"Spectrum" is the title of the latest output by fellow Dutchman and Droner Orphax. This album was supposed to be released on a Russian label Stellage, but due to the war and some other circumstances, it was delayed over and over, so Sietse van Erve wisely decided to release this one himself; Simply because it's too gorgeous a piece of music to not be released and shown to the world. It will soon be available as limited CD in handmade artwork with a beautiful minimal feel.
Most of you will have heard Orphax' music or at least heard of him. He is a very active member of the experimental music scene in the Netherlands. He runs the Moving Furniture label, he organizes performances in Amsterdam, and yes he makes and releases music under the name Orphax. His output - or at least what I know from him and heard from him live - consists of quite complex drones. Hearing them might be boring for one person because most of the time there is a stable sound forming the structure of the drone; Call it the fundament. But around that fundament, so much is happening ... So much beautiful changes in perspective, stereo image, dynamics ...
So what is "Spectrum" about? In his own words: "It is a continuation of my interest in the perception of time, and at the same time an acknowledgement of me being on the autism spectrum." Quite a heavy subject, but that is what art is about. It's not about flowers and bees or the neighbour's labradoodle. If you want things to leave an impression, you approach your art seriously. And "Spectrum" is in all aspects a great example.
The fundamental drone gets triggered over and over by impulses and sound from all over the place, making it so that the fundamental drone becomes a new drone by it's external impulses. But at the same time, not all of its behaviour is as expected or as fluent as one would wish for continuity. Making the result beautifully organic, alive, erratic and yet solid. It's like a stable personality diagnosed somewhere in the autism spectrum with sometimes a bit of erratic behaviour, but it's making the man who he is. Opting for a high position on my year list.
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