IAN NAGOSKI

— First review of this album —

Originally based in Baltimore Ian Nagoski has made a name in underground contemporary electronic music by providing deeply static drones and miminal textured soundscapes. In terms of sound aesthetism and musical process, this last offering doesn't really differ from the previous efforts. The content is developed on a basic idea which consist to evoke the principle of personal ecstasy, the same principle we can detect in Pythagorian's idea of the harmony of the spheres and Marsilio Ficino's mystical conception on static vibes. Maybe that this album gets a more difficult approach, certainly much more intellectual but it always stimulate the sensual, physiological power of pure natural sound. The opening theme starts directly with a dense buzzing metallic drone slowly and almost non distinctly covered by subtle changes and long sonorous electronic waves. During this time, the listener must be concentrated on the continuous, expressive droning frequencies constantly in flux in order to access to the peaceful-cognitive meanings of sound. The second track is a more cloudy-claustrophobic electronic affair, admitting burgeoning low frequencies. The music progressively rises from the abyss with a luminous combination of electronic textures which renews with the sensual, fusional peak experience. This piece is also playing with speed, fading harmonies and sloc micro movements. This one clearly announces the revival of the magical-mystical potentialities of music (sounds as visible symbols in order to access to the invisible and to transform human consciousness) in a usual artistic universe overdominated by global values of entertainment and noisy entropic manifestations. This kerflooey needs to be experienced in proprer conditions, this is not music for everyday life but for liminal spaces of human experience. Consequently this is not for all ears, the listener should be ritually prepared, acquiring mental disposals for new possibilities of listening.