MISBHV 002 | 2021-07-02
Curator's note
This project, assembled across the space of only a few weeks, is a raw and immediate response to a changed musical landscape the past months have revealed to us. It arises from many hours of conversations about techniques of meditation and engaged withdrawal, fuelled by a sense of uncertainty about what it means to make music%u2014in so many ways a social practice%u2014at a time when we have little choice but to experience it in the solitude of our private homes.
Venturing into new territory, we invited artists most of whom work within broadly conceived club culture, to search for a sonic form to foster a renewed connection to the here and now. This record emerged: a musical journey from Warsaw, through Berlin, to Rome, Ankara, Tehran, Taipei, Los Angeles, São Paulo; an exercise in shared intimacy; a record of our first pandemic.
This is the First of Three releases compiled by Artur8.
About the record:
The record begins with %u201CRegression%u201D by the Warsaw producer Lutto Lento, fresh after releasing his %u201CLegendo%u201D album on Haunter. Hypnotic layers of harp reminiscent of recurrent waves of moonlit sea set the pace of this piece%u2014a meditation on death, impermanence, change, set in motion by stories of yogis who would once come to live on cemeteries where dead bodies were not buried or burned, but discarded out of compassion for hungry animals.
This is followed by %u201CLandscape of Home%u201D by the Taiwanese artist Shi Ting aka Vice City, who conjures a comforting soundscape-like track that combines field recordings with soothingly smooth electronics and a quiet recitation in Taiwanese Hokkien.
%u201CBasen,%u201D from the Polish producer Wirski, underpins pastoral vocal samples with subtle drones and machine-line rhythmic sounds that set the stage for a lyrical tale of pitfall and solace, as told by the voice of artist Zuzanna Bartoszek.
%u201CGwát,%u201D by Vienna-based, Tehran-born composer Rojin Sharafi, takes its title from a malicious wind in the South-East of Iran that, some believe, may infiltrate one%u2019s body, upsetting the mental balance. The track is a contemporary rendition of a ritual performed in the region of Balouchi to treat this perceived illness, layering recited lyrics%u2014a collage of slangs and classic Persian%u2014over an uneasy, avant-garde sound structure straight out of an IRCAM lab.
%u201CMeditations,%u201D a dream-like sequence of sounds, is no run-of-the-mill ambient record. It is diverse, at times adventurous, at times soothing, bringing together artists from Europe, Asia and both Americas, with their very own hopes and visions%u2014and, perhaps, recipes%u2014for healing our minds. Or at least some sonic food for thought and musical companion in a world that has already changed.
This project, assembled across the space of only a few weeks, is a raw and immediate response to a changed musical landscape the past months have revealed to us. It arises from many hours of conversations about techniques of meditation and engaged withdrawal, fuelled by a sense of uncertainty about what it means to make music%u2014in so many ways a social practice%u2014at a time when we have little choice but to experience it in the solitude of our private homes.
Venturing into new territory, we invited artists most of whom work within broadly conceived club culture, to search for a sonic form to foster a renewed connection to the here and now. This record emerged: a musical journey from Warsaw, through Berlin, to Rome, Ankara, Tehran, Taipei, Los Angeles, São Paulo; an exercise in shared intimacy; a record of our first pandemic.
This is the First of Three releases compiled by Artur8.
About the record:
The record begins with %u201CRegression%u201D by the Warsaw producer Lutto Lento, fresh after releasing his %u201CLegendo%u201D album on Haunter. Hypnotic layers of harp reminiscent of recurrent waves of moonlit sea set the pace of this piece%u2014a meditation on death, impermanence, change, set in motion by stories of yogis who would once come to live on cemeteries where dead bodies were not buried or burned, but discarded out of compassion for hungry animals.
This is followed by %u201CLandscape of Home%u201D by the Taiwanese artist Shi Ting aka Vice City, who conjures a comforting soundscape-like track that combines field recordings with soothingly smooth electronics and a quiet recitation in Taiwanese Hokkien.
%u201CBasen,%u201D from the Polish producer Wirski, underpins pastoral vocal samples with subtle drones and machine-line rhythmic sounds that set the stage for a lyrical tale of pitfall and solace, as told by the voice of artist Zuzanna Bartoszek.
%u201CGwát,%u201D by Vienna-based, Tehran-born composer Rojin Sharafi, takes its title from a malicious wind in the South-East of Iran that, some believe, may infiltrate one%u2019s body, upsetting the mental balance. The track is a contemporary rendition of a ritual performed in the region of Balouchi to treat this perceived illness, layering recited lyrics%u2014a collage of slangs and classic Persian%u2014over an uneasy, avant-garde sound structure straight out of an IRCAM lab.
%u201CMeditations,%u201D a dream-like sequence of sounds, is no run-of-the-mill ambient record. It is diverse, at times adventurous, at times soothing, bringing together artists from Europe, Asia and both Americas, with their very own hopes and visions%u2014and, perhaps, recipes%u2014for healing our minds. Or at least some sonic food for thought and musical companion in a world that has already changed.
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