NETHERWORLD - "Over the Summit" CD Digipack  - Glacial Movements Records - 2011

First Review

Alessandro Tedeschi aka Netherworld und auch Labelchef von Glacial Movements Records, ist zweifach zuhause: in Italien, seiner physischen Homebase und irgendwo viel weiter nördlich, vielleicht (geistig) an dem Ort, dem er “Over The Summit” widmet: in Hyperborea, einem mystischen Nordland. Deshalb hat sein Label seinen Namen, deshalb seine Faszination für diese Art von Ambient, die, reduziert auf wenige klare Elemente, mit jedem Ton wie allein für sich steht und so gleichzeitig eisige Einsamkeit und rufende Verlockung hervorrufen kann.

Over The Summit“ benutzt Klänge, indiziert durch Nordlicht (wo immer diese auch entstehen und wie auch immer diese auch aufzunehmen sind), sonstige Fieldrecordings und nicht weiter spezifizierte „gefundene Klänge“; als einziges traditionelles Instrument wird die Violine genannt (und diese ist nicht wirklich herauszuhören). Netherworld webt daraus ein rund 58 minütiges Werk, das in allen Facetten in sich ruht ohne dabei Entwicklung und Spannungsbogen zu vernachlässigen: von dem ruhigen Auftakt des Titelstücks mit seinen verwehten, windartigen Flächenfragmenten, die bei aller vordergründigen Harmonie ihre eingebetteten Widerspenstigkeiten nie verhehlen (wollen) über das runde „Aurora performs its last Show“ mit den Botschaften der Polarstation und dem schärferen „Iceblink“ zu „Crystallized Words“, umsponnen mit für diese Veröffentlichung fast untypischen, tieferen Flächen. „Thoughts locked in Ice“ und „Iperborea“ nehmen diese Stimmungen auf und besonders letzteres kehrt zurück zu dem sparsamen Minimalismus des Beginns von „Over the Summit“, schwingt sich dabei aber, vor dem letzten Ausklang, noch ein letztes mal auf.

Das betörende an der Veröffentlichung ist ihre Ruhe und die Stringenz der Klangauswahl; Stimmung und Klangcharakteristik bauen aufeinander auf und lassen die sechs Stücke wie in einem Fluss ineinander greifen, ohne dabei die einzelne Geschichte zu verwischen; die Konzentration auf ein Klangbild windartiger Indirektheit mit nur wenigen, sparsam (aber um so treffender) gesetzten Bassakzenten lässt eine Atmosphäre packender, geisterhafter Stimmung entstehen: es scheint keinerlei versteckten Bedrohungen zu geben, das licht ist hell, die vor uns liegende Landschaft leer und überschaubar, klar und rein. Aber sie käme auch ohne uns aus; und das ist es, was nicht unterschätzt werden darf und „Over The Summit“ seine tiefe verleiht.

THE POST ROCK

Second Review

La prima uscita del 2011 per l'etichetta romana Glacial Movements č il nuovo lavoro del suo appassionato fondatore Alessandro Tedeschi, la prima sulla lunga distanza e in completa solitudine sotto il suo inseparabile alias Netherworld a oltre tre anni di distanza dal precedente "Mřrketid".

In questo lasso temporale, l'etichetta č notevolmente cresciuta, affermandosi con le sue uscite tematiche quale punto di riferimento mondiale per l'ambient isolazionista e glaciale; nel frattempo, č cresciuto anche Alessandro, sia in qualitŕ di produttore di musica altrui che di autore della propria. Collaborazioni come quelle con Aidan Baker e con Enrico Coniglio (in Aquadorsa) e prestigiosi ospiti che hanno pubblicato loro lavori per Glacial Movements hanno da un lato affinato la sensibilitŕ dell'artista romano e dall'altro ampliato gli orizzonti dell'etichetta. In particolare la sua ultima pubblicazione "The Art Of Dying Alone", a firma Bvdub, č stata al contempo la "meno ghiacciata" delle proposte prescelte da Tedeschi per la sua creatura "editoriale" e quella in grado di deviarne almeno in parte un'impronta stilistica che permane sempre improntata a profonditŕ ambientali tenebrose e in lentissimo movimento. Come infatti quel disco introduceva simulacri ritmici e texture brulicanti di vita nell'oscuritŕ della glaciazione artica, cosě "Over The Summit" apre l'isolazionismo di Tedeschi a una dimensione relativamente piů comunicativa, piů varia e, almeno in parte, piů concisa.

Contrassegnato dalla solita splendida copertina del maestro della fotografia nordica Bjarne Riesto, "Over The Summit" č un viaggio della durata di poco meno di un'ora attraverso rarefazioni ariose e claustrofobiche profonditŕ, descritte attraverso field recordings, samples, violino e gli ormai consueti filtraggi e armonizzazioni di suoni catturati nei luoghi stessi che sono chiamati a evocare. Benché anche in questo caso non manchino folate oscure ed esili fragori di fenditure ghiacciate (in particolare nella title track iniziale e in "Iceblink - Aurora Borealis mix -"), la dedica dell'album alla mitologica Iperborea e il processamento dei suoni dell'aurora boreale donano al risultato complessivo una consistenza eterea, un'impalpabilitŕ ariosa e lieve come non mai, che potrebbe ben interpretarsi quale il corrispettivo luminoso di "Mřrketid". Non mancano, dunque, loop armonici, pulsazioni e persino lucenti riflessi che incorniciano lo spettacolo affascinante e sinistro perfettamente reso in musica da "Aurora Performs Its Last Show", con ogni probabilitŕ la composizione piů suggestiva realizzata dall'artista romano. Con essa fa il paio la piů breve, riassunta nei "soli" sei minuti scarsi di "Crystallized Words", che fissano in maniera indelebile frammenti vocali su un'afasia mai cosě comunicativa.

Sia chiaro, l'isolazionismo musicale e l'understatement nel suo stesso modo di porsi permangono la peculiare cifra stilistica sottesa al progetto Netherworld, come dimostra la stessa avvertenza di cui alle note di copertina, che consigliano l'ascolto del disco a volume medio-basso in un quieto ambiente notturno. Ma questa volta Alessandro Tedeschi ha scelto una rappresentazione parzialmente diversa del Nord che tanto ama, una rappresentazione che rivolge gli occhi verso l'alto, aprendoli allo stupore e ai brividi di una luce ultraterrena, o chiudendoli per lasciarsi andare ai vagheggiamenti di un'Iperborea al di lŕ della cui vetta splende sempre il sole.

ONDAROCK

Third Review

alessandro tedeschi aka netherworld (und auch labelchef von glacial movements) ist zweifach zuhause: in italien, seiner physischen homebase und irgendwo viel weiter nördlich, vielleicht (geistig) an dem ort, dem er “over the summit” widmet: in hyperborea, einem mystischen nordland. deshalb hat sein label seinen namen, deshalb seine faszination für diese art von ambient, die, reduziert auf wenige klare elemente, mit jedem ton wie allein für sich steht und so gleichzeitig eisige einsamkeit und rufende verlockung hervorrufen kann.
„over the summit“ benutzt klänge, indiziert durch nordlicht (wo immer diese auch entstehen und wie auch immer diese auch aufzunehmen sind), sonstige fieldrecordings und nicht weiter spezifizierte „gefundene klänge“; als einziges traditionelles instrument wird die violine genannt (und diese ist nicht wirklich herauszuhören).
netherworld webt daraus ein rund 58 minütiges werk, das in allen facetten in sich ruht ohne dabei entwicklung und spannungsbogen zu vernachlässigen: von dem ruhigen auftakt des titelstücks mit seinen verwehten, windartigen flächenfragmenten, die bei aller vordergründigen harmonie ihre eingebetteten widerspenstigkeiten nie verhehlen (wollen) über das runde „aurora performs its last show“ mit den botschaften der polarstation und dem schärferen „iceblink“ zu „crystallized words“, umsponnen mit für diese VÖ fast untypischen, tieferen flächen. „thoughts locked in ice“ und „iperborea“ nehmen diese stimmungen auf und besonders letzteres kehrt zurück zu dem sparsamen minimalismus des beginns von „over the summit“, schwingt sich dabei aber, vor dem letzten ausklang, noch ein letztes mal auf. Das betörende an der VÖ ist ihre ruhe und die stringenz der klangauswahl; stimmung und klangcharakteristik bauen aufeinander auf und lassen die sechs stücke wie in einem fluss ineinander greifen, ohne dabei die einzelne geschichte zu verwischen; die konzentration auf ein klangbild windartiger indirektheit mit nur wenigen, sparsam (aber um so treffender) gesetzten bassakzenten lässt eine atmosphäre packender, geisterhafter stimmung entstehen: es scheint keinerlei versteckten bedrohungen zu geben, das licht ist hell, die vor uns liegende landschaft leer und überschaubar, klar und rein.
Aber sie käme auch ohne uns aus; und das ist es, was nicht unterschätzt werden darf. und „over the summit“ seine tiefe verleiht. schöne Grüße

