CD – Kvitnu

At first listening, synthetic repetitions and ritual atmospheres, a bit dark and churchy, welcome us, and later gradually become more spatial, vibrating and cosmic. A continuous tremor, as though it was the result of a delirious and euphoric meditation, permeates the spaces and fills the first track, sixteen minutes long, with a mysterious presence. Thierry Arnal and Ohm Resistance, here known under the names of Amantra and Submerged, keep the tension hard, thanks to their tentacular electronic hooks and their almost symphonic, hypnotic and powerful equipment, moderated just on some parts in the second recording (a minute longer than the first one). The brutality and cruelty of the sequences is sweetened by measured eclectic electronic insertions, including melodic, industrial or folk elements. Because of this, it’s not easy to recognize the sources of inspiration the authors might prefer to hide or keep unclear, characterized by personal taste and never referred to as precise sub-genres. We think this multiform approach is highly appreciated by Kvitnu, a label based in Vienna who has many lovers in the international electronic enclave. The label art director, Dmytro Fedorenko and Kateryna Zavoloka, have never concealed their love for both the most radical and conceptual experimentations and the technoid scenes, with an inclination to exotic and melodic suggestions and to the ultra-futuristic and machinery sequences, on the borders of contemporary music research. We would not be surprised if in this case somebody would mention post-rock or some electronic distortions reminiscent of ’60s psychedelia, or the possible assonance with Mogwai and their visionary, iterated and epic energy. The broad variety of styles and suggestions keeps the attention high, focusing on the process on use, the tentacular narration, the intimate and weird trends of the intense, dreamy and sensitive recordings. The absence of rhythm is apparently not a problem for the authors, due to the cinematic matrix of the sequences, that express all their power with a dark and immanent, orchestral and oppressive temporal cycle. Devious ambient manipulations, various experimentalisms, synthesizers and effects, a slow and relentless power: this is the stabbing and growing structure, when the minutes go on and the listener gets always more physically, surprisingly and unhealthily involved.

 

Amantra vs Submerged ‎– Lost Direction