BVDUB - The Art Of Dying Alone

Le solitudini sono perfette, solo le solitudini

(Mario Desiati)

Given on one hand the "frozen" conceptual matrix that defines the Glacial Movements label, and on the other the productions of ambient-dub-techno ceremonialist Brock Van Wey, the release of Bvdub's new, substantial work by the Rome-based label can only arouse great curiosity.

The meeting of these two electronic universes – different but not so distant – has proven to be an extremely stimulating artistic opportunity, building bridges between Van Wey's recent work and the isolationist imagery crystallized across the label's seven previous releases, founded and curated with passion by Alessandro "Netherworld" Tedeschi.

The result is nearly eighty minutes of music offering the American musician's highly personal interpretation of arctic solitude – now permanently relocated to China – partly breaking down the "rhythmic barrier" and the numbing darkness of drone blankets and ambient saturation that have defined the Roman label's previous thematic releases. At the same time, Van Wey sets aside much of the cosmic, dreamlike impetuousness of his latest works (the album "We Were The Sun" and the lengthy track "To Live"), in favor of enveloping loops, electroacoustic miniatures, and barely hinted-at tremors.

The six tracks (four between eight and eleven minutes, two around the twenty-minute mark) plunge into the usual icy depths, while still retaining electroacoustic warmth and traces of human presence, in the form of distant vocalizations that occasionally punctuate increasingly dense saturations.

Van Wey's solipsistic approach to the arctic theme doesn't manifest as a dramatic, numbing flow, but rather as a contemplative isolation, in which the artist captures reflections and polychrome nuances in a manner analogous to what photographer Bjarne Riesto achieved with the splendid cover image.

Solitary acoustic notes thus coexist with the potentially infinite iterations of "Descent To The End"; a minimal piano introduces the uniform yet extremely dynamic drone of "Nothing From No One"; chords with almost Mediterranean overtones and ethereal harmonic surges frame the shifting visions of "No More Reasons Not To Fall" and "No One Will Ever Find You Here".

Throughout the album, and particularly in the two longest pieces ("To Finally Forget It All" and the closing title track), Van Wey repeatedly ventures into dark abysses, yet each time manages to enrich them with rare vitality, bending their static uniformity toward cosmic drifts and even dreamlike caresses, weaving in an incessant series of openings, pulsations, and streaks that move deftly between the droning symphonies of Basinski and the sonic universe of Labradford.

More reflective and less pessimistic than its title might suggest, through its many elements and variations "The Art Of Dying Alone" manages to overcome the apparent obstacle of its imposing length, giving ample breathing room to a theme that's always at risk of being difficult to communicate. In doing so, Van Wey confirms the quality already shown in his releases from last year, establishing himself as a credible ambient composer with a keen sensitivity, capable of rendering in music the thousand colors of ice and the essence of an irrepressible solitude, mirroring in every way the solitude inherent in human nature itself.

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25/07/2010