UNRUHR

Fourth Review

A kiadót alapító Alessandro Tedeschi új lemezével kezdi a 2011-es évet az olasz Glacial Movements, mely 2006 óta kalauzolja a hallgatókat az észak-európai tundra zord vidékeire. A csapat tagjai többnyire veteránok: Rapoon (Robin Storey), Lull (Mick Harris), Oöphoi (Gianluigi Gasparetti) és Francisco López a kilencvenes évek eleje-közepe óta aktívan tevékenykedő képviselői az ambient műfajnak, mellettük pedig publikációs lehetőséget kapott egy svéd duó (Skare) és egy jelenleg Kínában élő amerikai szólóista, Brock Van Wey  (Bvdub) is, aki néhány év alatt az egyik legfelkapottabb előadóvá vált.
Mint látjuk, igencsak illusztris társaság gyűlt Tedeschi köré. Az olasz fiatalember első munkái a már említett Oöphoi kiadójánál (Umbra) jelentek meg először. Jeges zenei temperamentuma már ekkor tisztán kiviláglott; sötét, tompa hangokból épített fel többnyire hosszú, lassan kibontakozó darabokat. Első két munkájának még a címe is (Eternal Frost - örök jég; Hermetic Thoughts - hermetikusan zárt gondolatok) előrevetítette a Glacial Movements majdani profilját, ahol Mřrketid (ködös idő) című lemezével tovább csökkentette a hőmérsékletet.
Az Over the Summit az első és a sokadik hallgatásra is profi munka, visszafogottsága imponáló, a környezeti hangfelvételek elrendezése ügyes, a mély és tompa drone-ok kiterítése utaztató. A winter ambient iskolapéldájaként működik a korong, jó diák módjára gyakorlatilag minden követelményt teljesít, a minőséget illetően tehát nem érheti rossz szó a lemezt. És lehet, hogy más szempontból sem fogja, az alműfajjal ismerkedő és ez iránt érdeklődő hallgatók ugyanis minden bizonnyal izgalmasnak fogják találni a minimalizmus ezen formáját, a mérsékletességben és az elmosódó határokban rejlő lehetőségeket, a véletlenszerűséget. A tapasztaltabbak viszont pont ez utóbbit fogják először kifogásolni: a lemezen semmiféle szervezőerő nem lelhető fel, a hangok találomra követik vagy kísérik egymást, majd találomra is tűnnek el. A hömpölygő loopokba bármikor be lehet kapcsolódni, és bármikor ki is lehet szállni - a számok hossza csak alkotói önkény kérdése. Ha ehhez hozzászámítjuk azt is, hogy a már megszokott télies hangképek mellett gyakorlatilag semmiféle újdonságot nem nyújt a lemez, már majdhogynem középszerű munkáról beszélhetünk. Erről persze nincs szó, az Over the Summit igenis jó album, és főleg akkor élvezhető, ha nem műfaji forradalmat remélünk tőle.
A kiadóra érdemes lesz a jövőben is figyelni, mivel 2011-re tervezett kiadványaik között Thomas Köner-, Pjusk- és Loscil-anyagokat ígérnek.
_______________
A Glacial Movements Records honlapja itt, a lemez megrendelése itt.

Sixth Review

Netherworld is the alias of Alessandro Tedeschi, a producer of isolationist ambient music from Rome. His sound on 'Over The Summit' would fall into the same category of woolly tones and sublime textures as BVDub, with nods towards the standard-setting work of Thomas Köner. Some really nice, blissed-out bits in here, proper floatation tank business for your glass and steel flat on the 25th floor where you can imagine you're in the mythical Hyperborea

BOOMKAT

Seventh Review

Electronic Music is less about attaining or demonstrating a level of virtuosity, but more an examination of the inner self. One of its most significant attributes is the ability to transfer to the listener the inner condition of the composer, or a condition completely imagined by the composer. With a name like Glacial Movements one would imagine that releases from this label will conjure up visions of tundral landscapes or boreal lands. Over the Summit (57'20") by Netherworld certainly does this, and more. This album transfers its frigid message in six subdued ambient works. Using nothing more than variations in timbre Netherworld (a.k.a. Alessandro Tedeschi) produces a sonic experience aligned with a frozen nocturnal realm. The character of the sounds used in each of the pieces range from the rounded and consonant to the brittle and dissonant - for a perfect icy mix of harmonious designs and anomalous forms. In a few spots Tedeschi mixes in a voice, faded low and beneath reverb - adding to the ever-growing mystery of this CD. The result is a genuinely unique sustaining and uncannily cold atmosphere - drawn from frostbound landscapes and the bitter expanse.

- Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END   10 February 2011 - STAR'S END

Eight Review

Alessandro Tedeschi, musicista Romano, acclamato in tutto il mondo come una delle nuove promesse della musica ambient, ritorna con il suo nuovo album, ghiaccio simfonico, frammenti di classica e ambienti lunari.

FAMILY AFFAIR

Nineth Review

«Please listen to this music in a quiet, nocturnal environment at low-medium level», avverte Alessandro Tedeschi, alias Netherworld, nelle note stampa che accompagnano la sua ultima fatica. Ed in effetti, "Over the Summit" si presta benissimo ad un ascolto a volume non troppo alto in un luogo tranquillo, con le luci soffuse. L'impasto di ambient e drone che caratterizza le sei tracce di cui si compone questo secondo full-lenght del nostro (il precedente, "Mřrketid", risale al 2008) č di quelli capaci di immergerti in un universo di suoni evocativi di spazi tanto sconfinati quanto gelidi, immoti, dominati da ghiacci perenni e frustati da venti taglienti come lame. Del resto, il nome stesso dell'etichetta per la quale il disco esce, la Glacial Movements (fondata proprio da Tedeschi), e la dedica dell'album alla leggendaria terra d'Iperborea (situata, secondo la mitologia, all'estremo Nord) sono abbastanza indicativi del "clima" che si respira all'interno del lavoro.

Le partiture, nella loro statica e raggelata monumentalitŕ, sono infatti ammantate da un'aura quasi magica, permeate di un umore ancestrale che rimanda a cose oscure e lontanissime nel tempo e nello spazio. Piů che field recordings, voci manipolate, campionamenti e quant'altro costituisca l'arsenale di Netherworld, il protagonista delle composizioni sembra essere proprio il silenzio: l'impressione che si ricava dall'ascolto del CD č quella di esser di fronte alla descrizione impressionista della veduta che si puň avere dalla vetta di un picco elevatissimo, alto al punto tale che terra e cielo si fondono in un abbraccio rivelatore, epifanico. "Over the Summit" č un viaggio interiore, un'esplorazione dei recessi profondi dell'Io, della coscienza e della memoria. Un panismo quieto, morbido, silenzioso, lontano dal vitalismo di dannunziana memoria, sottende la title-track, Aurora Performs Its Last Show, Iceblink - Aurora Borealis mix -, Crystallized Words, Thoughts Locked in the Ice e Iperborea. Si realizza, nelle texture sopra citate, una sorta di comunione tra Uomo e Natura che non ha nulla di enfatico, di nietzcheiano, ma che č, al contrario, silenziosa armonia, elettricitŕ spirituale. 

