Jefre Cantu-Ledesma is a multi-instrumentalist and an ambient/experimental musician from the United States. He co-founded the drone and ambient label Root Strata.

Biography Cantu-Ledesma was born and raised in Texas, United States, and studied sculpture and visual arts in San Francisco. Cantu-Ledesma is now based in New York State.

Cantu-Ledesma got his start as one of the founding members of the band Tarentel. He continued to be involved with many musical projects, including experimental rock band The Alps, the solo project Colophon, and the duo Raum (with Grouper).

His solo debut album, Love Is a Stream, released in 2010 under Type Records. Cantu-Ledesma continued to release many solo and collaborative projects, most notably: A Year with 13 Moons in 2015, On the Echoing Green in 2017, Tracing Back the Radiance in 2019, You Can See Your Own Way Out in 2021 with Ilyas Ahmed, and Gift Songs in 2025.

His label, Root Strata, has an extensive catalog that includes artists such as Tarentel, Grouper, Yellow Swans, Charalambides, Keith Fullerton Whitman, Oneohtrix Point Never, Barn Owl, Starving Weirdos, Gregg Kowalsky, and more.

Discography (by project)

Tarentel

Tarentel CDEP (Temporary Residence Limited) – 1998 Travels in Constants vol. 3 CDEP (Temporary Residence Limited), ltd. to 1000 copies, part of the Travels in Constants CD Subscription Series (OOP) – 1999 When We Almost Killed Ourselves 8" EP (Temporary Residence Limited), ltd. to 200 copies (OOP) – 1999 From Bone to Satellite CD/2×LP (Temporary Residence Limited), vinyl ltd. to 1000 copies (OOP) – 1999 Looking for Things, Searching for Things 12-inch EP (Resonant), ltd. to 500 copies (OOP) – 2000 Two Sides of Myself 7-inch (Static Caravan Recordings), ltd. to 500 copies (OOP) – 2000 split 7-inch w/ Rothko (Jonathon Whiskey), ltd. to 250 copies (OOP) – 2000 split 7-inch w/ Lilienthal (Awkward Silence), ltd. to 500 copies (OOP) – 2000 The Order of Things CD/2×LP (Neurot Recordings/Static Caravan), vinyl ltd. to 500 copies (OOP) – 2001 Fear of Bridges CDEP (Three Lobed Recordings), ltd. to 700 copies (OOP) – 2002 Mort aux Vaches CD (Staalplaat), ltd. to 1000 copies (OOP) – 2002 Ephemera | Singles 99-00 CD (Temporary Residence Limited) – 2002 Latency 12-inch EP (En/Of), ltd. to 100 copies (OOP) – 2003 We Move Through Weather CD/2×LP (Temporary Residence Limited) – 2004 Paper White CDEP (Temporary Residence Limited) – 2005 Big Black Square CDEP (Temporary Residence Limited) – 2005 Ghost Weight CDEP (Acuarela Discos) – 2005 Paper White / Big Black Square CD (Human Highway) – 2005 Live Edits: Natoma CD (Root Strata), ltd. to 500 copies (OOP) – 2006 Home Ruckus 12-inch EP (Root Strata), ltd. to 500 copies (OOP) – 2007 Ghetto Beats On the Surface of the Sun 4×LP (Music Fellowship), ltd. to 500 copies of each LP (OOP) – 2007 Home Ruckus: Double-Sided Air 7-inch (Type Records), ltd. to 500 copies (OOP) – 2007 Home Ruckus: Bottled Smoke CD-R (Digitalis), ltd. to 100 copies (OOP) – 2007 Ghetto Beats On the Surface of the Sun 2×CD (Temporary Residence Limited) – 2007 Live Edits: Italy & Switzerland CD (Digitalis), ltd. to 500 copies (OOP) – 2008 You Can't Hide Your Love Forever Vol. 3: Space Junk 7-inch (Geographic North), ltd. to 300 copies, part of the You Can't Hide Your Love Forever 7-inch Subscription Series (OOP) – 2009 Over Water DVD-R (with Paul Clipson) (Root Strata) - "Latest installment of the ongoing collaboration between San Francisco-based band Tarentel & filmmaker Paul Clipson. Three shorts of Super 8 film and music mostly culled from live performances in Italy & Switzerland in 2005." The release was ltd. to 100 copies (OOP) – 2009 Split 7-inch w/ Seaworthy (Sound&Fury, 2009/2010), ltd. to 300 copies (100 colored, 200 black) as part of the Passeridae 7-inch Subscription Series Untitled cassette (Digitalis Limited, late 2009/early 2010)

