Published by Davide Pappalardo on October 23, 2018
VelgeNaturlig is the drone/ambient project of Ivo Santos, a Portuguese artist dedicated to the exploration of aural soundscapes, as well as kosmische drones, using diverse analog, organic and psychoacoustic roots. He already has a vast discography with many releases, like the abstract work Revolt Of The Sun (Galdor Technologies, 2003) or the minimal one The Third Light Performance (Galdor Technologies, 2005) and the darker Opalescent Pust (Winter-Light, 2017). Here we find eerie sounds cosmic soundscapes, layered with ominous loops and mysterious mantras.
Now, he returns to the Dutch label with Kundalini, a new inner voyage made of meditative drones, long ambient sessions, and suggestive hidden sounds, music needing to be listened carefully, possibly in the dark. Orchestral elements and dark motifs with a cinematic taste, enriched by ethnic instruments, complete the scene, evoking an ancient world in which time has stopped. A release perfectly in line with Winter-Light’s artistic vision and direction, aiming to guide the listener during his own mind-journeys.
Padmasana (a cross-legged sitting asana originating in meditative practices of ancient India, commonly referred to as The Lotus Position and used for meditation in the Yoga, Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist contemplative traditions) welcomes us with its slow and eerie crescendo full of evocative sounds and distant elements, soon adding spiraling drones and terse orchestral arches, while On continues the flow with vivid ambiances and shrilling loops, employing more experimental takes.
Secret dialogue follows suit with its dreamlike soundscape, in which droning sounds and ethnic instruments craft a vibrant path, destined to meet field-recordings elements and cosmic elevations. A link with the cosmos and nature represented by both elegant movements and obsessive mantras. Matariki (the name of the Pleiades star cluster in the Māori language) dwells into astral atmospheres and controlled dissonances, showing a looping flow. After the sixth minute the track evolves into a subtler affair, layered by shrilling effects and grim baritones.
Urur showcases diaphanous soundscapes and dosed ambiances, employing spiraling moments full of spiritual rituals and eerie suggestions, while Tara is a way more delicate piece with evocative synths and gentle instruments; here the field-recordings elements return, following a common theme present in the work, and majestic electronic patterns underline a crescendo made of melancholic keys. Unboundedness ends the work with its communion of strings and drones, and after the third minute stern chants and distant voices figure in the track.
A meditative work finding light in the darkness, Kundalini is a spiritual experience which pictures inner landscapes by the means of soulful music. Every track is the piece of a jigsaw, and the album needs to be experienced as a whole, during a focused listening session. If you like ambient music with ethnics and spiritual elements, this work will surely speak to you.
Label: Winter-Light
Rating: 7,5