Questi soundscape avvolgenti, costruiti manipolando i suoni "emanati" dall'aurora boreale ed aggiungendovi poi altri field recordings, un violino e found sounds (ovvero suoni preregistrati, con cui si dŕ vita, a volte, ad intere partiture), sono percorsi da una pace estatica, ipnotica, mesmerizzante. Gelide folate di sintesi (Over the Summit), vocals appena percettibili, provenienti da chissŕ quale anfratto o da trasmissioni radio disturbate (Aurora Performs Its Last Show, Crystallized Words) e fluttuazioni fantasmatiche (Iperborea) ci trasportano in un universo perturbante solo all'apparenza, perché sconosciuto: le profonditŕ abissali che le tessiture armoniche evocano ci sembrano minacciose solo perché rimandano ad un universo che mai prima d'ora abbiamo esplorato e che, in definitiva, coincide con la parte piů recondita di noi. Da qui, lo sgomento iniziale, che ben presto, perň, si trasforma in muto e sereno abbandono.

"Over the Summit", insomma, č un affresco metafisico, un distillato di sinestesie, un grumo di suggestioni sonore in cui il confine tra Spirito e Materia, forma e contenuto si assottiglia fin quasi a svanire. Liturgia purificatrice, viaggio al termine del suono e saggio di figurativismo trascendentale, l'opera di Tedeschi, pur non sovvertendo le regole del genere, acquista un valore unico proprio alla luce di un'espressivitŕ ed una potenza evocativa che raramente si ascolta oggigiorno nella scena ambient, sempre piů ostaggio di produzioni manierate ed aridamente formaliste.

LA BOTTEGA DI HAMLIN

Tenth Review

Voici encore du bien bel ouvrage d’ambient isolationniste, inspiré cette fois-ci par l’Hyperborée, une région décrite dans la mythologie grecque comme ayant 24 heures continues de lumičre solaire. Ce sont l’immensité et la froideur des zones antarctique et arctique que l’artiste italien a souhaité évoquer dans ce disque. Pour parvenir ŕ ses fins, il affirme męme avoir enregistré le son de l'aurore boréale (ŕ vrai dire, l'existence de ce son n'a jamais été prouvée…). D’autres échantillons sonores provenant de synthés, de violon, de voix humaines ou de rafales de vent solaire ont été collectés et retravaillés afin de créer des ambiances d’une intensité rare. Pour apprécier pleinement ces merveilleux paysages éthérés créés par Netherworld, le port du casque pressurisé est fortement conseillé !

SOLENOPOLE

Eleventh Review

Rome's Glacial Movements (Thomas Koner, bvdub, Loscil) is the ideal resting place for this beautiful EP of modern-classical drones, hushed electronics and isolationist field noise from Netherworld. Anyone with an interest in the artists above or the work on Type and Touch, get involved.

BLEEP

Twelve Review

NETHERWORLD  “Over The Summit”

(Anno 2011 – Glacial Movements Records) Italia

 

Nel momento in cui cominciate l’ascolto di “Over The Summit” inizia simultaneamente un viaggio e la metafora di quel viaggio: lentamente l’immersione, la sensazione extracorporea che genera il suono diviene stato alterato verso l’alter-ego sensibile, parafrasi del soundscape. Netherworld vuole condurvi verso l’Artico e lo fa con la stessa seduttiva avventura che Nemo offriva ai ‘prigionieri’ del Nautilus ma noi con “Over The Summit” al contrario del leggendario sommergibile andremo a nord, sempre piů a nord, ed il Nautilus ora č un dischetto di sei tracce che immergendosi sotto i ghiacci punterŕ al mito sommo: l’Agarthi…

Da questo momento ogni percezione sarŕ connessa al suono che Alessandro Tedeschi, il nostro Netherworld, vi spianerŕ allargando ogni singola parte strutturata in tempi dilatati per costruire il manto sensibile. Se lo intenderete come viaggio, l’ascolto risulterŕ quell’avventura speciale che anche chiusi nella propria stanza la musica puň rendere esperienza medianica.

Non ci č dato sapere se l’incontro con gli Iperborei avverrŕ in quest’ora d’ascolto; il suono armonico come onda rifratta tra pareti di cristalli č una sinfonia che traccia dopo traccia vi condurrŕ al di sotto del permafrost dove la leggenda prende forma tra i suoni campionati, le dilatate strutture sonore, i field recordings sintetici ed analoghi al landscape di riferimento.

“Iperborea” č la end-track che decide l’album e nonostante le lunghe stasi ha la capacitŕ di opprimere la capacitŕ figurativa: la leggenda č stata trovata o l’intera partitura č un onirico viaggio all’interno di sé stessi? Ognuno di voi dia e si dia una risposta…

Nelle tracce precedenti regnava eterea e boreale “Aurora Performs Its Last Show”, ovattata e sintetica ma ancora riflesso solare della luce e nelle scie successive l’ipotesi di viaggio prende le caratteristiche di ipnosi regressiva inconscia, la ricerca del mito sposta il baricentro da geografico ad irrazionale, incupendosi anche nei suoni ma senza improvvisi cambi, si potrebbe rompere il pack quindi lo stato onirico come un brusco risveglio, semmai come in “Crystallized Words” Netherworld effettua l’immersione ora davvero catartica non piů solamente ‘Artica’…

Alessandro Tedeschi non č solo la mente di Netherworld,  č il concept sommo della sua Glacial Movements e dopo tre anni (“Mřrketid” č datato 2007) il suo progetto torna per riportare la dimensione dell’artista verso l’isolamento compositivo: ottime tutte le sei minimali tracce per una sinfonia che non sbalordisce nell’immediato ma turba nell’intimo, tra oblii e colori sintetici, algoritmi dronici soffocati per dare struttura all’opera, ambientarla sul tetto del mondo dove il rumore distrugge, il boato rompe equilibri e perfezioni.

“Over The Summit” č l’ulteriore cammino che Alessandro compie tra qualunque landa ghiacciata si possa concepire fino a renderla metafora: Jules Verne sarebbe fiero di questa piccola label italiana riferimento nel vasto mondo dell’elettronica astratta e concettuale, figurativa come la cover del fotografo norvegese Bjarne Riesto, l’ennesima avventura tra suoni minimali per spazi sconfinati e menti vaste, non glaciali. - Nicola Tenani

SOUNDS BEHIND THE CORNER

Thirteen Review

Over the Summit is quintessential Glacial Movements material from the label overseer himself, Alessandro Tedeschi aka Netherworld. Three years after his debut full-length Mřrketid, Tedeschi returns with an hour-long collection of refined ambient work where cavernous rumbles, field recordings, classical string fragments, and processed speaking voices evoke the endless plains of unnamed frozen landscapes and sweeping vistas dotted with the silhouettes of snow-covered mountains. Everything moves in a kind of blissful slow-motion and an inhuman stillness permeates the album's becalmed pieces, the concept being that the manipulated sounds of the Aurora Borealis itself have been integrated into the album's tracks.

Despite Glacial Movements' reputation for ice-cold cryogenics, there's an undeniable warmth to the material that draws the listener in, something that's especially audible during a serenading piece like “Iceblink (Aurora Borealis Mix)” where willowy tones softly waver alongside faint percussion accents for thirteen hypnotic minutes. An enveloping, Eluvium-like string mass washes over the listener during “Aurora Performs its Last Show,” and the subdued “Thoughts Locked in the Ice” is as peaceful and entrancing as the album's other long-form settings. The album takes a surprisingly chillier turn during the closing piece, “Iperborea,” when the aforesaid warmth is stripped away and muffled footsteps and brittle atmospherics create an ominous mood; needless to say, the piece presents a stark contrast to the five preceding it yet hardly detracts from the overall strong impression the album makes. Tedeschi advises the listener to experience the album's tracks in a “quiet, nocturnal environment at low-medium level,” and, as expected, Over the Summit proves to be ever-more transporting when heard under such conditions.  - March 2011

TEXTURA

Fourteen Review

THE WIRE issue 325 - March 2011

Fifteen Review

ROCKERILLA nr. 367

Sixteen Review

Glacial Movements founder Alessandro Tedeschi delivers a picture of the frozen north tundra in electronic form. Or at least it can be considered as an encapsulation of the the specific isolationist ambient that is purveyed by his label. Or as a metaphor that wraps in the idea of north, a kind of summit of the mind, and a place of few visitors, together with the image of an unforgiving landscape. Of course strip away the conceptual baggage of language and north dissolves as a location and all you have is the symbolic attached to electronic landscapes whose referent is displaced and more likely semantically absent.