Jefre Cantu-Ledesma Primary solo project, primarily ambient and drone music.

Voice Sutra CD-R (limited to 100 copies, OOP) (Root Strata) – 2005 Two Suns DVD-R (with Paul Clipson) (limited to 100 copies, OOP) (Root Strata) – 2005 Black is the Color of my True Love's Hair CD-R (limited to 150 copies, OOP) (Static Caravan) – 2006 Floating Weeds Cassette (limited to 90 copies, OOP) (Twonicorn) – 2006 Constellations of Spring DVD-R (with Paul Clipson) (limited to 100 copies, OOP) (Root Strata) – 2006 Shining Skull Breath CD-R (limited to 100 copies, OOP) (Students of Decay) – 2007 The Garden of Forking Paths CD (Spekk) – 2007 The Phantom Harp Mini CD-R (limited to 100 copies, OOP) (Root Strata) – 2007 Corridors DVD-R (with Paul Clipson) (limited to 100 copies, OOP) (Root Strata) – 2008 The Phantom Harp DVD-R (with Paul Clipson) (limited to 100 copies, OOP) (Root Strata) – 2008 Namu Kie Butsu Cassette (as Jefre Sei Getsu Ledesma) (limited to 100 copies, OOP) (NNA Tapes) – 2009 Bloodstream Sermon Cassette (limited to 150 copies, OOP) (Arbor) – 2010 Within Mirrors Collection of previous DVD-R (with Paul Clipson) plus two previously unreleased pieces on a DVD with menus designed by C. Spencer Yeh and artwork by Ledesma himself (limited to 500 copies, first 80 in a Bonus Edition with Mini CD-R of previously unreleased Jefre Cantu-Ledesma material) (Students of Decay) – 2010 Love Is a Stream LP/CD (Type Records) – 2010 Love Is a Dream LP/CD (with Xela) (Type Records) – 2010 Conversations With Myself CD-R (self-released) – 2011 Faceless Kiss/Blut Mond 7-inch (Emerald Cocoon) – 2012 Visiting This World LP, art edition (En/Of) – 2012 Speaking Corpse Cassette (limited to 75 copies, OOP) (Los Discos Enfantasmes) – 2012 Devotion Digital-Only EP (Shining Skull) – 2013 Gift of Tongues tape (limited to 100 copies) (Last Foundation) – 2013 Music From The Headlands Center For The Arts, Volume One – Another Void CD-R (limited to 25 copies) and digital-only edition (Shining Skull) – 2013 Music From The Headlands Center For The Arts, Volume Two – Disappear CD-R (limited to 25 copies) and digital-only edition (Shining Skull) – 2013 Music From The Headlands Center For The Arts, Volume Three – Wild River CD-R (limited to 25 copies) and digital-only edition (Shining Skull) – 2013 Music From The Headlands Center For The Arts, Volume Four – A World Apart CD-R (limited to 25 copies) and digital-only edition (Shining Skull) – 2013 Music From The Headlands Center For The Arts, Volume Five – The Burnt House CD-R (limited to 25 copies) and digital-only edition (Shining Skull) – 2013 Music From The Headlands Center For The Arts, Volume Six – Archaic Torso CD-R (limited to 25 copies) and digital-only edition (Shining Skull) – 2013 Music From The Headlands Center For The Arts, Volume Seven – Gift Of Tongues CD-R (limited to 25 copies) and digital-only edition (Shining Skull) – 2013 Songs of Remembrance tape (limited to 100 copies) and digital-only edition (Psychic Troubles Tapes) – 2014 Songs of Forgiveness tape (limited to 100 copies) and digital-only edition (Baro Records) – 2014 Eternal Spring Digital-only (self-released) – 2014 A Year with 13 Moons LP (limited to 1,200 copies) (Mexican Summer) – 2015 In Summer tape (Geographic North) – 2016 On the Echoing Green LP (Mexican Summer) – 2017 Tracing Back The Radiance LP (Mexican Summer) – 2019 Poverty (Boomkat) – 2023 Gift Songs LP (Mexican Summer) – 2025 September (Mexican Summer) – 2025 Procession (self-released) – 2026

