C. Vadi – Woodland Synthesis

8.24.22 by Jacob DeRaadt

Nebulous drones float around parts of the first side that remind me of Iannnis Xenakis’ tape works; modulation of tones, depth of acoustic layering, and mood control is at master level on this slab. Hovering ambient field recordings mixed with synthesis often holds down the lower end of the spectrum or vice versa depending on the forest sounds being absorbed into the mix. This is tone experimental music at its higher form. Undertones framing the harmonic meshing of the individual layers.

Side B starts out with the slightest of tones that slowly gestates into a cystic mass of frozen synthetic tones. Outside my apartment window mentally I’ll imagine people yelling at each other in a courtyard. It’s the perfect contrast of serenity and mental calamity. Their hissing pulses beckon the ear forward into a smoke screen of wire meshed tone that cyclically cancels itself out as the motif for a lot of “Point Beach.” At its emotional core there’s a twinged element of deep melancholic melody in long term forms that form themselves like cliffs into a foggy landscape. Not quite Eliane Radigue pacing within these solemn tones. The fog thickening throughout the forest as the recording goes on. Hypnotic gestures of repeated melodic structures in signal and noise ratio encapsulates our attention as viewer to the landscape. The owl makes it’s presence known as the autumn tones slither away into the darkness. There’s a subtle effect with the insect sounds that gradually invade our view of the situation; someone’s left out a corpse on the path to the mountain. We find ourselves befuddled and entranced by the workings of this artist and can’t wait to hear more from them. Totally new project to me that I will have to seek out other releases of.