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. 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. 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 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.
Moesko - AMBIENT
FREEBLOG
Fifth Review Mroźne tchnienie podbiegunowego ambientu Wydany w ubiegłym roku album Brocka Van Weya – „The Art Of Dying Alone” – zwrócił uwagę fanów nowoczesnego ambientu na małą wytwórnię Glacial Movements z Rzymu. Jej założyciel – Alessandro Tedeschi – powołał ją do życia jednak znacznie wcześniej. W ciągu pięciu lat swego istnienia opublikowała ona dziesięć albumów, których autorzy, tacy jak Rapoon, Lull czy Francisco Lopez, sprawili, iż funkcjonowała ona do tej pory w post-industrialnym środowisku. Podobnie było z autorskim projektem Tedeschiego – Netherworld – znanym do tej pory głównie wielbicielom dark ambientu spod znaku Lustmorda. Być może za sprawą Van Weya nowy krążek szefa Glacial Movements wyrasta poza tę estetykę, przynosząc znacznie szerszą paletę dźwięków. „Over The Summit” to płyta dedykowana Hiberborei, znanej z greckiej mitologii legendarnej krainie wiecznej szczęśliwości, ulokowanej przez starożytnych na dalekiej północy. Podjęcie takiego tematu wymogło na Tedeschim wyraźną modyfikację swej muzyki. Owszem – początek krążka to lodowaty ambient typowy dla innych twórców tego gatunku spoza koła podbiegunowego. Oto z ciszy wyłaniają się zimne strugi cyfrowego szumu, które podbijają jedynie miarowo dudniące uderzenia w tle („Over The Summit”). Tedeschi wykorzystuje tu prosty efekt stereo: kiedy w jednym kanale milknie mroźny powiew, natychmiast pojawia się w drugim. Niby to nic nowego – ale robi wrażenie. W utworze „Aurora Performs Its Last Show” dostojnie płynące fale mieniących się dźwięków nabierają innego brzmienia – stają się cieplejsze, układają się w niewyraźną melodię, działają bardziej na serce niż umysł. Podobnie jest w „Crystalized World”. Tutaj również mamy oniryczne pasaże ambientowych syntezatorów, wymodelowane tak, że swym brzmieniem przypominają podniosłe tony orkiestrowych dęciaków. Majestatyczny charakter kompozycji uwypukla również warstwa rytmiczna – powolne uderzenia mocno zbasowanego bitu. Pozostała zawartość płyty to reminiscencje wcześniejszych dokonań Netherworld. Oto w „Iceblink (Aurora Borealis Mix)” pojawiają się industrialne efekty – metalicznie grzechoczące rytmy i przemysłowy zgiełk puentujący całość mroczną kodą. Finałowe „Thougts Locked In The Ice” oraz „Iperborea” skoncentrowane są natomiast na masywnych dronach, które podszywają tektoniczne pomruki i fabryczne hałasy. Tedeschi trafia tu w dziesiątkę – takie brzmienia są dziś w modzie wśród wykonawców techno, czego przykładem dokonania artystów związanych z wytwórniami Ostgut Ton, Sandwell District, Stroboscopic Artefacts czy Blackest Ever Black. „Over The Summit” spodoba się wielbicielom ambientu w różnych postaciach – tym, którzy wspominają najlepsze czasy Biosphere, jak również tym, którzy z otwartymi ustami słuchali mrocznych dronów podczas ubiegłorocznego koncertu Lustmorda w Polsce. 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
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.
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. 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 !
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.
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 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 2011Fourteen 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 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. 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
Nineteen Review
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.
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. 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. 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. 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. 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 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) 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. 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. 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.
ALONE MUSIC
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. 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. 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. 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. 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) 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…
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