seasonal diary iii: curious enchantment
A tingling air of excitement and wonder envelopes us amidst this season of magic. Seasonal Diary III: Curious Enchantment brings together eight artists to capture the sounds of summer, where long days brim with possibility. Every turn from dawn to dusk presents the allure of a new adventure; resplendent awe awaits.
Starting our day, “hey where did you go?” finds Loris. S. Sarid mixing incoherent words with honeysuckle kisses that ooze the sweet, golden warmth of sunrise. Moving into the early hours of the day with Sam Prekop’s “Nearly,” one can imagine fairies gently shaking the world awake. Sounds are built with delicate lustre, where sparkling synth trickles down like glassy beads of dew on grass. We’re soon taken on a mystical voyage to an island filled with shape-shifting birds and colorful trees. Grykë Pyje tinkers with surrealist soundscapes on “Covert Sounds from Secret Mounds,” and otherworldly realms are brought to vivid life.
A warm afternoon rain soon emerges, and “Imber” is ushered in with a sweeping array of ricochets and silver-casted echoes. Yves De Mey incorporates recordings of rain hitting metal, while the sun splashes through in high tones. This bouncing movement leads us to “Glas,” where Vic Bang playfully captures a lively palette of sounds and melodies that sing and whizz through the air with joyful energy.
That energy builds into a particular type of tension. Written during a heatwave, Rutger Zuydervelt’s “Never Return (Kaleiding Outtake)” captures that paradox of tiredness and restlessness one feels in extreme heat. Soothing pads offer moments of pensive observance, while metallic percussive brushes clash and rattle. The fluster of movement washes away with Nicolas Snyder’s entrancing “Moon Bath Ritual.” Made on the night of a full moon, the gentle sway of water and drone-like, mumbled chants conjure the magic of cyclical ritual. This ritual leads us to the denouement of a summer’s day with the midnight lullaby, “The Juncos’ Nest.” Patricia Wolf offers a sweet ode to these dark-eyed birds who live outside her home, capturing a dark-edged, bittersweet solace between sparse, supernatural synth spells.
Across all eight tracks, discovery, observation, and imagination take sonic form. The compilation is a coalescence of vivid imagery—memories recollected and imagined—that invite the listener to explore with fascination this scintillating time of year.
meet the artists
- Patricia Wolf
Her use of melody and repetition manipulate the listeners’ perception of time, conjuring vivid textures and atmospheres.
Patricia WolfHer use of melody and repetition manipulate the listeners’ perception of time, conjuring vivid textures and atmospheres.
- Vic Bang
She captures the micro-sounds of the world, simultaneously crystalline and organic, and carefully composes them into unique and distinctive sound sculptures.
Vic BangShe captures the micro-sounds of the world, simultaneously crystalline and organic, and carefully composes them into unique and distinctive sound sculptures.
- Nicolas Snyder
Drawing upon personal spiritualities and interactions with the natural world, his work explores the space between universal constants and transcendental experiences.
Nicolas SnyderDrawing upon personal spiritualities and interactions with the natural world, his work explores the space between universal constants and transcendental experiences.
- Sam Prekop
For more than 25 years, as a solo artist or as part of The Sea and Cake, he has created a singular sound that’s inventive and warm. His solo electronic works are playful, restless, and maybe even a little bit reckless.
Sam PrekopFor more than 25 years, as a solo artist or as part of The Sea and Cake, he has created a singular sound that’s inventive and warm. His solo electronic works are playful, restless, and maybe even a little bit reckless.
- Loris S. Sarid
There is a deeply felt sense of personal touch and warmth that guides his electroacoustic compositions. He crafts music that is mesmerizing, peaceful, distinctive, and varied.
Loris S. SaridThere is a deeply felt sense of personal touch and warmth that guides his electroacoustic compositions. He crafts music that is mesmerizing, peaceful, distinctive, and varied.
- Grykë Pyje
They create strange and wonderful sonic worlds that invite the listener to uncrumple their maps and get lost in the adventure of myths and imagination.
Grykë PyjeThey create strange and wonderful sonic worlds that invite the listener to uncrumple their maps and get lost in the adventure of myths and imagination.
- Yves De Mey
He explores sparse, clattering industrial textures that amplify space and dimension. His sound design crosses artistic disciplines, with compositions for theatre, contemporary dance, and movies.
Yves De MeyHe explores sparse, clattering industrial textures that amplify space and dimension. His sound design crosses artistic disciplines, with compositions for theatre, contemporary dance, and movies.
- Rutger Zuydervelt
He creates sonic environments for the listener to dwell in. Finding tension in texture, tone, and timing, the result can be minimalistic at first glance, but reveals its depth upon closer listening.
Rutger ZuyderveltHe creates sonic environments for the listener to dwell in. Finding tension in texture, tone, and timing, the result can be minimalistic at first glance, but reveals its depth upon closer listening.
