FENNESZ – THE LAST DAYS OF MAY
Its release schedule was regular as clockwork: four Longform Edition releases every two months, since June 2018 (with a few exceptions when the interval was only one month). Releases from a wide range of artists curated by Andrew Khedoori – the cover image created with expressive fonts created by typographer Mark Gowing.
But suddenly, without warning, the Longform Edition series ends. #42 (February 2025) will be the final edition, presenting the last four titles of a series of 168 pieces. This last batch presents music by Tujiko Noriko, Natalia Beylis, whait, and Fennesz.
(Christian) Fennesz’ piece is called The Last Days Of May. With its 24-minute length, it’s his longest piece to date. It starts with ominous low notes, like a church bell, before slightly distorted guitar chords appear (The Last Day Of May was inspired by the Australian guitar player Rowland Stuart Howard, who died in 2009. He was, among others, a member of The Birthday Party and Crime And The City Solution). The distortion takes over, and the piece changes into a noisy drone. Halfway through, the sound-waves get more electronic, but it takes until six minutes before the end of the piece to calm down. And then it suddenly stops with a somewhat unexpected fade.
The Last Days Of May was recorded in the last days of May 2024, It was contributed to Volume 2024, a music series presented by the Art Gallery of New South Wales in July. The piece, conceived as a sound installation, “is meant to blend into everyday soundscapes and occasionally stand out. However, it can also be listened to at full volume on headphones.”
ASC – TALES OF INTROSPECTION
With 42 albums and no less than 149 Singles and EPs listed on Discogs (for his Asc alias alone), it’s safe to say that James Clements is a productive artist. The UK-born producer (now living in San Diego, USA) not only makes ambient music but also covers many other genres and writing scores for film.
But Tales Of Introspection, released on the Quiet Details label, is definitely one of his ambient music releases. One hour of excellently produced layered sounds, “evoking the sense of infinite space, out of which emerge mesmeric motifs and meticulously crafted harmonies”.
Whether you play this soft or loud, the sound envelops you like a thick warm blanket – “with a dynamic
arc that takes you from quiet reflection to full emotional release and back again”.
Since their first release in 2022, Quiet Details has become one of the most active (ambient) music labels. They often present their new releases with a ‘listening party’, resulting in a loyal fan base. But also in the releases selling out quickly. This means the CD edition of Tales Of Introspection is already sold out by now, only the digital download remains available.