PRUSKI – DRIFTING STONES
The IIKKI concept should be familiar by now: a series of books and discs (vinyl, cd, or both) presenting ‘a dialog between a visual artist and a music artist’. Drifting Stones is the 27th edition in the series, presenting the work of Dutch photographer Paul Cupido and the music of Polish artist Pawel Pruski.
Most of (Pawel) Pruski‘s albums until now were released on the Whitelabrecs label, this is his first on IIKKI. “In his sound creation process, he experiments with various modular systems and logical-mathematical concepts, such as the implementation of probability theory.” Apart from releasing his music, he also creates sound installations “using sensors and detectors, forming interactive installations where the audience often becomes an integral part of the experience.”
Overall, the tone of Drifting Stones is bright, open and fresh – a perfect release for the Spring season. It’s a combination of many elements: organic and synthetic. Six (of the seven) tracks are fairly abstract soundscapes, among which the sequencer driven Cycles is a pulsating exception.
It will definitely be a pleasure to listen to this music while studying the photography of Paul Cupido, but the music is also enjoyable on its own. Which is a good thing, because (as usual) the book/disc combinations are quickly sold out on pre-order.
If you’ve missed the book, you can find a preview here.
PRUSKI – LEAFSHADE
ADRIAN LANE – DESIRE PATHS
Adrian Lane is a musician and a painter/visual artist. His website has examples of his visual work, but if you want an impression you can also check (most of) his album covers.
He has released music on labels like Preserved Sound, Whitelabrecs, Naviar, and Oscarson since 2013, and – more recently also on Chitra Records.
On Desire Paths, Lane explores ‘tape-saturated sounds combined with piano and vintage synthesizers’. That doesn’t mean the music sounds ‘lo-fi’ and ‘hissy’ (as I somewhat expected) but if you listen closely you can sometimes hear a slight flutter or distortion in the sound, caused by the micro-cassette Dictaphone used ‘to create sounds evoking nostalgia and melancholy’. It is a creative way to take advantage of technical shortcomings and add them to the sound design.
According to the liner notes, this album is darker in mood than his previous album on the same label, Water Wash Away The Waves, 2023. But I don’t really think this music is dark at all. Nostalgic, yes, melancholic, yes, but not dark. But then again, I’m not familiar with that previous album so I can’t really compare.