Félicia Atkinson and Jefre Cantu-Ledesma Collaborative project between Félicia Atkinson and Jefre Cantu-Ledesma. Comme Un Seul Narcisse, LP (Shelter Press) – 2016 Limpid as the Solitudes, EP (Shelter Press) – 2018 Un Hiver En Plein Été, LP (Shelter Press) – 2021

Colophon Ambient solo project. Spring 10-inch (Limited, OOP) (Dreams by Degrees) – 2002 Conduction. Convection. Radiation. CD 3-way split w/ The Wind-Up Bird and 1 Mile North (Music Fellowship) – 2004 Travels In Constants (Vol. 18): Love Loops CD (Limited, OOP, part of the Travels in Constants CD subscription series) (Temporary Residence Limited) – 2004

The Holy See Harsh noise project of Jefre Cantu-Ledesma and Jim Redd. Snowing Ash CD-R (Limited to 200 copies, OOP) (Root Strata) – 2005 The Original Pure Thoughts (Music Your Mind Will Love You) – 2006 Fucking Physics CD-R (Limited to 100 copies, OOP) (Foxglove) – 2007 Blood Honey CD-R (Limited to 100 copies, OOP, part of the Arroyo subscription series) (Digitalis) – 2008

Sea Zombies Project of Brad Rose (of The North Sea, Ajilvsga, Ossining, Digitalis Records) and John Twells (known as Xela, owner of Type Records) with contributions by Gregg Kowalsky, Jed Bindeman, and Jefre Cantu-Ledesma. It Died in Africa Cassette (Two hand-numbered limited editions: 100/50 copies, OOP) (Digitalis Limited) – 2008

The Alps

Kraut/psych rock band composed of Alexis Georgopoulos, Scott Hewicker and Jefre Cantu-Ledesma. Jewelt Galaxies CD-R (Limited to 200 copies, OOP) (Root Strata) – 2005 Spirit Shambles CD-R (Limited to 150 copies, OOP) (Root Strata) – 2006 Jewelt Galaxies/Spirit Shambles CD (Spekk) – 2007 A Path Through the Sun CD-R (Limited to 100 copies, OOP) (Root Strata) – 2008 A Path Through the Moon CD-R (Limited to 100 copies, OOP) (Root Strata) – 2008 III CD, LP (Root Strata) – 2008 Le Voyage CD, LP (Type) – 2010 Easy Action LP (Mexican Summer) – 2011

Moholy-Nagy A heavily synthesizer based and largely improvisational group featuring Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, Danny Paul Grody, and Trevor Montgomery.

Like Mirage LP/CD (Temporary Residence Limited) – 2011

Isidore Ducasse Collaborative project between Jefre Cantu-Ledesma and Trevor Montgomery.

Isidore Ducasse LP (limited to 400 copies, OOP) (Blackest Rainbow) – 2011

Josephine Collaborative project between Jefre Cantu-Ledesma and Tony Cross.

You Are Perfect Today Cassette (Digitalis Limited) – 2011

Raum Collaborative project between Jefre Cantu-Ledesma and Liz Harris (Grouper).

The Event of Your Leaving LP (Glass, House) – 2013 Daughter LP (Yellow Electric) – 2022

References

External links Tarentel Official site Root Strata, a record label run by Jefre Cantu-Ledesma & Maxwell August Croy Last.FM page for Jefre Cantu-Ledesma Discogs page for Jefre Cantu-Ledesma