Thursday, June 7, 2012

Marehelm / Diosemeia - Release the Klonkus Split Series 2 (Klonkus 2012)





float gently through the star field.  peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

One of the nicest facets of this blog is occasionally receiving beautiful music from a label in its inchoate stage.  A few weeks ago, I received a message from Klonkus Records about a tape.  The samples sounded nice, but i needed confirmation from the stereo.  With that, i'm here to write that I recommend picking up a copy of this cassette before it is OOP.  The first release from Klonkus is a split between Marehelm and Diosemeia. 

Marehelm, from Denmark, presents four tracks on side A.  The debut release from this artist presents dark ambient vignettes in the vein of Miasmah Records and Thomas Köner.  The tracks are short in duration - the longest one clocking in at 4:40.  Short duration tracks for this type of music is an intriguing idea.  Overall, I think it is executed successfully.  The first track wafts through the room serenely, as sparse layers of haunting sound serenade the approaching night.  The incorporation of soft rhythms endow the music with a sense of urgency.  The second track is lighter, and full of opaque sounds.  However, the third track is my favorite.  Also, it is the shortest track - only 1:40.  This track has a lot of potential, and would benefit from having more time to develop.  An excellent debut.

The flip presents Diosemeia, which resides in Los Angeles.  Diosemeia's side-long track is exemplary and a beautiful track of warm ambient music.  It is full of ethereal soundscapes, but it is certainly not uniform.  Rather, it moves in different directions and the timing of the transitions is excellent.  For example the track opens with a beautiful drone, in which voices are added to the mix.  However, soon the track becomes more minimal, creating a feeling of inertia.  Diosemeia proves to be adept at the placing of elements and creating specific moods within their music.  And, this is borne out as the track grows with energy, projecting you through the star field.  I definitely need to hear more from this artist.  

Euro 2012 commences tomorrow, yet Klonkus has already scored the first goal of the tournament!  This wonderful debut is presented with nice artwork, an interesting mission statement, and a photo.  Regarding the aforementioned exhortation, this release is limited to 25 copies.  Buy your copy directly from Klonkus.

peace to you, friends :)