ERLANDSSON, MATS - MINNESMÄRKE (LP)


"Mats Erlandsson makes his debut on Hallow Ground with "Minnesmärke", at once a nuanced sonic exploration of the industrial and political history of his native Sweden and a deeply personal album. One of the key figures of the Stockholm drone scene, the prolific composer worked with The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble's Hillary Jeffery, violinist and long-time friend Gaianeh Pilossian as well as sound artist and frequent collaborator Yair Elazar Glotman for a two-part composition built around tuned sustained tones performed by electronic and acoustic instruments that were combined with field recordings in order to evoke a psychedelic state of reflection, a dream-like elegy for the acoustic properties of the former iron ore mine Ställbergs Gruva where the music has been conceived and recorded. Following up on releases on labels such as Hallow Ground label mates Kali Malone and Maria W Horn's XKatedral imprint, "Minnesmärke" is Erlandsson's most accomplished work yet. Erlandsson's interest in this story though does not exclusively stem from the historical significance of the mine, that has been re-opened in 2012 as a centre for cultural activities and critical thought. In fact, his grandfather was born and raised in the vicinity of it and thus his life - and, by extension, his grandson's - was inextricably linked to its fate and the ebbs and flows of the industrial development in the area. It's no surprise then that the two parts of "Minnesmärke", which translates to "memorial" or "monument", is marked by a sense of dislocation and dissociation. A combination of synthetic and recorded sound sources was processed by reamping it in various rooms of the vast mining complex. The resulting hybrid field recordings were transferred to tape and have then been treated extensively. An arrangement for Pilossian's violin, Jeffery's tuba and trombone playing as well as Glotman's parts on double bass were recorded separately and similarly manipulated to create an expanded chamber ensemble with a wider range and an ability to transcend the usual temporal bounds of the instruments. The outcome of this intricate working process calls to mind Phill Niblock's most dense compositions, the iconic yet subtle work of Pauline Oliveros in the field of deep listening or even Johann Johannsson's evocative examination of similarly politically charged topics on the "The Miners' Hymns" OST amongst others." (label info)
in stock | CH| 2020| HALLOW GROUND | 19.90


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