niptaktuk

Everything – and I mean EVERYTHING – about this release breathes an extreme cold. Look at the album cover. Look at the track titles, that feel like they come from the Inuit language (although Båken Nunatak refers to a Norwegian-claimed mountain ridge in Antarctica). And – listen to the music! This music could not have been released on any óther label than Glacial Movements. No one knows a thing about Ark Zead. ‘No reference sites, no biography, and no place of origin’. The artist describes himself (or herself, but I’ll use him for simplicity’s sake) as ‘a gong and Tibetan singing bowls player, interested in vibes in a very usual way’. A visit to a ‘hostile cold’ Canada inspired him to modify the usual sounds ‘to describe the state of isolationism you have to reach to enjoy the beauty of the True North’. Well – mission accomplished I’d say! The cover aesthetics, the track titles, ánd the music itself also triggered another association: this is not unlike the art of Thomas Köner, who also created his first albums with the manipulated sounds of slowed-down gongs (and whose first album release was called Nunatak Gongamur). There are differences … but there are also similarities. Niptaktuk is definitely a must-check for those of you who love the music of Thomas Köner. But it’s also strongly recommended for those who can appreciate a sound that will lower the temperature in your room by more than a few degrees.AMBIENT BLOG

Glacial Movements, het label dat met ijskoude hand geleid wordt door Alessandro Tedeschi, brengt steevast albums uit die iets hebben met vrieskoude, gletsjers, de weidse natuur ver onder het vriespunt en een voorliefde voor ambient, drones en isolationisme.Dat het niet altijd grote of bekende namen binnen het genre hoeven te zijn, bewijst dit album van de mysterieuze Ark Zead, een artiest waar weinig over terug te vinden is en waar Tedeschi zelf, die de opnames twee jaar geleden kreeg toegestuurd en waarvan hij heel erg onder de indruk was, diep moest graven om te weten komen met wie hij te maken had.Uiteindelijk kwam hij erachter dat we te maken hebben met een artiest die in de weer is met een gong en Tibetaanse klankschalen, met een grote interesse in de stemming die ze oproepen in de klanken die resoneren en hem aan het denken zetten. Door zijn geluiden te bewerken met computers en synthesizers probeert hij de soms behoorlijk gewelddadig aanvoelende koude van het hoge noorden van Canada in klanklandschappen te vertalen.In het gros van de zeven nummers zijn de originele klanken moeilijk te achterhalen, al duiken ze hier en daar wel op. Dat zorgt mee voor het mysterie, maar tevens voor het intrigerende en meeslepende van dit werkstuk.Ook de titels behouden dat onaardse gevoel, of wat gedacht van bijvoorbeeld Sikinik en Nootaikok. Het lijkt wel de taal van de Inuit, het meervoud van het woord inuk, dat echte mens betekent in het Inuktitut.Welkom in de wondere isolationistische wereld van het onbekende, zowel wat betreft de natuur als de maker.LUMINOUS DASH

Około dwa lata temu siedziba Glacial Movements Records została spowita i zanurzona w siedmiu eterycznych chmurach dźwiękowych, które drastycznie obniżyły temperaturę o kilka stopni. W Rzymie nigdy nie było zimniej. Dźwięki te pochodzą bezpośrednio z kriosfery i stanowią kwintesencję najbardziej ekstremalnego i najzimniejszego izolacjonizmu. Jest to głęboka gwiezdna pustka, która charakteryzuje lodowe ekspansje planety. Nic nie wiadomo o artyście, który skomponował te dźwięki. Wszystko jest owiane całkowitą tajemnicą. Znany jest tylko podpis: Ark Zead. Nie ma nic wokół, żadnych stron odniesienia, biografii ani miejsca pochodzenia. Niptaktuk, bo taki tytuł nosi niniejszy album, jest pierwszym dziełem opublikowanym pod tą nazwą. Jednak po kilku próbach i prośbach o więcej informacji, Alessandro Tedeschi (szef GM i dyrektor artystyczny) zdołał uzyskać bardzo krótki komentarz od artysty: „Jestem grającym na gongach i tybetańskich misach śpiewających, zainteresowanym wibracjami w bardzo zwyczajny sposób. Ale poczułem inspirację, gdy stanąłem w obliczu bardzo nieprzyjaznego zimna w Kanadzie. Szukałem historii o odkrywaniu tych ziem i ludzi, którzy tam mieszkają. Następnie zmodyfikowałem moje dźwięki wibracji za pomocą komputerów i syntezatorów, aby opisać stan izolacjonizmu, który trzeba osiągnąć, aby cieszyć się pięknem prawdziwej Północy”. Wszystko idealnie pasuje do estetyki GM. Kolejnym kluczowym elementem tego albumu jest grafika, specjalnie wykonana przez włoską artystkę Lię Bosch, której sztuka wiernie opisuje brzmienie Ark Zead. Okładka jest tajemnicza i hermetyczna. Zawiera głęboką tajemnicę, tak samo jak muzyka Niptaktuk. Sześciopanelowy digipack to równowaga kolorów od szarości/czerni po szmaragdową zieleń.ANXIOUS MAGAZINE

