released September 3rd, 2022
compact disc release info
living somewhere
long enough
and moving away
a part remains
from time to time
and thinking of there
nostalgia calls
that was left behind
recorded in Cambridge, UK 2018-2022
inspired by exploration, in and around Den Haag, NL 2000-2013
paintings by Jan Berghuis
mastering by Gene Williams and Matthew Florianz
thank you
Jan Berghuis, Peter van Cooten, Stan Linders, Sarren Scott, Tamara Tirjak, Gene Williams
recorded on
Fireface ucx, Hydrasynth, Minibrute 2s, MS20
Neutron, Prologue, Spitfire labs, Volca Fm, X5d
edited in Reaper daw
cd production and printing by Mobineko.com
gatefold packaging has been chosen to reduce plastic and weight
limited first edition - published in 2022 copyright control
Like Maalbeek, which muses on memories of a forest region in the south of The Netherlands, mist schimmen is inspired by my time living in The Hague. Iconic sounds, such as the reverberating pneumatic hammers, that push giant concrete columns into the ground, are captured in laat al zo lang, the fourth track on the album.
The opening sounds of haven light (harbour light) are captured between hundreds of square concrete blocks that line and protect the iconic harbour entrance from the sea.
It is a statement about the capricious nature of the album: Concrete squares (rhythm) break the chaos of the sea splashing between them (noise). In that space, something new, a tonal reverberance is created. In all it's simplicity, it is an analogy for how I create and approach music and sound design.
mist schimmen is also inspired by the music of that time, taking a more melodic and rhythmic direction from the dark "outer-space" ambiences of mass object. Its closest musical release is zon der tijd ver gaat which I consider a study and sketches for this album.
Igloo Magazine
"... Finding a portal to the hollow interior of the earth, never seen before, through changing textures and forms, from deep extended foggy drones to popping electronic beats that hide and barely emerge in places. ... "
From the album notes ::
The tempo ascends, there are swirling snowflakes and crunching colors that shuffle and gleam, “nieuw stad” (4:56), (new city), continuously the tempo takes form, I hear footsteps, rushing water, drum patterns.
The tempo continues below the surface ::
Always taking our ears to new places, each track has a very rich and full content, lots of things are happening as the tempo continues below the surface, along the journey. The next track, “warm ver” (6:23), (warm far) there is a guitar being strummed, the strings clicking against the pick create a rhythm, not so much a melody, the pace stays warm. Things keep melting and changing while the flow stays well formed. Florianz uses a huge palette of colors and sound pictures, for example, between tracks 3 and 4 the changes happen in such a way that there are many false endings and new beginnings, feeling the end of the track is less important than the series of new starts. The rich variety of sound bits that weave and flow make for a dream of many locations. I asked about how Florianz measured the parts that fit together so well, how did the selection of these elements come about? Where do they come from? How would he describe his harvest? “Iconic sounds, such as the reverberating pneumatic hammers, that push giant concrete columns into the ground, are captured in “laat al zo lang” (4:24), (let for so long), the fourth track on the album.”
We have arrived in the vacant old city finding shelter in a cave, I can hear distant industry within the beats and the melodic structures, speaking of growing life. Now there is a beat for sure, made of gigantic machines. “richting zuid” (4:33), (direction south) at the end I hear a piano through a lens darkly, the beat picks up and we are traveling on, just the music remains of the journey itself.
Things change and a new world begins, “waar gebeurd” (4:06), (where happened). I am anxiously approaching the scene of the old tragedy, the pace is slow and reverent, in the darkness. A piano is here, with other stringed instruments, an old traditional form enveloped in a mist of amber. I almost wish I could count the number of wonderful transitions and strange blends of water sounds and new illuminated chamber refractions and settling behemoths.
From here a candle will never show the walls of this cavern because it is so big, track 7: “toen der tijd” (5:53), (then of time), after all the changes and strange sustained shimmering breaths, the sound lingers and proves to endure. Eventually the beat melts into the framework below and the journey resumes for a little eternity longer, then the beat fades while we coast.
A slow deep piano brings us in, meeting us in the darkness, the simplicity contrasts with the thickness and variety of density of the activity so far, here it is time to relax, “laat los” (3:50), (let go). I am having my slow piano dreams, a slow pulse takes form and becomes a tempo rising, finding a place under a waning moon.
After all the territory we have covered, here is a proper concluding track, with a consistent mood and drifting slow pace, “van ons” (6:17), (from us). I feel the last frigid moments glimpsing the land past the horizon, the bridge leading to the center of the great unknown. How can I put any of this into words? The artist speaks most eloquently, “Concrete squares (rhythm) break the chaos of the sea splashing between them (noise). In that space, something new, a tonal reverberance is created. In all its simplicity, it is an analogy for how I create and approach music and sound design.”
I am very grateful to have the opportunity to experience this amazing construction of magic and real life, an imaginative rendering of walking through a night fog with new eyes. An opportunity to see into the night of another life in this place of reverence and zephyrs.
Mist Schimmen (missed figures / mist shades) is a soundtrack to a place, a memory and nostalgia for a time in which I have created albums such as Molenstraat, Electronic Forest, Grijsgebied, Three, Niemandsland and Koude Handen. (This new music is) like Maalbeek, which muses on memories of a forest region in the south of The Netherlands.”
