TOMÁŠ ŠENKYŘÍK – FOND 
Lifelines is a new series of releases curated by James Murray, a digital-only branch of his Slowcraft label. Releases in this series can be identified by their artwork, all created by June Murray.
Fond is the second release in this Lifelines series (the first being Mathieu Karsenti’s Downstream Blue). It presents four soundscapes (27 minutes) by Czech composer and field recordist Tomáš Šenkyřík.
Šenkyřík‘s fascination is “trying to find musical qualities in dialogues between natural and unnatural sounds.”
The delicacy of this dialogue is convincingly proven in this mix of field recordings, electronics, piano, guitar – and especially with the addition of Pavel Rajmic‘s touching violin and double bass.
The music is soft and soothing, but also somewhat enigmatic. These compositions were “conceived during early morning lockdown sessions coinciding with the arrival of his fourth child.”
With Fond, Tomáš Šenkyřík paints “a poignant and moving portrait of new life and fatherhood under exceptional circumstances”.
edit: WordPress (or this theme) obviously has some trouble presenting the name simply as it should. On the other hand, it looks extra adventurous this way, doesn’t it?
WU CLOUD – PULSA RIMBA
I suspect that Wu Cloud – a Melbourne recording artist experimenting with lo-fi exotica, ambient, dub and psychedelics – is born with a different name, but if so, this is carefully obscured. So let’s just call him (at least thát is disclosed) Wu.
Wu decided to move to Sumatra for some time, just bringing “some factor 50 sun cream, an iPad, Korg Monotron space delay & duo, an electroharmonix 720 Loop pedal, a Zoom h2n portable recorder & a
locally brought Angklung.”
Along with enjoying and recording the local atmosphere, he also felt free from the usual “computer based production dogma”, and developed “a lo-fi, free flowing music production style based on instinct and feel.”
When he “returned to civilisation” (whoa – not mý words, mind you!!) he created the nine tracks for this album, retaining the atmosphere and originality of his recordings.
And originality definitely is the keyword here. It may not exactly be ‘ambient’ in the strict sense, but there is a fresh ‘wordly’ – or maybe better: ‘otherworldly’ – atmosphere to these recordings that’ll take you on an imaginative journey.
“Hit play on this carefree, solar powered, hammock friendly, psychedelic suite of electronic exotica and let your mind wander like Wu.”
KAMILA GOVORÇIN – ANIMA
Kamila Govorçin has been a household name on the Chilean electronic music scene for years, “constantly on the lookout for rhythms that will move the dancefloor.” But that is not what she aims to achieve with this album: here, she explores more textural sonic landscapes and ventures into more experimental ambient territories.
Her use of the transverse flute embedded in abstract electronics reminds me of the earliest work of Tangerine Dream (Alpha Centaure, Zeit, Atem – era), but I don’t mean to say this music is ‘retro’ – on the contrary. The flute, as well as the use of her voice, adds an intuitive, emotional layer to the soundscapes.
The overall atmosphere is dense, rather dark, sometimes even a bit uncomfortable.
“This album coincides with a time of deep changes both external on the level of society and country, as well as internally…dark months of pain, disappointment, and exhaustion that also brought flickers of hope and at times a certain serenity.”
Which is what Kamila Govorçin perfectly captured on this album in these five long meditative tracks.
According to the Clang label website, Anima can be downloaded from the Apple Music store. It is also available from Amazon Germany.
Kamila Govorçin – Rito De Muerte