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Ambient music comes in many forms and can be a real challenge to listen to when it features opposing atmospheres addressed on the same album. For me, this is the case on “Hypatia” (a reference to one of the many fantastical descriptions of imaginary places by Marco Polo in the book “Invisible Cities”) , the debut release of professional sound engineer by Colin Dunkerley, aka Lapsed Pacifist. “Hypatia” came to life over an extended and fragmented period, with field recordings and loops of audio created on the go, later processed through his modular setup. In the autumn of 2022, Colin spent time collating and listening to these many fragments and field recordings, making notes in a book as he wandered around cold, unfamiliar places with headphones on, trying to shape disparate starting points into something thematically connected. Nostalgic as well as euphoric and darkish reflections pass by on the 8-track minute. Sensitive beauties here are opener “Branksome”, “Almost Remembered” and “Tragic” -where the sense of loss, nostalgia and loneliness is clearly shining through- while the harsh, intrusive sound design of ”Enough” and “Breaking Fingers” really puts me off. |
| Website: astrangelyisolatedplace.bandcamp.com
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