexican Summer. ^[7] Windswept explores natural phenomena, notably ‘wind’. ^[7]

Shornstein collaborates on a musical project titled "Ensemble Entendu" with musician Sam O.B. ^[2]

Discography

Albums

Title	Details
1st	Released: November 30, 2012 Label: Self-released
Photay	Featuring: Seafloor Released: September 9, 2014 Label: Astro Nautico
Onism	Featuring: Madison McFerrin Released: August 11, 2017 Label: Astro Nautico
On Hold	Released: March 16, 2020 Label: Mexican Summer
Waking Hours	Released: June 12, 2020 Label: Mexican Summer
An Offering(with Carlos Niño & Friends)	Featuring: Randal Fisher, Mikaela Davis, lasos Released: October 1, 2021 Label: International Anthem
More Offerings(with Carlos Niño & Friends)	Featuring: Randal Fisher, Laraaji, Mia Doi Todd, lasos, Club Diego Released: December 9, 2022 Label: International Anthem
Windswept [7]	Released: September 20, 2024 Label: Mexican Summer
Windswept: Expansions	Released: March 28, 2025 Label: Mexican Summer

EPs

• Sadie (Astro Nautico, 2016)
• Onism: Remixed (Astro Nautico, 2018)
• Waking Hours: Remixed (Mexican Summer, 2020)

Singles

• "Outré Lux (feat. Madison McFerrin)" (Astro Nautico, 2017)
• "The People" (Mexican Summer, 2020)
• "Is It Right?" (Mexican Summer, 2020)
• "Quest of the Pseudacris" (Mexican Summer, 2020)
• "Roaming" (Mexican Summer, 2021)
• "Derecho" (Mexican Summer, 2024)
• "Air Lock" (Mexican Summer, 2024)
• "Air Lock (Air Tight Mix)" (Mexican Summer, 2024)
• "Jet Stream" (Mexican Summer, 2025)
• "Aeolian" (Mexican Summer, 2025)

Remixes

• "Season 2 Episode 3 (Photay Remix)" by Glass Animals (Wolf Tone Limited, 2016)
• "Sorceress (Photay Remix)" by Jordan Rakei (Ninja Tune, 2017)
• "Rain Makes The River (Photay Remix)" on Rain Makes The River (Remixes) by Jazzanova (Sonar Kollektiv, 2019)
• "Falls (Photay Remix) [Radio Edit]" on Falls Remixes by ODESZA (Self-released, 2018)
• "Checkpoint Charlie (Photay Remix)" by Ghost Against Ghost (Our Silent Canvas, 2019)
• "Learn Your Lesson (Photay Remix)" on Finding Foudations: THE REMIXES by Madison McFerrin (Self-released, 2019)
• "The Workers of Art (Photay Remix)" on To Believe (Remixes) by The Cinematic Orchestra (Ninja Tune, 2020)
• "All the Way Round (Photay Remix)" on All the Ways Round by Kelpe (DRUT Recordings, 2020)
• "MMXX — XII (Photay Remix)" (featuring Rhye) on MMXX (Remixes) by Diplo (Higher Ground, 2021)
• "Love is Loving (Photay Remix)" (featuring Omar, XANA, Faye Houston) by Scrimshire (Self-released, 2021)
• "Alma Del Mundo (Photay Remix)" by Phil Moffa (Love Injection Records, 2023)

References

1. Review of Onism, Pitchfork Media
2. "15 questions | Interview | Evan Shornstein | Breaking New Grounds". www.15questions.net. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
3. Photay at Allmusic
4. Get Familiar: Photay. XLR8R, September 27, 2017.
5. Photay – “Villian” (Feat. golda may). Stereogum, January 15, 2021.
6. Waking Hours review, PopMatters, June 12, 2020.
7. Interviews, Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews &; Hussain, Shahzaib (2024-08-14). "Photay's 'Air Lock' Is Elemental Euphoria | News". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved 2024-09-27.