Like hypnosis on the dock, sensory over-lapping. Forget “patient microtonal drones,” just paced whine hinging in high register. Then plunged into the under water, investigating crab traps while an outboard motor moves diagonal on what’s now overhead. But the inversion is real, as the water drains out leaving…what? A Jules Verne seafloor? The approximation of the consciousness of an oyster? You’re a filter now.
It’s a stunning journey to open Marja Ahti’s Vegetal Negatives. Released by Hallow Ground, the album marks the first under the Marja Ahti name, following her releases as Tsembla and collaborations with Kemialliset Ystävät.
A work of field recordings, Buchla and ARP synthesizers, plus some acoustic instruments, the LP draws inspiration from “On pataphotograms,” a mystical essay on animal/vegetable interchange by René Daumal.
More about: Kemialliset Ystävät, Marja Ahti, Tsembla
