For The Ambient Lovers...review and mixtape archive 001

Pascal Savy - Fragments (Hibernate Postcard Series)

Pitchfork’s recent feature by Simon Reynolds saw him adapting the tech-speak “digital maximalism”, first coined in the book “Hamlet’s BlackBerry”, to affirm of the developing culture today’s youth are capable in catalysing. And otherwise, he writes, “The combination of computer (infinite flexibility) and internet (infinite ‘inspiration’ can also cause complete artistic paralysis: the impulse of fusion collapsing into con-fusion, the musical equivalent of a gone-too-far collage”. A viable cortege for the Ambient fraternity of “digital maximalism” is to not resort to what Reynolds sees as “minimal / deep / dark” up to recent, but occupy another space where all visitors are taken in and spun upon oneself; a reverse rock, paper, scissors in upwards strength and back, having a ditzy arts and crafts lesson all of its own.

“Transcendental introspection” seems a fitting phrase to constitute adaptability impulse, and traits possible to the muso-intelligentsia and layman alike. Say the artist donates their blood, while bestowing a unique blood type to the world – consider Richard Skelton for his bowed Modern Classical melancholy. Or perhaps William Basinski’s disintegrating loops for territory closer to Ambient’s inner sanctum, meshing genre basis’ so that the forgotten memories become the future gauze. Applied across genres, “transcendental introspection” alludes to postmodernist values of artistic composition – citing relativity as a conduit to alter, and monotony of subject as a course to lease. And transcendental introspection, indeed, is something which Hibernate’s “Postcard” by Pascal Savy has by the bucketload.

A highly prominent sine wave sits behind the furnace on “Passing Light”, pushing electronic spattering and guitar fragments to the forefront. Not only drone – the field recordings levitate with the low end, while meditating with the higher shards. Subtle elements cushion and allure you, bypassing cufflink-esque strangulation in favour of a filtered approach to sound design. So far, so good. “By Dusk” deepens the listener’s interest, revelling in a half-empty sound well: raindrops and morphing melody pulsate with a foreboding calm, locking the door, putting keys to one side. Four minutes pass: field recordings begin enshrouding a sharper constant in timbre and texture. Touch’s BJ Nilsen springs to mind for the highly visceral minimalism that drone music is capable of, however Savy has an ear for consonance that, again, is transcendentally introspective – one loses the regionality of categorisation mentally, and transforms sight to a local grocery store, full of rosy fruits where introspection and inquisitivity collide.

“On Leaving” adopts the dusty patchwork of Improv-drone guitarist Oren Ambarchi, and then drenches the soundscape with a slowly drooling bass lick that seems to go on and on. That’s another perspective to account for in transcendence and introspection together – when you analyse repeatedly, or hear a piece for such a time – sometimes at once, sometimes alone – that your thoughts ferment and freeze to posit a notion, or surplus meanings for what your opinion of that piece turns out to be. Here, as is the overview with whatever gets issued by Hibernate this annum, introspection is brought out of itself to transcend, thrive, and just bleedin’ well satisfy every field recordist and Ambient buyers quota, purist or punter. 20 minutes of bliss from a label and musician that should be high on your radar by now.

“Fragments” is a numbered limited edition 3″ CDr of 100.

http://www.fluid-radio.co.uk/2011/12/pas...fragments/