However this says little about the actual music which contains field recordings found sounds, violins and ‘processed and harmonized northern lights sounds’. ‘Over the Summit’ contains six tracks ranging from about six to thirteen minutes. In ‘Aurora performs it’s last show’ Tedeschi adds filtered vocal radio sounds and choral effects to the icy scapes depicted in extruded drones. ‘Iceblink – Aurora Borealis mix’ describes icy gusts with brittle ice cracks, winds and a stark repeating cycle. The distant drum muffled and contrasted to sharp tonal glints and melancholic chords form ‘Crystalized words’ which crescendos amid the whisper of vocals hinting at a dialogue skittering under the folds of sound. ‘Thoughts locked in ice’ is the most isolationist of the pieces, highly melancholic with a background tone humming a modulated state against the wisps and discrete movements of long quiet electronic drones. ‘Iperbora’ is the last and least comforting of the pieces, it is a gray morass of parts that are disjunctive for effect, hollowed sounds and sharp tones, bass sounds not quite ripened and shrill effects.

As a piece of narrative for the environment it can be quite easily construed as a close representation. Or at least a perceptual interpretation of the human position in the northern tundra landscape. It’s not exactly easy listening ambient, which is probably the point, creating an formally difficult electronic piece that interprets and gives a sense of the listener within the space. Climb this summit if you are attuned to experimental sound design and are willing to be challenged.

Innerversitysound

CYCLIC DEFROST

Seventeen Review

 

Netherworld – Over the summit (Glacial Movement Records)
In het ijzige koude drone wereldje zijn enkele zeer bekende namen waar vooral Thomas Köner er boven uit steekt. Zijn werk is voor velen een grote inspiratie bron geweest, zo ook voor Netherworld lijkt het. Netherworld is Italian muzikant Alessandro Tedeschi, tevens eigenaar van Glacial Movement Records. Hij heeft een zeer grote interesse in glaciale regionen en koude klimaten. Op Over The Summit horen we dan ook zes stukken geďnspireerd door het Noordelijke landschap. De zes stukken klinken inderdaad koud en ijzig. De invloed van eerder genoemde Thomas Köner is duidelijk te horen, maar ook komen melodische elementen terug die doen denken aan het werk van The Caretaker.
De donkere bezwerende klanken zijn fijn om te horen, maar het album weet niet de volledige te boeien waardoor het echt is weggelegd voor de liefhebber maar niet meer dan dat.

 

De Subjectivisten

Eighteen Review

 

A distanza di quasi quattro anni da "Mřrketid", Alessandro Tedeschi torna a comporre un disco per la sua label Glacial Movements, ovviamente nelle vesti di Netherworld. I suoni ad ispirazione polare continuano ad essere il perno di un'etichetta che ha inanellato, in circa cinque anni di attivitŕ, ottime produzioni sempre ad opera di grandi nomi, fatto che l'ha portata ad una visibilitŕ forse inaspettata per un genere di nicchia. "Over The Summit" si inserisce quindi in un tessuto ormai ben collaudato, facendo concettualmente leva sul connubio mito-zone nordiche esemplificato magistralmente nel tema di Iperborea, la leggendaria terra che si vuole situata alle estreme latitudini nord europee. L'opera ha un viatico che - col senno di poi - č fondamentale: un ascolto a livello medio-basso in ambienti tranquilli e notturni. Difatti Alessandro manipola i suoni in lievi crescendo ad ondate intermittenti, quasi che la musica venga dolcemente a lambire le orecchie creando quello sterminato immaginario di calma ed echi lontani, apprezzabile al meglio in una quiete totale e con un volume non invadente. I cinque lunghi brani dell'opera vengono assemblati mediante field recordings e manipolazioni sonore, spesso unite ad arie di archi mimetizzate nel freddo dei temi elettronici. Se pezzi come "Iceblink", "Iperborea" o la title-track rimangono ancorati a sterminati motivi sintetici, che rimandano a panorami fotografati attingendo anche ad un attento e dosato mix di rumori, con tracce come "Aurora Performs Its Last Show" o "Thoughs Locked In The Ice" entra in scena una sorta di litania para-melodica mirabilmente fusa alle meccaniche di base. In questo senso l'acme del disco arriva con "Crystallized Words", il brano in cui la matrice sinfonica trova maggior spazio e viene inserita nel corpo dei suoni in modo dolce, quasi fosse portata da un vento gelido sulle cui note si adagiano lontani rintocchi percussivi e voci perdute. Lavoro di grande raffinatezza concettuale e compositiva, "Over The Summit" fa mostra dei grandi progressi compiuti da Alessandro Tedeschi, che unisce l'ambient ipotermica ad immagini leggendarie. Confezione assai curata in uno spesso digipak e magnetica foto di copertina firmata da Bjarne Resto

DARKROOM MAGAZINE

Nineteen Review

 

Alessandro Tedeschi is best known to the ambient fraternity as Netherworld, the result of a string of deep ambient releases on Oöphoi's label Umbra in the mid-2000s. For the past five years, he has also run the Italian ambient label Glacial Movements, successfully maintaining a clearly defined focus on the polar wilderness through an international roster of electronic musicians. Furthernoise reviewed Mřrketid, his first CD on his own label, and late last year he released Over The Summit, the second Netherworld album on Glacial Movements. Again the sound world remains arctic, empty and icy. Layers of long, near featureless tones, echo like wind currents on a frozen plain, punctuated by the smallest grains of sound that Tedeschi collected from the far north and other wild places.

Netherworld's stated working method is to start from tiny fragments of classical music, various field recordings and found sounds that are then manipulated and processed into evocative polar silences. On Over The Summit, he specifies that many of the original sounds come from the aurora borealis, the mysterious northern lights that have fueled human imagination for centuries. Forearmed with this knowledge, the listener might wonder about the little rattles in "Iceblink" and the grit in "Thoughts Locked In The Ice"; without it, they focus the attention without diminishing the mystery.

Tedeschi's music is very different from other well known isolationists like Thomas Köner (who also has a forthcoming album on Glacial Movements) in that he layers sound into soft, lush harmonies. Short melodic loops form the core of "Aurora performs its last show" and "Iceblink", which are tempered by the overt sweetness of a distant radio news broadcast in the first, and a series of indistinct noises that become quite strong in the second. One of the more prominent layers in "Crystallized Words" is an extended plaintive melody, but here too it's difficult to hear the muffled conversation in the background, while little gleams of high overtones, an aural borealis, sparkle between the phrases. The title track treats the space between the channels as its metaphorical summit, with long tones crossing from one side to the other. By the end, each channel is distinct, overlapping tones create disjointed harmonies at a relatively brisk pace. Despite the romantic surface calm, Netherworld's touches of grit provide a surreal undercurrent in his ever-shifting arctic splendor.

Review by Caleb Deupree - FURTHERNOISE

Twenty Review

MIXMAG (May 2011)

Twenty-one Review

 

Het mag dan inmiddels lente zijn, het weerhoudt Alessandro Tedeschi alias Netherworld er niet van andermaal ijzigheid over ons uit te storten. Als baas van het Glaciale Movements-label kan hij bijna niet anders, ondanks het feit dat het zo langzamerhand een uitgekauwd genre is: “glaciale ambient”. Platen verschillen vaak net zo sterk van elkaar als twee opeenvolgende ijsbergen. De een is wat zwaarder dan de ander, en schaduw wordt nog wel eens afgewisseld door een waterig zonnetje, maar het blijft een beperkte formule. Eigenlijk is er niet veel veranderd sinds Thomas Köner en Biosphere het genre meer dan vijftien jaar geleden uitvonden. 'Over The Summit' is niet anders: lange, gedempte tonen golven traag langs, en uit de verte komt af en toe een uitgerekte melodie van een paar noten aan waaien. Sporadisch voegt Tedeschi stemmen en field recordings toe die net boven de gehoorgrens uitkomen. Ritme ontbreekt volledig en het geheel is een stuk vreedzamer dan voorganger 'Kall' en Netherworlds recente split met Nadja, maar door het gebrek aan spanning ook behoorlijk langdradig. Het grootste deel van de plaat is warm van sfeer, voor zover dat echt mogelijk is met een palet van pooltonen, maar op de afsluiter worden we dan toch nog een donkere ijsgrot in geleid, om meer in Köner-territorium terecht te komen. Maar het mag niet baten: te lauw om koud of warm van te worden.

