Das Ergebnis ist ein spannendes Zusammenspiel, das sowohl harmonische Einheiten als auch markante Kontraste hervorbringt.  Während die klassisch anmutenden Klavierklänge von Philamelian die Basis bilden, erweitern die elektronischen Elemente von Elif Yalvaç den klanglichen Horizont. Im Mittelpunkt des Albums stehen die Balance zwischen Dichte und Leere, sowie ein experimentelles Spiel mit Klangtexturen. Die gemeinsame Geschichte der beiden Künstler, die beide in der Türkei geboren und aufgewachsen sind und nun in Großbritannien leben, bereichert das Werk mit vielfältigen kulturellen Einflüssen. Diese finden nicht nur in der Musik, sondern auch in den emotionalen und landschaftlichen Referenzen des Albums Ausdruck.

@ Bandcamp

Im Begleittext heißt es: “In DoD II, das zu Halloween 2024 veröffentlicht wird, widmet sich Elif Yalvaç dem, was sie ursprünglich dazu inspiriert hat, Gitarre zu spielen: Metal. Indem sie ihren Hintergrund in elektronischer Musik, insbesondere Ambient und Noise, mit ihren Drone- und Doom-Metal-Inspirationen kombiniert, erkundet sie weitere Enden der Dynamik und des Frequenzbereichs, einschließlich Mikrotonalität. In dieser Zusammenarbeit greift sie auch auf ihre Praktiken der Field Recordings und der Audioprogrammierung zurück. Das aktuelle Duo traf sich zum ersten Mal 2016 bei einem Auftritt von Keiji Haino in Südlondon. Nachdem Elif 2021 nach Großbritannien gezogen war, entdeckten sie ihre gemeinsamen musikalischen Interessen und begannen zusammenzuarbeiten. Dabei gab es wiederholt Auftritte und Aufnahmesessions. Das Album DoD II enthält Sounds dieser Auftritte und Sessions, wobei Elif Yalvaç die Arrangements und den Mix finalisierte. Der Sound des Albums ist insgesamt eine atmosphärische und dennoch kraftvolle Kombination aus Metal-Riffs und improvisierten Passagen, die live und in der Nachbearbeitung bearbeitet wurden”. Mehr zum Hintergrund der Band findet sich auf Bandcamp, wo ein Track bereits zu hören ist.

“This upcoming remix album titled Mælifell features 9 different artists from various countries including Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Armenia, UK, and Turkey. The album will be released on 1 February 2024 by Möller Records. Möller Records is known for its eclectic catalog of electronic music in Iceland and beyond. Möller Records star Bistro Boy joins Maelifell, remixing Heart of Noise from the April 2023 release My Heart of Noise. This album is a product of Elif Yalvaç’s extensive international collaborations with other artists in her search of pushing the boundaries and making the most of magical musical connections that contributed a lot to where she positions herself today. As with the previous release, Maelifell is inspired by the stunning and dramatic Icelandic landscape. This time, there are new explorations in other lands too. The title refers to a volcano in Iceland while carrying the artist’s name in it: MaELIFell. Elif Yalvaç has traveled to Iceland multiple times for musical collaborations and landscape explorations and field recordings. As the composer made her first return to Iceland in September 2023 after the pandemic, she performed in the experimental art space Mengi, from her adopted home the UK. The remix album is part of Elif Yalvaç’s collaborations in Iceland but also beyond. This time, she takes it to her new adopted home, the UK, and to where she came from, Turkey, with a diverse set of electronic music artists joining her in this remix. Instruments artists use in the album include synthesizers, field recordings, and voice. Each artist picked a track from Elif Yalvaç’s previous collaborative album My Heart of Noise (April 2023) to remix with their own voice and methods in this album. The result is celestial ambient sounds with abrasive energy, remixed with Autechre-like beats and glitches while drawing on the unique diverse approaches of both Maelifell and My Heart of Noise participants. Mælifell differs from the previous record with a more accessible approach and beatmaking practıces. Mælifell album cover photographed by Elif Yalvaç, featuring a selfie she took in the wilderness of Iceland, and cover art edit by Jason Arber.” (Möller Records)

@ Elif Yalvaç | Möller Records

“I hear music everywhere: in natural sounds, in electronic sounds, mechanical sounds. I want to capture and shape it so others can hear what I hear and experience what I feel. I’ve spent the last years trying to make sense of a noisy world. My heart is also noisy, but slowly I learn to listen to it better. And in this new music, I found that I became its ‘heart of noise’, through meeting and inviting collaborators from across the Nordic countries, bringing their works together coherently, and finding an emotional centre. [My Heart of Noise] began with a collection of studio and concert recordings from my travels north before the pandemic. It became like a puzzle: I could hear something special, but also that the pieces didn’t fit together well or feel complete. The breakthrough came in realising that this project was meant to be more about creation than preservation, and that it didn’t need to be a literal document any more. It could still be faithful, but instead to the spirit that inspired this music and my travels in the first place, instead of a particular recording. I created new musical starting points, and invited artists I met on my travels plus others, asking them to choose one to begin to work with together. Some artists incorporated our previous recordings, others set off in a new direction, while I shaped the pieces and found a way to connect them together. [...] There’s a tension in music, as in any creative activity: between wanting to document and reflect the times we live in, or to escape and hide from them. In this music I’ve tried to find a balance between both of these, and in doing so, to listen to my heart”. (Elif Yalvaç)

@ Elif Yalvaç | Möller Records

und Bassklarinette und lässt in ihrem entrückt wirkenden Rahmen auch immer Raum für eine kernige Rauheit. Das Label Expert Sleepers, dessen Betreiber Andrew Ostler auch musikalisch beteiligt ist, zieht u.a. Vergleiche zu Tangerine Dream und Philip Glass’ “Koyaanisqatsi”-Score. “Green Drift erscheint am 23. September auf allen gängigen Plattformen und auf CD.

@ Expert Sleepers