|
Erik Wøllo keeps finding new ways to do things. Out to improve your sensory life his pitch perfect Crossing the Equator (43:23) presents eight tracks which focus solely on the interests of the listener. A seriously precise artist Wøllo deepens his approach here with vivid undercurrents that beam brighter as each piece plays through. Slipping in occasional moments of dreamy uncertainty the music is vulnerably solemn - haunting in a way that stays with you. Unafraid to venture into the darkness plucked guitar notes ring out in reverb while electronic chords undulate hypnotically around such sparkling steel string action. Flowing together in a circulation of synthetic sound the textures, tones and timbres rise and recede, advance and withdraw, but not before touching the mind's most still point. While the vibrations emanating from his guitars morph, swirl and assume new identities under extensive processing, the resulting sonic formations feel more like stirring exchanges of atmosphere, mood and spirit and less like mere technical prosecutions. Embraced by each note, the clarity of Crossing the Equator asks the listener to be present and at the center of their own human drama. Here Wøllo's force of mind is most magnetic - which might lead us to join him in his playing, and praying, for a beautiful realm somewhere beyond ourselves.
- Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END 16 May 2024 |