GONZO CIRCUS

Twenty-two Review

 

For nigh on 5 years Glacial Movements has been furthering the cause of glacial and isolationist ambient – a banner consciously aligning it with a sound emerging 15-20 years ago in a triangle formed by the sonic coordinates of Thomas Köner, Lull and Biosphere. Label-head Alessandro Tedeschi has curated this ongoing sonological survey of polar expanses, contributing also as Netherworld, a project first sighted via a series of deep ambient releases on Oöphoi’s Umbra in the mid-2000s, before inaugurating GM in 2007 with Mřrketid. Its successor, Over the Summit, in line with previous mission statements, sets out to describe the huge Arctic and Antarctic vastnesses, and all the various elements of coldness. So let’s get chilly with it!

This Roman knows how it goes with ice-floes: a patron to the likes of Lull, Lopez, and Rapoon – and lately Loscil. Tedeschi’s currency, though, differs. Most of these isolationist ambienteers have tended to ply their trade with cavernous bass resonance and heavy-duty drone slabs laced with infusions suggestive of cracking ice etc. (see e.g. Messrs Köner, Rich and Lustmord, and Harris). Netherworld diverges in being possessed of a relatively lighter more harmonic character, with environmental samples and looping classical music grabs commingling with reverberant drones in slow-mo cycles in tracts suggestive of silent glacial vastness.

Title track opener sets the glacial keynote with long attenuated chord-slivers panning across an evacuated soundfield in evocation of wind currents sweeping over arctic desolation; massively effected, it continues its tracking-like motions, increasing in intensity and timbral variation, enhanced by remote drum-thrums. No affair of ice-cold cryogenics, there’s more human warmth to “Aurora performs its last shows” (audio below), the inhuman emptiness broken with filtered radio voices, while maintaining the sonic architecture of micro-variate looping chords. Tedeschi’s space craft is more evident on “Iceblink (Aurora Borealis Mix).” Here the sound design is more refined – maybe something to do with the ‘sounds emitted by the Northern Lights’ apparently sampled by Tedeschi (vision-sound translation intriguingly unexplained) manipulated and melted into the mix; a recursive veiled motif at once magisterial and languorous is orchestrated so as to allow the particulate detail of sonic captures effective release. “Crystalized words” plays out amid arcing vectors of massively effected classical string grabs that arc and tilt around the muffled thump of drums from the abyss. “Thoughts locked in ice” is similarly classically derived, drawing out long trails of reverb-draped string/brass/woodwind progressions, its tenor swaying between isolationism and elegy. The “Iperborea” (legendary land of the extreme north, to which the album is dedicated) deploys ominous synths and eerie singing bowl resonance in an unsettling closure to proceedings – parts previously consonant and harmonic seem devoid, hollow, rendered unpitched, swimming in queasy effects. No human warmth. Hic sunt leones, as the cartographers once had it.

Overall, Tedeschi’s vehicle affords low energy yet by no means torpid transport to arctic isolation, just occasionally falling short, lolling in the doldrums of overstretched loop-ism and musico-poetically inert voice samples. Notwithstanding the odd section of auto-pilot sound design, and with the sure hand of his mystic mate, Gigi Gasparetti at the mastering helm, Netherworld does more than enough to ensure the ambitions of his arctic expedition Over the Summit are achieved.

IGLOO MAGAZINE

Twenty-three Review

 

The album opens with the title track, a long piece brooding with psychological horror. Panning back and forth with ominous repetition it digs into me, beneath the surface, and I want to shed my skin. Oppressive and claustrophobic I clamor for air. This song feels like the moment of anxiety just before a peak experience. Once the summit of the mountain is reached however, the exultation and triumph incumbent upon a job well done kicks in and the rest of the album is crisp, vast, stretching without pause from horizon to horizon, clear as the hoarfrost on the arctic tundra.
In common with the rest of the deep and benevolent ambience presented on the album "Aurora Performs It’s Last Show" captures expansive feelings of freedom by recreating the sounds of unbounded open space. Alessandro Tedeschi, who runs the Glacial Movements label, here presents his own distillation of sounds from the Northern Lights. It is another fine example of the isolationist aesthetic the label specializes in. A slow cycling of notes opens the song, which exists in the nether regions of dawn or twilight, a liminal space between regions. Leaking into the washed out glissandos is a corrupt transmission, a broken voice speaking through static. As regular readers may remember, I’m a big fan of the use of radio broadcasts, whether sampled or sourced live during a performance, in the creation of music. And while this tactic or gimmick doesn’t work with everything, when done well, it often produces startling results. On this piece it is used in minimal amounts, while still giving the song added texture and depth.

The centerpiece of the album is "Iceblink - Aurora Borealis Mix." A long lulling loop, resonant on the low end, is caressed by a cold northern wind. Higher octaves gradually emerge, short but repeating overtones, which harmonize with the ever present drone. Sprinkles of brittle bells and the cracking of ice are the only dramatic events in this piece which is less about narrative than about spatial awareness. “Crystallize Words” can rest comfortably alongside the classics of dark ambient. Low in the background or off in the distance, the pounding a bass drum brings back for a moment the sense of impending dread felt while listening to the title number–but it is not as all consuming. Symphonic strains swirl through the cold, as a faint voice murmurs, perhaps a memory or a ghost.

"Thoughts Locked In The Ice" give this listener some breathing space again. The pauses, gaps, and brief snippets of near silence are like breaks between snow storms, the clear terrain between deep blankets and heavy drifts. One of the most meditative pieces on the album, the simple textures recur over and over again, faithful as a treasured mantra. The last piece, "Iperborea," is the most otherworldly of the bunch, and rightly so as the title of the song is Italian for Hyperborean. To the ancient Greeks Hyperborea was the land in the far north where the sun shined for 24 hours a day. The steady pulses and shimmers of this song and this album took me to a similar place: both bright and cold.

BRAINWASHED

Twenty-four Review

 

Przyznam szczerze, że mam teraz fantastyczna passę jeśli chodzi o zapoznawanie się z nowymi, świetnymi płytami. Zeszły rok dla mnie osobiście okazał się dość słaby – całe szczęście, że nie musiałem robić żadnych podsumowań, rankingów itp., bo zwyczajnie nie dałbym rady i mózg wyparowałby mi uszami. Może z pięć – siedem bardzo dobrych albumów zdołałbym wymienić, ale poza tym… miernota panie. Tymczasem Rok Pański 2011 to jak na razie zupełne przeciwieństwo poprzedniego. A najlepsze, że często miłe niespodzianki sprawiają artyści, po których bym raczej się tego nie spodziewał.

NETHERWORLD. Owszem, jego split z Nadją pokroił mnie na drobne plasterki. Ale już samodzielne dokonania tego projektu (przyznaję, że znam tylko „Morketid” plus kilka pojedynczych utworów) były ok, ale żebym jakoś przy tym szczytował, to nie… Ot, poprawna, rzetelna robota. I w sumie bez specjalnego przekonania wrzucałem „Over the Summit” do odtwarzacza.

