Comes / Veldman * Annie Aries

COMES / VELDMAN – MANIFEST EXODUS

Manifest Exodus is the second collaboration of Martijn Comes and Hessel Veldman (their first was Epox in 2020). The two artists share their interest in ‘timbral’ electro-acoustic music, both not afraid to explore the abrasive side of music but also looking for harmony within the noise.

And that is the fascinating sonic contradiction: while there is quite some noise within these sounds (as can be heard immediately in the opener Firstborn), there is also something resigned about it – as if one can come at peace with the turmoil. As the album progresses, the sound gets somewhat quieter without ever getting ‘slick’.

Comes and Veldman describe the process of creating this album as ‘a musical exploration and a search for peace, balance and above all freedom. Reaching out to a distant world, a place to come to terms with ourselves’. Which, as reflected in their sound, is not a simple quest in these perilous times.
According to the liner notes, they even consulted a reverend for this album, ‘because of the emotional and poetic weight of the pieces’. Curiously, the advice of this reverend remains undisclosed. We can only wonder – maybe he was the one who advised on the track titles…

“Throughout the chapters of this album layers of sound and distant voices arise and seem to float on the surface before they disappear again. Swaying on the gentle waves, running ashore, we find ourselves in unknown places.” 
This may be true for the creators as well as for the listeners.

Manifest Exodus is released as a vinyl album and a digital download. There is no CD version. Please note that the Bandcamp page of the label (Dead Mind Records) only mentions the digital release. For the LP version, visit the labels shop site or directly order it from Martijn Comes’s Bandcamp page.

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ANNIE ARIES – IT’S NOT QUIET IN THE VOID

Annie Aries is the alias of Swiss-Philippine artist Annie Rüfenacht. As far as I can see she has no previous releases (apart from two titles as the Aries Zaes duo), but has quite an impressive experience in the field of audio-visual installations. Studied historical musicology, holds an M.A. in Music & Media arts, faculty member of the Sound Arts department at Bern University of Arts….

Using a custom-made modular synth she ‘aims at a minimal, reduced yet complex textural sound world’, focusing on ‘how her instrument fosters the interplay between generative musical approaches and improvised live performance’.

Perhaps just let the title of this album guide you into this fascinating void – a void filled with sound indeed.
‘Things appear distant, suddenly in front, only to settle far off. The small becomes immense and the immense becomes small’.