microphones in the trees: mathias grassow
Showing posts with label mathias grassow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mathias grassow. Show all posts

Friday, April 01, 2016

mathias grassow & closing the eternity



«Inspired by the astonishing nature of Ural region and folk stories from "The Malachite Box" cycle by Pavel Bazhov, this collaboration between German drone maestro Mathias Grassow and prominent Russian project Closing The Eternity reveals thoroughly crafted aural world, where deep chthonic drones interact with huge ambiences and multiple percussion sounds. Constantly breathing, organic, always changing and yet truly monolithic sound, which tells stories about hidden secrets
of the earth».
pantheon

In the deepness of the earth, among the mountain roots, between the sleeping ore deposits, colourful minerals and clear crystals slowly growing... There are empty corridors, dimly illuminated with green light; luxurious halls, decorated with rare gems and mineral patterns, strange stone trees, changing their colours... Who lives there, who owns these treasures of the deep? No one knows the entrance, but at the vernal equinox, in certain hour of night, it opens for a while. Mountain moans under huge starry sky, humming and roaring, startling sleeping birds in the nearby woods, making pine crowns bow to the wind. Ancient spirit emerges among the mossy rocks, crawling its way down, where the village dogs are looking anxiously at the forest edge. Filling with rustles of leaves and chimes of unseen bells, night disguises the mystery and no one knows what exactly happens at this time. Strange lights are wandering between the cliffs, green lizard eyes might sparkle in the dark... Only rays of morning reveal strange trail of gold pebbles and shining gems on the slopes, as if giant snake made a track by its stone scales, scattering the treasures of the underworld.

Limited edition of 77 chrome tapes in handmade packaging
with several inserts.

Monday, April 13, 2015

demonstration synthesis / mathias grassow / dayin



"releasing drone and ambient music since almost forty years, Mathias Grassow has developed his very distinctive style. long lasting tracks which hum themselves into the listener's subconsciousness, mesmerising angelic overtones mixed with haunting deep drones to forget present space and time. for the cosmic winnetou release, his first one on cassette since the late nineties, mathias encapsuled the essences of his musical magic into pieces with running time between two and fifteen minutes. surprisingly those short tracks makes you even more forget where and who you are and transform your inner selve into some kind of zen saint mode. how he does this? don't know, but make sure to regard the advice of the master himself: "I’m sure you’ll find answers not in words, but in deep listening with your heart!"

sold out ~ try ~ listen ~ download

demonstration synthesis ~ ds20 (cosmic winnetou, 2015)

"Daniel James Leznoff is not from this world. to release twenty albums in one year is some kind of extraterrestrial achievment. even more so because all of his albums reach an extra high level of quality. early 80s synth lines dancing like crazy with each other, unforgettable melodies over and over on each and every track, moody short pieces crafted with adorable inspiration. the cosmic winnetou release is of course not an exception, even more so it seems that with every release daniel is able to increase his ability to blow us away, out of this world, into his space. be part of this ongoing musical wonder and buy this tape!"

listen ~ buy cassette

 dayin ~ letting go of people (cosmic winnetou, 2015)

"letting go of people is an album about humans you wish you never met. their voices are echoing inside, answering words you wish you never had to say. these thirty minutes, sliced into seven pieces are a reminder of not only all wrong choices you have ever made, but also of those mistakes, which are yet to follow. Dayin is harsh drone and regret, but mostly a relief. " heavenly drones to pacify your misanthropic feelings. these days everybody's need."

listen/name your price ~ buy  cassette

es imposible, utópico... la avalancha de música a la que me gustaría dedicarle unas palabras no tiene fin. pero siempre habrá un hueco para las hornadas de Cosmic Winnetou. qué mejor forma de festejar la primavera que con otra golosina de Demonstration Synthesis. la incontinencia creativa de James Daniel Leznoff (estudiante, profesor, artista, compositor) trasciende cualquier explicación: con ésta hacen nada menos que veinte cintas. en menos de un año. y todo apunta a que habrá muchas más. ya lo dice Günter, Daniel no es de este mundo. no tanto por la cantidad, sino por la calidad. 'líneas de sinte ochentero bailando como locas entre ellas, melodías inolvidables una y otra vez en cada canción, emotivas piezas cortitas elaboradas con adorable inspiración.' preciosa 'curtain call', pero más preciosas todavía 'new sketches' y 'trance', suaves como la brisa, juguetonas, evocadoras. Daniel no sólo vive entregado a la música (su pasión) sino también al mundo del collage. 

...veinte son también los años que Mathias Grassow lleva tocando cuencos tibetanos y flautas hindús en ragas y tonadillas ambient. 'short stories', su primera cinta de cassette desde finales de los noventa, tenía que ser en el hogar de su amigo Günter Schlienz. estas pequeñas historias son casi dos horas de ambient drone fluído, elegante, dividido en canciones, trocitos de canciones, entre dos y quince minutos de duración cada una. la 'cara b' es lo más parecido a la sensación de despertarse despacio de una siesta con un rum rum celestial. la música ideal para quemar incienso y darnos cuenta de que, como me insiste la filomeluna montañas, la meditación será la cura definitiva de todos nuestros males y preocupaciones. de hecho 'himalaya' se utiliza a menudo para fines terapéuticos. por mucho que pasen los años y las modas, los drones y el ambient curativo serán para siempre.

y por último 'letting go of people' de Dayin. dejar ir a las personas. con ese título casi me tiene ganada. difiere un poquito, o en realidad no tanto (tiene mucho en común con Innercity, Creation VI y The Baijkonour Ghost) de las cintas que suele publicar Cosmic Winnetou. y de las tres es tal vez de la que más lejos me sentía al principio, para al final acabar rendida y enamorada de 'i never thought', pero sobre todo de 'time has holes' (muy muy oculto, pero hay algo que me recuerda a 'science of the sea') y la tensísima 'you don't exist' (ese latido...). todas empiezan suavito y acaban derivando en una cascada de ambient drone monolítico, rústico, enxebre, profundo. 'please, don't' lo desborda todo, estremece: delirando un poco... algo así como las voces de nuestros antepasados sepultadas bajo un maremagnum de drones. "letting go of people' trata sobre esas personas que desearías no haber conocido nunca. sus voces resuenan en tu interior, respondiendo palabras que desearías no haber dicho. treinta minutos divididos en siete canciones, un recordatorio no sólo de las malas decisiones, sino también de los errores cometidos. Dayin es drone penetrante y arrepentimiento, pero sobre todo una válvula de escape." muy muy intenso. no desentonaría en Pantheon, el sello de Tim Six. tampoco en Dronarivm. como se suele decir, uno de esos discos-experiencia que requieren una inmersión completa.