Walę prosto z mostu: lodowa odmiana ambientu doczekała się kolejnego klasyka – „Over the Summit” to płyta pozbawiona ludzkiego ciepła, a jednak na pewien sposób marzycielska. Lodowata, ale zwiewna niczym delikatna mgła. Otwierający album utwór tytułowy to błyszczące echa polarnego wiatru tańczące blisko horyzontu. Otwarcie to nie zwiastowało jednakowoż tego, co miało nastąpić później. A później wybrzmiewa „Aurora Performs Its Last Show”, prosty, powtarzający się motyw, pomału, z każdą kolejna pętlą wydaje się pokrywać coraz większą przestrzeń, nad którą unosi się jakaś stara transmisja radiowa. „Ostatnia zorza polarna” doczekała się pięknego pożegnania. Ale tak naprawdę to kolejny utwór robi na mnie najpotężniejsze wrażenie: „Iceblink – Aurora Borealis Mix”. Znowu melancholijny, ujmujący motyw powtarzany wciąż i wciąż przez prawie piętnaście minut, a wokół niego arktyczny wicher wciskający się w każdą szczelinę, przesuwające się masy lodowe, oddech i śpiew nieskażonej Natury i wręcz namacalne wrażenie znalezienia się na jakiejś bezkresnej lodowej równinie. Biosphere, Koner , pewnie, że czuć tu ich wpływy, ale co z tego? Alessandro Tedeschi w sposób niezwykle umiejętny wykorzystuje wiedzę, jaką nabył słuchając klasyków starszych kolegów poziomem zbliżając się do nich bardzo blisko. Cudowne kilkanaście minut. Po trzecim utworze atmosfera się nieco uspokaja – „Crystallized Worlds”, to jak mi się zdaje, pocięte i przemielone sample jakiejś muzyki klasycznej, wokół których po raz kolejny suną echa głosów wypowiedzianych dziesiątki lat temu. „Thoughts Trapped In Ice” to lodowaty, ale jednak w pewien sposób kojący arktyczny oddech uświadamiający, że jest już tak zimno, że nawet się tego nie czuje – piękne, zwiewne harmonie i znowu – wiem powtarzam się – ta niesamowita przestrzeń. Dzieło wieńczy „Iperborea”, chyba najmroczniejszy fragment płyty, w którym tytularnie chodzi może o jakąś zapomnianą krainę lub cywilizację, słychać jednak jedynie izolacjonistyczne szumy a jakiekolwiek wspomnienie o człowieku jeżeli jest, to zakute gdzieś głęboko w lodzie.

Wspaniała płyta. Jeden z naprawdę garstki albumów, które angażują mnie w taki sposób, że niemalże fizycznie zaczynam odczuwać wpływ i obecność muzyki – „Over the Summit”, dźwięki Północnych Świateł: już nawet nie czuję tego zimna, nie dostrzegam sopli zwisających mi z ust, nosa i brody. Patrzę tylko w idealnie błękitne niebo, dostrzegam migające drobne kryształki, ogarnia mnie błogość, zapadam w spokojny sen.

SANTASANGREMAGAZINE

Twenty-five Review

Alessandro Tedeschi's two identities as the producer hiding behind the Netherworld moniker and the label boss of the glacial movements imprint are well-known by now. Intriguingly, he has two homes, too. One of them is sunny Italy, his current physical residency. The other, a more spiritual one, is located considerably farther up North – and it is the very place Tedschi has dedicated Over the Summit to: Hyperborea. This country from Greek mythology provided him with his nom de plume and inspired a fascination for his personal vision of ambient in which each single tone feels like a world onto itself. And it has imbued him with the desire and ability of conveying frosty solitude and beckoning passion at the same time.

Over the Summit makes use of sounds induced by northern lights (without actually revealing where one might be able to find these and how one could record them), a variety of additional field recordings and an array of unspecified „found sounds“. The only traditional instrument you'll find here is a violin – and you'll be hard pressed to actually recognise it in the mix. From these materials, Tedeschi weaves a 58-minute work resting calmly within itself without neglecting the notion of development: There is a recognisable tension arc running through the record, from the calm yet wilful opening title track with its wind-like sheets of fragmentary sound and harmonic „Aurora performs its last show“, which makes use of messages from a polar station, to the untypically low-register pads of „Crystallized Words“. In the final stage of the album, „Thoughts Locked in Ice“ and „Iperborea“ are again picking up on these moods. Especially the latter piece, which closes Over the Summit, returns to the sparse beginnings of the album, before, in the very last moments, rising up one last time.

What makes Over the Summit such a captivating experience are its inner calm and precision in terms of sound selection; mood and timbre are congenially complementing each other and they bind these six tracks together without blurring out the individual narratives as such. By constructing a sonic panorama of fleeting indirectness, composed of nothing but a few, carefully placed bass accents, Tedeschi creates an ambiance of gripping, ghoulish quality: There don't seem to be any hidden threats here, a bright light is shining, the landscape opening up in front of the listener is void and clear. And yet, it would still be there without an observer being present. You may feel at home here, but you'll always remain a stranger.

By Hellmut Neidhardt

TOKAFI

Twenty-six Review

Music from wide Northern spaces, snowy mountain tops and ice deserts – Netherworld produces minimal ambient electronica of a rather experimental nature, although here and there a melody gets drawn or a beat laid out. Over the Summit is a slow, epic, fascinating, esthetically beautiful aural journey

MONSIEUR DELIRE

Twenty-seven Review

To categorize this music as "ambient" is almost misleading--in fact, it's barely music. What Alessandro Tedeschi (a.k.a. Netherworld) creates is a series of sonic clouds, which emerge out of nothing, move slowly across the audio field, and then evaporate again. Sometimes you can hear harmonic movement within them, but often the sound clouds are nearly static. This may not sound terribly exciting, and indeed it isn't--it's the opposite of exciting, but is nevertheless tremendously beautiful and even gripping. Think of Brian Eno's Discreet Music, but at half speed. Trust me on this; Over the Summit is very much worth your while. (RA)

CD HOT LIST

Twenty-eight Review

Dalla cittŕ eterna a spazi coperti di ghiacciai e nevi eterne. La Glacial Movements Records č un progetto di Alessandro Tedeschi con sede a Roma, ma col cuore in una lontana regione del nord; č una piccola etichetta che nasce come omaggio alle grandi vastitŕ artiche. In catalogo ci sono lavori di Rapoon, Lull, Loscil, e dello stesso Alessandro a nome Netherworld.
Affascinato da sempre dal binomio neve natura mi sono avvicinato a questo progetto con particolare curiositŕ, e ne sono rimasto rapito.
Alessandro descrive cosě la sua musica (Rockerilla Settembre/Ottobre 2007):
“La mia musica č composta prevalentemente dalla completa manipolazione di sorgenti esterne naturali che catturo durante i miei viaggi, e che sono ad esempio il rumore dei ghiacciai, di cancelli antichi, oppure del vento. Un’altra componente fondamentale sono i multieffetti esterni che riescono ad espandere e a stravolgere il suono in forme nuove”.
A distanza di pochi mesi la Glacial Movements Records ha fatto uscire due pregevolissimi lavori: Netherworld "Over the Summit" e Loscil "Coast/Range/Arc".
“Over the Summit”, insieme all’ultimo di Loscil, č spesso nel mio lettore cd, mi sono piaciuti molto entrambi. Loscil lo conoscevo giŕ, Netherworld invece ho avuto modo di apprezzarlo nel corso di quest’anno. Il solo fatto che il suo ascolto sia diventato per me un appuntamento costante, da mesi, mi porta a considerarlo un ottimo lavoro. Lo trovo in perfetta sintonia con altra musica che interpreta i paesaggi sonori del mondo artico. Sono un grande estimatore di Biosphere (su tutti il suo capolavoro “Substrata”), e “Over the Summit” mi ha portato con la mente nelle stesse terre desolate che tanto amo, e che visiterň pure quest’anno. Sembra di vedere le immense formazioni glaciali in ogni sfumatura immaginabile di bianco e di azzurro. Sembra di vedere gli enormi ghiacciai nella cristallina, pungente atmosfera artica; li vedi lentamente scivolare di notte verso le gelide acque dell'oceano. Senti il silenzio e il rumore dei seracchi che si staccano. “Over the Summit” č la descrizione di un ambiente incantato e sovrannaturale, č la sua interpretazione in musica. Amo pensare che non sia ambientato in estate, quando il sole non tramonta mai, ma nel lungo e rigido inverno, schiarito ogni tanto dai lampi ondeggianti delle aurore boreali.
Ascoltatelo di sera, al buio, e immaginate il silenzio dei grandi spazi artici. E’ un luogo abitato da altri esseri viventi, non č contaminato dall’uomo, mi piace pensarlo inesplorato e incorrotto ma allo stesso tempo maestoso, immenso, sconfinato, minaccioso, ostile.
Calcolando l’inconfutabile valore di questo disco, mi faccio da parte e non provo neppure a recensirlo e a giudicarlo; se siete attratti da sonoritŕ ambient cercatelo e basta.
Trovo invece assolutamente doveroso segnalare l’esistenza di questa etichetta, Glacial Movements Records, che č un onore sapere che abbia sede in Italia.
La passione e la cura che si cela dietro a questo progetto č palpabile e dimostra una grande competenza ed una forte convinzione di condurre una personale e allo stesso tempo condivisa ricerca musicale.
Alessandro Tedeschi esplora altri mondi simili al suo ed č nel suo insieme che va giudicato il suo lavoro. “Over the Summit”, il suo predecessore, “Mřrketid”, e l’intero catalogo della Glacial Movements Records sono il mondo di Alessandro, isolazionista solo in termini musicali. E’ la collaborazione tra piů individui che hanno adottato il medesimo linguaggio che ha permesso alla Glacial Movements Records di avere un respiro internazionale, in continua crescita.
Scopritelo, sono iniziative che meritano di essere seguite e supportate.

