Do rather like this warm peaceful drone, it comes with a reassuring glow. The thing about music like this, and we do get so much of it landing here, is that it so hard to find the words, but then, if music like this was easy to put into words it really wouldn’t be worth writing about. I does quietly evolve, slowly unfold, gently shape-shifting, rather gorgeous actually.
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Gustav Kwarts
Concrete Lake
Release Date : July 13rd, 2023
∟ CASSETTE
∟ DIGITAL
∟ CASSETTE
∟ DIGITAL
Concrete Lake is the debut album by the multidisciplinary artist Gustav Kwarts.
The title perfectly encapsulates the essence of his mineral drone music, soft like granite,
where you can explore the idea that bathing in magma could be a pleasant experience.
It resulted from Kwarts' initial experiments with a Korg synth, which he discovered at the place
he was renting in Durankulak, a coastal village near the border of Bulgaria and Romania.
True to his artistic dogma of embracing limitations, Kwarts' approach to music is raw and
instinctive. He used a single stereo track, without a soundcard, mix or edit, relying solely on the mastering skills of
Aurélien Prévost to refine this crude material. Amidst the surges of distortion and its
inhospitable landscapes, Kwarts still allows burning melodies to emerge, creating a soothing chaos
that portrays an ambivalent beauty. He told me that after trying the instruments for the first
time, he became trapped for three or four days, day and night, nearly losing his job.
The only way to listen to the result was to plug the instruments into my Zoom recorder;
otherwise, I don't know if I would have thought to record it from the beginning. I was forced
to stop to fulfill my obligations, but then I felt like a crackhead waiting for his shot of
drone.
In our last correspondence, he told me he used a part of his last paycheck to buy the
synth and pedal set from his host.
I had to bring them back with me. I can't stop now.
music & photographs by Gustav Kwarts, unaltered stereo recordings captured during the first trimester of 2023 in Durankulak, Dobrich / mastered by Aurélien Prévost in March & April 2023 / layout by Romain Barbot
- 1. Græ Sunn
- 2. Red Dust
- 3. Intertime
- 4. Concrete Lake
- 5. Ocean Fire
- 6. Unclear Future
LIMITED CASSETTE EDITION
44 copies / White Chrome C-40
Digital edition included.
