Crna Zemlja (cz043), 2016
I’m fascinated by musical collaborations. One reason is to see how two (or more) artists work together, meshing styles and content toward a unified goal. Another is to gain some exposure to new artists.
Sound_00 (Antonio Dimitrov) and Lefterna (Boban Ristevski) are no strangers to working together. It’s safe to assume they’ve hit it off, too, as they’ve released several single-track numbered releases, across a variety of labels and formats, including a collaborative compilation on the German label Attenuation Circuit. The latest of these is Collab 15, a twenty-minute work of drone and spliced field recording from netlabel Crna Zemlja that impresses with its cohesion, experimentation, and execution.
This is a true collaboration in that it’s difficult, if not impossible, to tell which artist is responsible for certain sounds. This is a positive thing, for you’re able to bypass attempting this kind of identification (something I’m often guilty of) and concentrate on the music itself. Collab 15 begins with a slowly approaching wave of processed noise, an abrasive grace similar to artists like Terra Sancta and Bleak Fiction, with layers being slowly added until the sound swells into a full-blown digital maelstrom. It’s immediately hypnotic and immersive, but things soon begin to change.
Dimitrov and Ristevski start to toy with the layers, dropping out the low end and letting the high-pitched distortion move into the light, before bringing the bed of drone back in. This technique provides a first-hand look at how the duo structures their ambient collage, giving insight into how the different sounds change the experiment’s identity. From a technical standpoint, this is quite fascinating.
If this was all Collab 15 did, it would be noteworthy by this merit alone. But there are surprises in store. About eight minutes in, the muted sounds of speech emerge, buried so deeply that the words cannot be distinguished. This imparts a sense of mystery to the proceedings, as I can’t help but strive to make out the words. This element is a shrewd design choice, which gives the sound increased identity and variety without feeling artificially executed. With the relative lack of a defined concept, the feeling of intrigue is thick as the noise pitches and swirls around the ghost-like mutterings; at this point, Collab 15 becomes a lost archival recording, a audio signal sourced from a time and place unknown, plucked from the detritus of the sonic ether.
As the track winds down, Lefterna and Sound_00 begin to dissolve their construction. A delicate melody appears, a brief flickering pattern of lights in the midst of the swirling disrupted air. A final burst of radio static and distant mumbling vocals, then the fifteenth collaboration pulls the plug into silence.
Given the quality and creativity displayed by Ristevski and Dimitrov on Collab 15, I find myself wishing that they’d pool their talents on a fully realized conceptual album. With plenty of teamwork in the bank, it’s pretty clear that the duo has a strong relationship. As a standalone release, however, their newest collaborative installment is a quality piece of experimental drone, showing an enviable combination of poise and technique. After listening, don’t be surprised if you find yourself doing the same thing I did: tracking down as many of the first fourteen as I could.
teutonkhamat 