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Cassette
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SAUNA 040CS
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Koen Holtkamp presents Gong Solo on Cassauna. Holtkamp on the release: "These pieces are the first part of a series devoted to exploring the gong, so I decided to begin with a very simple approach. 'Mallet' is literally the first recording I made with the gong on the day I acquired it, so it represents my initial reaction to the instrument. It's the same basic tempo struck with a single mallet but varying intensity and position of the mallet on the gong to get a wider range of dynamics and sound. 'Sine' uses a single low frequency sine wave, tuned to a resonant frequency of the gong. Other than fading out the sine wave coming from the speaker behind the gong at the very end, I didn't make any changes during the recording, so the minute fluctuations that happen during the piece are purely from the gong interacting with the bass tone." "Mallet" was recorded in 2015 and "Sine" was recorded in 2016.
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LP
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BRG 012LP
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"Liquid Light Forms is Barge's first release for Koen Holtkamp, whose long-standing work both as half of the duo Moutains and as a solo artist has produced a diverse and rich catalog of electro-acoustic music. The album focuses almost entirely on electronic pieces utilizing predominantly voltage controlled modular synthesizers and sequencers. Liquid Light Forms radiates with pulsating, dense rhythmic patterns that morph and emerge as they compound on themselves. The result is a hypnotic and truly psychedelic listening experience that proves to be one of Koen's most captivating recordings yet. LPs released in an edition of 400 copies."
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CD
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TYPE 035CD
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Field Rituals is the first solo album to come from Koen Holtkamp, an artist probably better known as one-half of ambient duo Mountains. Based in Brooklyn, Koen created the album slowly and as a love letter of sorts, taking in delicate field recordings and using them like faded photos, representing his distinct memories of the people and places he chanced upon. Taking cues from the classic ambience of Brian Eno and fusing it with the instrumental subtlety of Sweden's Tape, Koen has come up with an aural book on his subject matter. Each track feels entwined in the next and feels like a part of something much bigger. Sure we've heard field recordings, synthesizers and guitars before, but rarely have these instruments been injected with such a lightness of touch and with such a delicate open ear. Each listen reveals more, like peeling back layers of onion skin -- take the album's epic centerpiece "Sky Flowers" for example, which blends slow-moving synthesizers with good-natured environmental recordings and shimmering strings. The result is explosive somehow, with the grandeur more usually exploited by Arvo Pärt being framed with a distant electronic ambience. The slow-burning pace is probably the single most important facet and reveals an artist at ease with his musical choices, something unusual in a genre brimming with young hopefuls. A good comparison might be Stars Of The Lid, but Koen's music is more organic and more humble somewhat than the ex-Texan duo. This is a look into Holtkamp's most personal of works.
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