ERBA DELLA STREGA

Twenty-nine Review

Dopo quattro anni - ma in mezzo c’č stato l’esperimento riuscito coi Nadja - Alessandro Tedeschi/Netherworld pubblica un nuovo disco per la sua Glacial Movements Records, del cui mastering s’č occupato Gigi Gasparetti/Oophoi, il che salda ulteriormente una collaborazione ormai di lungo corso.Romano, ma in fissa con il Nord Europa e l’Artico, Alessandro sviluppa il proprio discorso partendo dall’ambient “isolazionista” di Köner, ma non solo: per avere un’idea delle sue influenze si puň dare un occhio al catalogo Glacial Movements, dove appaiono Lull, Lopez, Loscil, Rapoon e lo stesso Oophoi. Resta infine il tocco personale, che lo ha messo bene in vista sin dal 2004, quand’č nato Netherworld. Come Mřrketid, Over The Summit mostra qualcuno sempre piů pacificato, impegnato a creare soundscapes luminosi (non a caso qui si parla di Aurora), nei quali suoni manipolati e distesi all’infinito sembrano simulare giochi di luce e colori sul ghiaccio e nel cielo, vibrazioni di cristalli e sotterranei movimenti silenziosi. Non mancano, come in Mřrketid, campionamenti vocali e field recordings a irrobustire la “sceneggiatura” del disco, ma anche in questo caso ci si trova a preferirne i momenti piů astratti e irreali (“Iperborea”, ad esempio). Convincente e solido lavoro di genere.

AUDIODROME

Thirty Review

Affrontiamo un nuovo viaggio al fianco della Glacial Movements Records e del suo creatore "Netherworld" alias Alessandro Tedeschi. Un viaggio attraverso l'ambient e la drone music, in quei noti spazi sonori evocativi di luoghi lontani, dispersi tra atmosfere tenebrose e glaciali.
A tre anni di distanza dal successo dell'album "Morkedit", l'artista romano ritorna alla ribalta con "Over the Summit", una melodia ispirata alla mitica "Iperborea", una terra leggendaria situata nei mari del Nord, non a caso la scelta fotografica della cover č stata affidata al norvegese Bjarne Riesto.

Ascoltiamo sei tracce descrittive di un'atmosfera impalpabile, silenzi ipnotici mescolati ad una piacevole armonia di suoni dove vive l'immagine incontaminata della natura e delle sue distese infinite, raccolte in quella parte dell'universo nascosta alla maggior parte degli esseri viventi! Continuiamo ad ascoltare, ancora un soffio di vento e Netherworld ci porterŕ altrove, lontano..

ALONE MUSIC

Thirty one Review

MIXMAG (NOVEMBER 2011)

Thirty-two Review

I have pretty good reason to be all Arctic’d out in 2011, so I can’t pretend that Netherworld’s Over The Summit was particularly high on my ‘must listen’ list. An album adorned with pictures of snow-clad peaks featuring songs with names like ‘Aurora Performs Its Last Show’ and ‘Iceblink (Aurora Borealis Mix)’ which has been released on a label with a full-time obsession with (in their words) ‘icy landscapes… fields of flowers eternally covered with ice… [and] icebergs colliding amongst themselves’ sounded, at a certain point last month, like the last thing I wanted to have to sit through.
My preconceptions weren’t far off the mark – Over The Summit doesn’t sound too far removed from any number of ambient albums inspired by frozen tundras and light shows in the sky – but Alessandro Tedeschi, the man behind both Netherworld and Glacial Movements, shows such a passionate determination in his pursuit of the perfect distillation of all this in sound that it’s hard not to be won over by it. On top of that, he’s very good at what he does: his label’s tagline is ‘Glacial and Isolationist Ambient’, and releases over the years by artists like Loscil, Francisco Lňpez, bvdub and Skare have all performed admirably for him in creating and cataloguing his own personal sound world. Glacial Movements is now the go-to label for fans and creators of the sound alike – Thomas Köner (the high doyen of isolationist ambient) was at one point due to release the long lost Neues Land with Tedeschi, which would surely have sealed a place in the record books under ‘Most Glacial and Isolationist Record Label’ but unfortunately that project is yet to see the (24-hour) light of day.

There’s nothing radical on Over The Summit but that’s not to say it isn’t a transporting listen. Tedeschi does bring a few interesting twists to the genre (we can probably call it that now), like the manipulation of the mysterious sounds that are said to emanate from the northern lights and what I think are sampled radio transmissions from remote Arctic bases, but the music for the most part is fairly by-the-numbers. The low booms that start to emerge slowly from the icy mists of the title track are shiver-inducing, getting louder towards the end like large chunks of ice hitting deep water somewhere dangerously close to your boat, and ‘Iceblink’ does well to evoke the vast unchanging expanses of the Arctic through various frozen chimes and blasts of biting air. A Scandinavian voice recites underneath ‘Crystallized Words” sorrowful drones, bringing to mind lost explorers and the diary entries from their final days still echoing across the ice.

‘Iperborea’ ends the album on a strong point. Easily the most interesting and varied piece of music on offer here, it’s a far darker journey than those undertaken before it and the most obviously indebted to Thomas Köner. Drones of cavernous depth groan and echo, shrill icicles of sound pierce the air and ghostly voices call out from above to create a chilling final statement that befits the Netherworld moniker perfectly. If this is a hint as to where Tedeschi is taking the project next then I’m on board for sure, but for now maybe I am just a little bit too Arctic’d out to climb this particular mountain.

FOXY DIGITALIS
 

Thirty-three Review

Když v roce 2006 uváděl Alessandro Tedeschi v život Glacial Movements Records kompilací Cryosphere s devíti ambientními projekty, vysvětlil, proč chce tuto řadu založit: „Protože miluji arktické oblasti a mojí ideou a mým cílem je ztvárnit – především prostřednictvím experimentálního ambientu – tyto krajiny.“ Chtěl však nejenom poskytnout prostor „hudebním vizím o kryosféře“, ale také upozornit na nebezpečí, které vzhledem ke změnám klimatu hrozí těm končinám naší planety, kde panuje ledový příkrov. A v roce 2011 už vydal dvanácté album, které nese označení GM.

Shodou okolností právě jedno z těch nejnedávnějších, Over the Summit, věnované legendární zemi na nejdálnějším Severu, mýtickému kraji Hyperborea, vytvořil, zkomponoval a zmixoval, zprocesoval a zharmonizoval za pomoci krajinných nahrávek, houslí a nalezených zvuků Netherworld, což není nikdo jiný, než právě samotný Tedeschi. A na rozdíl od dlouhé řady CD, které pod svými tituly žádají posluchače, aby si vytočili svoji zvukovou škálu na maximum, nabádá tady autor, aby deska byla poslouchána v poklidném, zšeřelém prostředí na spíše potichlém nastavení. Samozřejmě, že tu na nás dýchne svět ledu a chladu, že nás obklopí křišťálové zvuky, sněžnice hudby nejenom lehce klouzají po zasněžených pláních, ale také k nám jako do batyskafu doléhá podeznívání z hlubin oceánu, vynořuje se a unáší nás na ledové kře do neznáma. Nejsou tu ledoborce rytmů ani hluků, i vítr spíše duje nežli fičí, voda omývá útesy a jen občas se ozve rampouchovité zaharašení, varovně utlumené údery padajících bloků ledovců, odezva z dálav, znějící jako hlas z polární stanice. Minimalistický chorální ambient připomíná odlesky slunce na ledové ploše, prolongované pasáže vyjadřují nekonečnost a neprobádanost hlubin oceánu.