So little has been said on this obscure and almost unidentifiable drone-based sound art project. First offer published by the emblematic Glacial Movements imprint and a perfect soundtrack to illustrate the heroic age of arctic explorations to the North Pole, following the struggle and infinitely challenging quest of pioneering men shrouded by the deep solemn silence of sovereign Nature. In this regard, check out the story of Ejnar Mikkelsen. Niptaktuk is a soundtrack about bravery, devotion, and self-awareness in meditative stillness. Scientific researches to foreign lands sometimes turn into a tremendous metaphysical and personal adventure, facing human finitude, death, and extreme life survival, this soundtrack is all about it, an ode and elegiac thrilling hymnic excursion into nebulous and highly emotional sound waves meeting the deep arcana of human consciousness. A mysteriously moving soundscaping odyssey with a solid and tragic backdrop, palpable emotions leading to a contemplative pensiveness about endurance, absolute quest and fate. Easily recommended for admireres of ambient and atmospheric music with a sense of space articulated to the majesty of Nature (in particular rugged Northern landscapes), to profound quietness and wintery melancholia. Fans of Machinefabriek, Simon Whetham, Andrea Polli, Sébastien Roux, Northumbria, and Strom Noir may find a whole sound universe to explore on Niptaktuk for their lonesome deep home listening moments. Also a perfect sonorous accompaniment while reading Beasts, Men And Gods by Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski.IGLOO MAG

Ci approccia in modo sibillino Ark Zead, che in Niptaktuk unisce paesaggi lontani e glaciali a scie luminose che paiono code di comete o di stelle cadenti nel buio. Brani lunghi e circospetti, che sorpresero in primo luogo anche Alessandro Tedeschi di Glacial Movements, una volta ricevuti un paio d’anni fa per vie misteriose. Ark Zead si presentò come suonatore di gong e campane tibetane, ispirato dal freddo canadese più ostile ed approcciatosi a computer e sintetizzatori per descrivere l’estremo nord. Per associazione la copertina non può che riportarci a un grande classico, quel Dalla Nascita dei Dyskinesia che così bene seppe rappresentare la sofferenza e la tragedia, lo smarrimento derivato dai ghiacci e dalle nevi. Qui la musica è però cristallina, mai sferzata dai crepacci violenti dei piacentini, più simile semmai a dei pindarici voli ambientali su di un territorio sempre uguale a sé stesso. Il titolo, niptaktuk, lo dice l’Iñupiat Eskimi Dictionary del 1970, sta a significare la dispersione delle nuvole e lo schiarirsi del cielo, fattore che riporterebbe il territorio ghiacciato e finora ombroso a diventare una lastra luminosa, uno specchio sulla neve perenne. Per entrare in questo disco occorre dimenticarsi di tutto il mondo circostante, abbassare la luce farsi guidare in un viaggio di un’ora circa nel quale perdere e riprendere i sensi, lasciandosi trasportare dalle correnti e dai venti. Non sappiamo se Ark Zed si svelerà mai o se oppure la sua identità rimarrà un mistero, ma poco importa, quel che è certo è che ancora una volta Glacial Movements riesce a trasportarci nella natura più incontaminata, ridandoci la giusta prospettiva di grandezza. Noi, il suono, il bianco, asiktuk.THE NEW NOISE

Ark Zead is an artist shrouded in mystery. Nothing is known about the composer – other than Glacial Movements head Alessandro Tedeschi taking delivery of ‘seven ethereal soundclouds that drastically lowered the temperature by several degrees’. From Ark Zead themselves: “I am a gong and Tibetan singing bowls player, interested in vibes in a very usual way. But I felt inspired when I faced the very hostile cold in Canada. I looked for stories about exploring these lands and the people who live there. I then modified my vibe sounds with computers and synthesizers to describe the state of isolationism you have to reach to enjoy the beauty of the true North.” What’s the music like? In a word, chilly! The right conditions are needed to experience the best of Ark Zead – an environment where you can hear as much of the audio spectrum as possible, taking advantage of some of the low bass drones that characterise this music, and also the subtlety of movement that takes place. The press release says as much: It is highly recommended to listen to Niptaktuk at night, in a quiet environment. The music is incredibly cold to the touch – the icy wind that blows through Unnuaq chills the bone, and shows this music as equal parts ambient and unnerving. At times there is consonant harmony, but elsewhere there is slight but lasting discord that creates a heavy atmosphere, laden with dread. The gong and singing bowls are used to great effect on Sikinik, while by contrast Båken Nunatak is laden with thick ambience. A vast wind is summoned on the title track. Ultimately this is music of greatly immersive ambience, a chance for the listener to put all else aside and lose themselves in the slow but inexorable progressions crafted by the composer. Does it all work? It does – especially if you are familiar with the Glacial Movements output, as that will help prepare you for the intensity of ambience that Ark Zead achieves. Is it recommended? Yes. Ark Zead is able to describe the weather in musical terms, with sounds so cold you can barely feel your fingers. A truly immersive experience, and one that is both cleansing and disarming in equal measure. Just like the cold. For fans of… Loscil, Machinefabriek, Tim Hecker, Stars of the LidARCANA FM