the feeling that everything has already been said when it comes to drones, dark ambient and isolationism is often inevitable - so it's
hard to keep a fresh look on things when new material comes out. which makes it all the more pleasant and surprising when we hear a release
that manages to draw our attention; to know it's still possible to bring something new and exciting to the genre is a priceless feeling.
"fragments of night" by ingenting kollektiva is one of those releases.
the sound is part of the mystery surrounding ingenting kollektiva, a group formed by four broadminded musicians (for instance, the quartet
claims their music is a homage to the films of ingmar bergman, among other things). on this record - released by the demanding invisible
birds label - they're especially elusive and enigmatic, as evasive as the biographies of the individual band members. they divide the album
into two pieces of twenty minutes each. they explore numerous emotions on both tracks, in a way that seems natural and logical, with an
interesting control of space and a sense of exploration that is simply thrilling.
"fragments of night a", the opening track, is divided into three phases, of which the middle piece - a gliding, melancholic ambient mantra - is
the winner. it's reminiscent of the miasmah catalogue and the darker releases on type records, albeit with a very personal and unique touch.
"fragments of night b", on the other hand, is more linear, though their use of odd instruments and heterodox sounds makes things all the more
interesting. as is the case with most of the releases coming from this scene, "fragments of night" is meant for slow digestion, especially when
the melody disappears. however, there's a hidden world in there somewhere, both creatively and emotionally, and ingenting kollektiva skillfully
and elegantly avoid all the stereotypes.
~ matt birchmeier
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drone records
american collective performing subtle, dusky handplayed drones on bells, tibetan bowls, cello, harmonium, guitars, etc... using also field recordings
and record player, as an homage to ingmar bergman & sven nykvist - "a direct response to music recorded or released in 1969"; very nice & with
energetic climax on side b; lim. ed. gatefold-cover
~ stefan knappe
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the liminal
ingenting kollktiva are a quartet formed as a homage to the films of ingmar bergman and sven nykvist, and fragments of night is inspired by recordings made
in 1969, including bitches brew and vashti bunyan's just another diamond day to name but two. but those expecting a straightforward appreciation might be
left a little puzzled. each side takes you on a sonic journey. side A begins with you emerging from the womb through a dark throb of blood pumping drones,
before moving through electro-acoustic shudders and metallic clicks spinning through the stereo field. the flipside acts as a more menacing soundtrack to a
trip. coughing and jarring strings see-saw before an electric guitar, made to sound like an actual saw, buzzes through. it finishes with bird song and the
softness of the great outdoors, as if you've finally been granted some blessed relief from this intense exploration.
~ rich hughes
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rough trade
astounding, deep listening from the invisible birds label and ingenting kollektiva.
~ rough trade
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mojo (july 2012, vinyl countdown section)
inspired by bitches brew, in a silent way, and the brooding cinematography of sven nykvist, this debut collaboration of sound artists diane granahan, matthew
swiezynski and kirston and tarrl lightowler, was recorded in the latter couple's barn in 2009, with bells, tibetan prayer bowls, guitar, harmonium, psaltery,
shakuhachi flute, tenor sax, cello and old 78 samples all fashioned into the kind of hovering, meditative drone suite that suggests a bereft teo macero scoring
ingmar bergman's hour of the wolf
~ andrew male, ian harrison
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headphonecommute
ingenting kollektiva make the kind of organic ambient drone that washes over your senses like a slow rolling fog, seeking to create an environment which reflects
on the "quality of light, sound and atmosphere" explored in the films by ingmar bergman and sven nykvist. the four members of this collective, diane granahan,
kirston lightowler, tarrl lightowler, and matthew swiezynski, weave two long-playing tracks (both at approximately 20 minutes), for this fourth catalog edition
on invisible birds, a small label, co-founded by the above granahan and swiezynski, publishing hand-packaged limited edition releases, based on the idea of "tiny
feathered workers motionlessly charting immensity." fragments of night, however, creates a soundtrack to feathered fowls unseen. acoustically effected instruments,
