ambient
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It's a bit strange that this album reached us in the middle of summer, but it was actually quite refreshing to listen to. It's been playing several times during the hot days of the past month but I never managed to finish writing the review. I started twice, each time facing a bit of a writer's block. This time however, it's different for some reason, and the reason is not the quality of the album. This is actually an excellent piece of piano based ambient music, a perfect companion for these rare quiet times.
Nhung Nguyen is also known as Sound Awakener, a project which explores experimental music, noise and ambient. Besides, she's one half of noise act Hanoise. As the name of that noise act predicts, Nguyen lives in Hanoi, Vietnam and has been making music for several years now. With this new solo project under her own name, he explores the world of electro-acoustics, field recordings and modern classical music, mostly driven by the mighty piano.
There's seven tracks on this album, each of them being a gently flowing combination of piano and soundscapes. They are inspired by everyday life in winter and do indeed have a cold atmosphere. Instead of multi-layering sounds, Nguyen keeps things at a very minimal level, with fragile melodies fading freely in and out of soothing ambient passages. The result is dreamlike, restful and pleasurable. These songs go deeper than those of most modern day composers, including Olafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm, and are a little bit more experimental in nature.
So if you like the strange beauty of distant sounds and the unpredictable nature of processed piano, this is really something you should check out. It blends perfectly with everyday sounds and it also remains enjoyable on its own. This is a quality that I admire in this kind of music, the power to accompany normal activities and adding a touch of magic or mystery to them.
Serge
Nhung Nguyen is also known as Sound Awakener, a project which explores experimental music, noise and ambient. Besides, she's one half of noise act Hanoise. As the name of that noise act predicts, Nguyen lives in Hanoi, Vietnam and has been making music for several years now. With this new solo project under her own name, he explores the world of electro-acoustics, field recordings and modern classical music, mostly driven by the mighty piano.
There's seven tracks on this album, each of them being a gently flowing combination of piano and soundscapes. They are inspired by everyday life in winter and do indeed have a cold atmosphere. Instead of multi-layering sounds, Nguyen keeps things at a very minimal level, with fragile melodies fading freely in and out of soothing ambient passages. The result is dreamlike, restful and pleasurable. These songs go deeper than those of most modern day composers, including Olafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm, and are a little bit more experimental in nature.
So if you like the strange beauty of distant sounds and the unpredictable nature of processed piano, this is really something you should check out. It blends perfectly with everyday sounds and it also remains enjoyable on its own. This is a quality that I admire in this kind of music, the power to accompany normal activities and adding a touch of magic or mystery to them.
Serge