While based in Cambridge, the title of his latest CD has a Dutch title. It translates to 'fog shadows'. It also says that it is inspired by "exploration, in and around Den Haag, the Netherlands, 2000-2013'. Florianz wrote his note in Dutch and named all the tracks in the beautiful Dutch language, so he either was based here or lived here for some time.
It's been a long time since I reviewed his work (Vital Weekly 519), and I had forgotten about him. He has a bunch of works on his Bandcamp page. On this page, it says 'ambient. environment. soundscapes.', precisely what we find in the music on Mist Schimmen. There are many field recordings, which, I assume, are made in Den Haag, and Florianz uses these along with an array of synthesizers, piano and the occasional rhythm. For instance, in Nieuw Stad, he uses a bit and then music leans towards the ambient house, but do not overthink the word 'house' here. The use of reverb is a dominant feature here, and it all becomes very atmospheric and dark. Yet, Florianz stays on a more melodic side of ambient music, and some of this music I could easily see used to significant effect in a movie. Not the horror show, but a psychological drama of some kind.
There is little by way of abstraction here, just melodic piano and string treatments, set against some field recordings of an undisclosed nature and some likewise gentle rhythms. He uses the right piano sounds for it and has, at times, a fine dramatic build-up quality. Sometimes a tad too smooth for my taste, and Florianz's music becomes scaringly close to new age music. Again, that is also thanks to the soft piano playing. But those moments aren't too much around here.
All in all, it's stylish and moody ambient music, in the best Brian Eno (and everybody that followed) tradition. (FdW)
Matthew Florianz' musical career started around 2000 when he still used the beautiful alias Liquid Morphine. His early releases, such as GrijsGebied, Molenstraat, and Electronic Forest (some of them collaborations), were widely respected among the ambient audience, but also remained a bit of an underground cult - perhaps because of the consistent use of Dutch titles?
Florianz kept (self-)releasing quite some albums throughout the years, simultaneously building a succesful career as a game audio designer. (Not very relevant side note: I had the honor of creating a collage of sounds from 'The Chronicles Of Spellborn' in 2009).
His experience as a sound/game audio designer can be heard in his latest release: Mist Schimmen ('Fog Shadows', or according to Florianz himself: 'Mist Shades/Missed Figures'). It's a step forward (for instance in the use of rhythm in some tracks, such as in the opener Haven Licht where white noise bursts sound like cymbals), but at the same time it's 'nostalgia for a time in which I have created albums such as Molenstraat, Electronic Forest, Grijsgebied, Three, Niemandsland and Koude Handen'.
Again, all of the tracks have Dutch titles, adding to the nostalgia and telling the album's story in itself. They're probably uncomprehensible for non-Dutch speakers, so I'll help here: Haven Licht (Harbour Light), Nieuw Stad (New Town), Warm Ver (Warm Far), Laat Al Zo Lang (Late For So Long), Richting Zuid (Direction South), Waar Gebeurd (True Story), Toen Der Tijd (Back Then), Laat Los (Let Go) and Van Ons (Ours).
On Mist Schimmen Matthew Florianz stays true to his artistic vision and to the musical direction he chose from the very beginning of his musical career - but without repeating himself or sounding anachronistic.
Mist Schimmen (missed figures / mist shades) is a soundtrack to a place, a memory and nostalgia. What I hear is a combination of traditional brass and strings with electronics of all kinds, and field recordings of stumbling steps and hidden motion, through a crowded path. This is a journey in slow motion through extended and sustained sounds, notes and tone clusters, sometimes there is a beat, other times only the drones hold the sky up, sustaining the world. What keeps my attention is the progression of new sounds as the music spins and opens wider.
The artist shares that ... mist schimmen is inspired by my time living in The Hague .... Here, I hear an atmosphere of deep sophistication, things progress slowly and there are exceptions which provide texturally diverse gardens to explore, finding a portal to the hollow interior of the earth, never seen before, through changing textures and forms, from deep extended foggy drones to popping electronic beats that hide and barely emerge in places. ... mist schimmen is also inspired by the music of that time, taking a more melodic and rhythmic direction from the dark “outer-space” ambiences of mass object. Its closest musical release is zon der tijd ver gaat which I consider a study and sketches for this album ...
living somewhere
long enough
and moving away
a part remains
from time to time
and thinking of there
nostalgia calls
that was left behind
The first track, “haven licht” (8:15), (harbor light) speaks musically of a place where we are captured between hundreds of square concrete blocks that line and protect the iconic harbor entrance from the sea. The textures dominate the forms, there are emerging melodies but the real action is in the percussive electronics. But then the whole thing shifts into an orchestral blend, then a cathedral organ I think, the electronics are present but are receding into the odd noises and grumbling harbor monsters.
Vital Weekly
Peter van Cooten.
Ambietblog
The album is inspired by the music of that time - without sounding retro-nostalgic, by the way: it is still music of this time, too. The music inspired by Florianz' memories of the time he lived in The Hague (he currently lives in the UK) and, of course, uses many environmental recordings from the area - all of them perfectly embedded in the synthetic soundscapes.
richting zuid
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LOG 01 - 15DEC2019
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LOG 02 - 22DEC2019
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LOG 03 - 20FEB2020
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LOG 04 - 22FEB2020
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LOG 05 - 26FEB2020
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LOG 06 - 01MAR2020
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LOG 07 - 01MAR2020
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