such as cello, shakuhachi flute, bells, and even a bowed tibetan prayer bowl, swim in a continuously churned cauldron of field recordings, 78-record snippets, and
auditory documents of wild life. fragments of night is a delicate meditation on sound, unhurried and unapologetic in its flawless execution. add to that a mastering
touch by taylor deupree, and you've got a fantastic album for fans of celer, kreng, black wwan and 36. pressed on a beautiful limited edition vinyl, this is a
record to be played late into the night until the sound drowns in dreamworld. stay tuned for another album from ingenting kollektiva, titled lost beyond telling,
already promised by invisible birds
~ headphonecommute
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santasangremagazine.wordpress.com on fragments of night & lost beyond telling
the devious ides of march may be yet over but ingenting kollektiva provided the soundtrack this year. this is organic, found sound design
of the highest order; the LP consists of two long form compositions which set their sights on capturing the late twilight hours after the
sun has set over the horizon. through the usage of menacing, rumbling tides of acoustic interplay, they usher in the night and we stand
in silent observance of it. the butterflies flutter this way and that, crickets begin to chirp in the hazy distance. you can just begin to
smell the distant burning leaves and clippings which are offered up reverently albeit unconsciously to the stars which begin to come
out slyly as the sky turns from the deep, penetrating blue of day into the gray wispy hints of the evening. sit about, if you like, on
your porch or as i did out back on the patio with this on. if you took all of tor lundvall's paintings and then stripped out all the color
you would have on your hands what fragments of night contains. there's no direct line between these two artists but the starkly similar
manner in which they summon up such elegant depictions of the silent places in our lives is riveting.
while your mind strolls along to these two tracks, enjoy how it wanders from the path; this is all purely instrumental work, there are no
words or catch phrases to distract you from meditating on your own existence. there is a rough, coarse texture to what the kollektiva compose
on fragments of night. you almost get the feeling they woke from a dream and tried to nail it all back down before the wisps of imagination
were excised in the harsh light of day. but for all the netherworld wonder this first part is comprised of, it is the second movement that
gets to me the most.
lost beyond telling is a full length series of re-interpretations culled out of those fragments; what the precise choices are i am not privy
to but i can tell you this: what coil began on the bonus cd-r for the seasonal singles is very much alive and thrives gorgeously on here. again,
there's no direct line between the two but there is something strangely familiar in the noises which come out of my speakers while i listen to
this. sometimes its a collection of droning menace and then at others i find the enchanting echoes and ritualistic near serpentine flicks of
highly manipulated bells... or are they voices, i could swear i hear someone talking very very softly as though the intent of their words has
been buried beneath so much electronic machination. i really am held rapt by what i'm hearing here, i only wish i'd have secured one of the 11
copies which contained an additional piece which no doubt completes the near symphonic majesty of what surely must be an ambient epic.
there is also a visual side to this outfit which i have not seen as of yet but i plan on addressing this. can what they've caught under the lens
come close to what i'm seeing when i close my eyes? i have no doubt it will exceed my expectations but until then i am quite content to listen
along to these masterful musicians as they alter and re-shape the scenery all around us. go into your own private realm, they seem to say. take
council with your thoughts, give them substance. it sometimes pays off quite impressively when you just strike out into the unknown, step away
from your burdensome train of thought and throw off the shackles of routine.
somewhere between where i live and the coast there is a road which this pair of albums may well have been drawn out from. one begins in the cities,
progressing through numerous freeway interchanges and then arrives at a barren stretch of desolate, deserted two lane asphalt. there is nothing out
there save the occasional lights of a settlement, endless mile after mile of rusted, warped barbed wire but through the gloaming skies you can make
out an unbroken series of wire raised high above your eyes. the one link with the outside world, the tenuous thread back to civilization. these are
the fragments of night, indeed. don't say you have not been thoroughly advised, this set of releases dissolves the waking life you lead into a
somnambulist's paradise...a mercurial dominion of omnipotent reflections.
