Ard Bit & Radboud Mens - Mara Silen (2026)

It is said that the sea of Mara Silen appears on no map. It moves between moments, not between shores. Across its grey surface drift islands without origin; Kure, Elming, Kosrea, Iturup, Laterne, Aland, places that exist only when someone dreams of them. Their shores are made of memory, their stones breathe the silence of what once was. Those who travel upon it sometimes hear voices beneath the waves, echoes of those who listened too long, until they became part of the water themselves. It is said they are now the current that brings the islands forth, and draws them back into nothingness.


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These two Dutch artists have well and truly earned their spurs: Radboud Mens (releasing music since 1999) and Ard Bit (Ard Jansen, first release in 2009). In 2024 they collaborated on Making A Boundary With The Turning Point. They clearly enjoyed working together, because here is they now present their collaboration follow-up: Mara Silen. You’d think that Mara Silen would refer to a place on the moon (‘sea of silence’?), but it doesn’t: ‘Mara Silen appears on no map. It moves between moments, not between shores. Their shores are made of memory, their stones breathe the silence of what once was'. The mythical track titles, like Kure, Elming, Kosrea, refer to places ‘that exist only when someone dreams of them’.
With this music, it is easy to dream of these mythical places, or islands. The sounds merge with quiet field recordings and soft crackles, but it never becomes a ‘natural’ atmosphere. There’s always something uncanny in these tracks. Not exactly dark, but mysterious. Bit andMens have their own explanation for that: “Those who travel upon [Mare Silen] sometimes hear voices beneath the waves, echoes of those who listened too long, until they became part of the water themselves.” Mare Silen is released on Radboud Mens’ own ERS label and is available on CD and as a digital download. www.ambientblog.net


As mentioned, Ard has also made an album with Amsterdam composer Radboud Mens, namely Marking A Boundary With The Turning Point (2024). Radboud fell into a vat of experimental music as a child and possesses superpowers in that area. No kidding, I first met him in the 90s at the record store Staalplaat, where he offered truly fantastic tips regarding experimental music across various genres. I only discovered his side as a sound designer, composer, and sound artist later on. Not only with work under his own name, but also as Hyware and Technoise, and groups such as Cloud Ensemble (with Michel Banabila and Rutger Zuydervelt, among others), L.O.S.D., Mensimonis (with Lukas Simonis), Staalplaat Soundsystem, and Ohm. He has also collaborated with Jaap Blonk, Michel Banabila, Stephan Mathieu, Janek Schaefer, Craig Ward, Arno Peeters, Dan Armstrong, Matthijs Kouw, Roel Meelkop, Marco Douma, and Son Of Chi, among others. He also runs the labels Hond In De Goot and ERS. He explores various genres in an experimental manner, whether or not using his own self-built instruments. Right, now you are fully up to date. Together, these two gentlemen have now released the album Mara Silen, on which they launch 6 tracks in just over an hour. The description is as follows: It is said that the sea of ​​Mara Silen does not appear on any map. It moves between moments, not between coasts. Islands without origin drift over its grey surface; Kure, Elming, Kosrea, Iturup, Laterne, Aland, places that exist only when someone dreams of them. Their coasts are made of memory, their stones breathe the silence of what once was. Those who travel over it sometimes hear voices beneath the waves, echoes of those who listened too long, until they themselves became part of the water. It is said that they are now the current that brings forth the islands and pulls them back into nothingness. The islands mentioned are also the titles of the songs. The music they produce here has once again, just like this cover art, become a play of lines in which you can dive deep or enjoy a relaxing snorkel. Here, however, they move through the night and beneath the surface. It is a mix of dark ambient, drones, abstract electronics, and minimal music, which sometimes unfolds almost like classical music. You can truly drown in the deep, rich, yet subdued sound they present here. Minimalism with maximum effect, where you discover different details and experience new emotions time and again. It is fodder for fans of Loscil, Kyle Bobby Dunn, Anthéne, William Basinski, Pan American, Celer, Tim Hecker, and more. Stunningly beautiful music of the highest caliber. subjectivisten.nl