The music of Akira Rabelais “definitely isn’t something of this world”: a beautiful ghostly presence at night, and a box full of remembrances of things past.
(Leave a comment for a chance to win a free download code for one of these two releases!)
**Please note: **
This remix was intended as a special 2009 Christmas gift from Akira Rabelais.
It is now no longer available to download
Right from the very first time I heard the “Spellewauerynsherde” album by Akira Rabelais (released in 2004 by David Sylvian’s Samadhisound label) this album has been one of my absolute favourites.
And now, 5 years since the original release, it still is a sound unheard neither before nor since.
Spellewauerynshere is built from found sounds, field recordings of traditional Icelandic accapella lament songs that were recorded in the late 1960s or early 1970s. The recordings are heavily (and sometimes less heavily) treated and manipulated by Rabelais’ custom built music software, Argeïphontes Lyre.
You can check back on ambientblog to read my review from 2005:
“It’s as if a voice coming from the middle ages haunts you in your deepest sleep. It’s beautiful, heavenlike. But at the same time it’s distorted and confusing, scary even.”
Now, Akira created a complete new mix from the same source material, and decided to present it as a Christmas gift.
It has the same haunting atmosphere, so if you want to have some ‘slightly’ different christmas music at home this year, this gift is for you. You’ll have to act quick, since the links and podcast will be removed after christmas day.
Tor Lundvall’s name has been a bit of a buzz in the ambient community recently. Contrary to what you may expect, he’s not living in Scandinavia but in New York. And he’s not only a musician but also a painter, as can be seen on his website http://www.torlundvall.com/.
