Maria w Horn - Earthward Arcs (2023) [Hi-Res]

Stockholm-based duo Maria W Horn and Vilhelm Bromander team up for the first time on 'Earthward Arcs', using algorithmically-generated sketches to inform two lengthy tracks that play with tonality, rhythm and duration.

The starting point for 'Earthward Arcs' was small pieces of SuperCollider code that Horn wrote in 2019. Bromander joined with double bass, played in his own unique way, concentrating on the minuscule details, timbre and intonation. Horn responded by developing her code to match the bass sounds with equally enthralling electronics. On the 18-minute title track, it's hard to hear where the double bass ends and synthesis begins, as the wavering tones seem to mimic each other perfectly. It's a piece that's intended to bring out difference tones, two similar tones played together to bring out a third sound. And it's actually surprising to learn that there's only two sources - when the composition blooms in its central section, it sounds almost like an orchestra playing with the rigorous power of Sunn O))).

On the flip, 'Mycelial Bloom' is another intriguing experiment that uses a five-limit tuning system to bring out unusual resonances, and yet again the end result is startlingly haunting. Horn and Bromander are masters of minimalism, and while their drones aren't busy or stifling, they're constantly involving, shifting gradually but keeping our interest at all times.

Tracklist:
1.01 - Maria w Horn - Earthward Arcs (18:00)
1.02 - Maria w Horn - Mycelial Bloom (11:26)