Deep and heady drones from AHRKH. Two 30 minute pieces unfold at considered pace, resulting in distinct mind states from the experience.
‘Pralaya’ introduces heavily processed vocal layers into an impressive, unfurling drone. There’s a meditative quality to the sound, thanks to the throaty mantra samples. As the piece progresses, synths washes and heavily dubbed fx join the throng, which starts to tastefully distort into something quite different. The digital, Eventide-esque reverb engulfs the sound and gives the piece a certain spacey quality. Personally speaking, I’d prefer the reverb dialled back a touch to let the textures through. Although in this context, I can appreciate the spacial fx could be considered a lead voice in itself.
‘Paramita’ improvises on a raga scale for the first ten minutes and there’s echoes of Syrinx here. The combination of modular synth work and Indian melodic framework is one that works particularly well. The scaled content eventually slips away, to leave a deep drone. From here on, the intensity increases, with throbbing, modulated reverb fx. These heavily modulated (erbe?) verb effects get wilder and weirder towards the finale and begin to play destructively with the virtual space surrounding the track.
The melding of meditation music and synth explorations is not necessarily anything new, however these pieces are executed with careful restraint, resulting in successful compositions. Pulling off two 30 minute, long-form tracks is no mean feat!