Právě toto album je pro edici typické, neboť nám zprostředkovává celé její ladění, zdůrazněné i barevnou tlumeností ambaláže – fialová v modré a růžové, kraj bez výraznějších kontur. Je typické i proto, že Ital Alessandro Tedeschi profiluje GM nikoli žánrově, nýbrž tematicky, jako poselství, k němuž se jím vybraní další tvůrci vyjadřují sice svým způsobem, v podstatě však dodržují určené mantinely – jsou to ledové ambientní symfonie, tu více ponořené do hlubin, tu zase zčeřené nebo připomínající varovná světla majáku. Pod jednotlivými alby jsou podepsáni různí muzikanti, a přesto se mi zdá, že výsledný efekt je takřka totožný, jako kdyby kolektivním autorem byly právě Glacial Movements a čekáme na ponorkový efekt z tohoto potažmého souručenství.

HISVOICE (CZ)

Thirty-four Review

As the recording artist behind Netherworld as well as the owner and founder of the Glacial Movements label, Alessandro Tedeschi’s raison d’etre is what he terms “glacial ambient:” a subgenre of ambient music drawing its inspiration from the cold, empty expanses of the world’s polar regions. One might think that such a specific devotion to such a seemingly featureless landscape would result in similarly featureless music, but Over the Summit proves just the opposite. Evocative of barren wastes and frigid nights, Netherworld’s newest album is nonetheless full of subtle variations and details. From the almost soporific metallic washes of its title track to immense wind chime effects of “Iceblink” to the eerie, lonely tones of “Iperborea,”Over the Summit is like the glacier itself: at first a vast, featureless expense, but one that reveals and more and more fascinating detail the closer one looks. In tone, it’s largely as lonely as one would expect, with only a bit of muffled radio speech emerging from the thickness of “Crystallized Words” to indicate a human presence, but it’s gorgeous as well with “Aurora Performs Its Last Show” in particular building from static and fuzz into an almost orchestral evocation. It’s not what you’d call “warm,” of course, but Over the Summit is nonetheless a work of unexpected emotion and quiet power.

REGEN MAGAZINE

Thirty-five Review

Il progetto Netherworld, sostenuto dal produttore romano Alessandro Tedeschi, fondatore dell'etichetta Glacial Movements, č stato finora caratterizzato da sonoritŕ ambient isolazioniste ed eteree. Adesso questa strada č aperta a una narrazione che assume caratteri piů sensibili e ariosi , dagli innesti maggiormente melodici e avvolgenti. Le texture ci sembrano meno astratte che in passato ma ancora fanno capolino field recording ed intense sono le iterazioni d'un violino, i loop sintetici e i suoni trovati. La progressione dei brani č certo affascinante e sinuosa, il sound-design egualmente viene dipanato in maniera raffinata, meno austero che nei precedenti lavori di Tedeschi, al quale di sicuro hanno giovato le molte collaborazioni di questi anni, utili per affinare la sensibilitŕ e stemperare gli eccessi di minimalismo. Armonizzazioni circolari, impulsi ed emergenze auditive di matrice percussiva, unitamente ai droni piů soffusi e ai tenui risucchi, filtrati e calibrati, confluiscono infine in un lento e maestoso procedere. Anche dei frammenti vocali distinguiamo in "Crystallized Words", cosě come abbondano nelle altre tracce le fluttuazioni e le manipolazioni - di vario tipo - che arrivano da sorgenti esterne naturali. Allo stesso modo sono utilizzati in maniera estesa multieffetti esterni, che riescono ad espandere e a stravolgere il suono in forme nuove. L'artwork pure č frutto d'un'impalpabile qualitŕ riduzionista, non a caso affidato a Bjarne Riesto, uno specialista della fotografia nordica, perfettamente in sintonia con lo spirito dell'album.

NEURAL

Thirty-six Review

 

Netherworld, the project of Glacial Movements' driving force Alessandro Tedeschi, has returned in January 2011 with his second GM offering entitled "Over The Summit", an album dedicated to Hyperborea, the mythical unspecified territory in the Far North known as a warm and sunny land with the sun shining twenty-four hours a day. The album opens with the title piece, "Over The Summit", which is invaded by minimal, freezing drones with arctic breathings and occasional distant heartbeats perfectly setting the mood and portraying spectacular images of unbounded icy landscapes. Elements of coldness are all over this enormously immersing composition, however the overall feel is mesmerizingly warm and inviting. Grandióso, Alessandro, I am hooked right away!!! Absolutely gorgeous nocturnal sceneries of pristine vast areas with shimmering sky show are magnificently explored through "Aurora Performs Its Last Show". Kind of joyfully droning hymn praising this breathtaking light show, mastefully enriched by glitchy voice transmissions (most likely in Norwegian). Artic dronescapes have never sounded more charming than this, magnífico!!! "Iceblink (Aurora Borealis Mix)" is leaded by looped deep drone winds with distant and tender noise rumblings, all wrapped by filigree subterranean feel. Few sharper sonic buzzes and outbursts and ominously remote voice-like sounds invade here and there. Not only another masterpiece, but certainly a truly transcendental experience!!! "Crystallized Words" are coming out of the foggy glacier's cavern with otherworldly formations of glowing ice crystals and uniquely mysterious ice walls, where deep spiraling drones are interplaying with slowed-down vague beats and whispering voices. "Thoughts Locked In The Ice" are sculpted with more tranquil, but slowly cascading texture featuring also few sounds of wind and more especially fascinating deeply droning sounds, which might be emitted by the expanding and contracting ice. "Iperborea" is wrapped by hiss with more minimal structure, where distant and cavernously echoed heartbeats are joined by icy drones, resonating singing bowls, abyssal noises, ghostly voices or moments of silence. Grand finale at its most mysterious and desolate!!! "Over The Summit" is fascinatingly visualizing, strangely challenging and intensely inviting. Another superb album from Glacial Movements!!!

Richard Gürtler (May 8, 2012, Bratislava, Slovakia)

RELAXED MACHINERY

Thirty-seven Review

Αυτήν τη δύσκολη εποχή, το πλέον σημαντικό είναι να καταφέρνεις έστω και για κάποια λεπτά ν' αποδράσεις. Σημασία δεν έχει με ποιον τρόπο, αρκεί να το επιτύχεις. Ο Ιταλός sound artist Alessandro Tedeschi, αναμφίβολα δύναται να σου δείξει τον τρόπο:

Στη συγκεκριμένη ηχογράφηση «υπογράφει» με το moniker Netherworld, ενώ αφιερώνει, διόλου τυχαία, την τελευταία του δισκογραφική απόπειρα Over The Summit, στη μυθική χώρα Hyperborea, σ' ένα φανταστικό Βορινό «άκρο». Οι έξι μακροσκελείς συνθέσεις που απαρτίζουν το Over The Summit αποτελούν, η καθεμιά ξεχωριστά, μια πρωτότυπη σπουδή ανάμιξης κλασικής & ambient μουσικής με ηχογραφήσεις πεδίου. Το αποτέλεσμα είναι ιδιαίτερα ξεχωριστό, αφού η παγωμένη, σχεδόν «κρυσταλλική» ατμόσφαιρα, που συναντά κάποιος στις απόκρημνες χιονισμένες κορυφές των Άλπεων, ή ακόμα ψηλότερα στην αντίστοιχη του Έβερεστ, αποτυπώνεται σε νότες ή ήχους, σε κάθε ηχητικό στιγμιότυπο της δεύτερης δουλειάς του Netherworld. Ο ίδιος ο καλλιτέχνης προχωράει και ένα βήμα παραπέρα, προτείνοντας στον ακροατή τις ιδανικές συνθήκες απόλαυσης του δίσκου, που εφόσον ακολουθηθούν πιστά, τότε μετατρέπουν το ακρόαμα σε πρωτόγνωρη εμπειρία (ο γράφων τις τήρησε και δεν βγήκε χαμένος…).

Έργο εξ' αρχής απευθυνόμενο σε περιορισμένο ακροατήριο, αλλά που δύναται ν' αποτελέσει την κινητήριο δύναμη για αποδράσεις από τη στεγνή, απογοητευτική πραγματικότητα της οικονομικής «λούμπας»…

Υ.Γ.: Εξαιρετικά απολαυστικά τα field recordings…

STEREOWORLD.GR