1. |
Through the Veil
20:04
|
|||
|
Inspired by Lustmord’s “Aldebaran of the Hyades”, this was one of the earliest songs completed for what was originally going to be EP 2. The basis for the song is the sound of my washing machine, stretched out and with added reverb, which gives off a kind of industrial vibe. An incredible amount of other strange samples were manipulated in different ways and used throughout the song, including the sounds of: my own vocals (growls, screams and whispers), fireworks, an air-conditioner, and water, among others. I also wanted the mood of the song to shift at some point, and I think that the mid-section of the song, with the soothing drones and water has the potential to put the listener in a trance under the right circumstances. The end section is jarring, a technique first introduced to me by the abrupt soft-to-heavy shifts of the metal band Opeth.
|
||||
2. |
Shrine 1
02:08
|
|||
|
This originally appeared on EP 1. It functions as a short and unsettling interlude of sorts, consisting only of choir vocals (Gregorian, Chamber and Female voices). It also reveals the use of white noise (air-con sound), inspired by Black Swan’s The Quiet Divide, to link songs and create a sense of continuity.
|
||||
3. |
The Fourth Dimension
05:11
|
|||
|
Came out unintentionally spacey-sounding, which led to the creation of more space ambient-influenced tracks later on. A lot of the songs I was making at the time were coming out sounding way too positive and uplifting, or melancholic in a soothing sort of way. I wanted to make something utilising a bit more noise in order to get away from this trend. The shift halfway through is the result of adding layers upon layers of reverb to the noise and introducing an ominous piano loop to the mix.
|
||||
4. |
LTF
01:31
|
|||
|
A looped guitar part played by David Peek back in 2010/2011, recorded on low-quality video and converted into an even lower-quality mp3 file. I then reduced background noise and found the perfect reverb to change the sound of the guitar to one that reminds me of Red House Painters’ slowcore masterpiece, Down Colorfull Hill.
|
||||
5. |
Etruria, Secilia
05:00
|
|||
|
This was the last song completed for the album. The vast majority of Through the Veil is more about texture than melody, so I wanted something that would break up the very atmosphere-driven mid-section. At the same time, I wanted to avoid using standard instrumentation, which would result in the album losing its momentum and vibe. I wanted spacey, but heavenly, which was also necessitated by the consistently dark music across the record. I think I managed to achieve this. The title is the name of the 6th level of the scrolling shooter game, Raystorm – the song reminded me of the R-Gray’s arrival in the planet’s capital.
|
||||
6. |
Cosmos Redshift 7
06:07
|
|||
|
This song utilises two different public domain samples beneath a sparse, intergalactic-sounding track I made. They both fitted in so perfectly, it’s as if they were always recorded this way. The ending also provided a perfect opportunity to use the white-noise to my advantage. Cosmos Redshift 7 is the name of a galaxy about 12.9 billion light years from Earth.
|
||||
7. |
Shrine 2
02:08
|
|||
|
A sequel-of-sorts to the original. This is nothing more than the same song in reverse, but I found the change interesting enough to warrant inclusion and also add to the sense of continuity throughout the album.
|
||||
8. |
Alien
07:03
|
|||
|
Replaced “Stars” from Beyond the Light when it became apparent that the moods were far better suited to their respective albums. This one also has a strong outer-space vibe, and sounds like waking up dazed and confused inside an alien spaceship... to me, anyway. It’s sparse and moody but is probably the most traditionally melodic song on the album. As such, it functions as the climax to the record and also the endpoint of the journey from the depths of hell to the far reaches of space.
|
||||
9. |
The Lights That Beckon
01:47
|
|||
|
The melody played throughout the song is a reprise of the ending to "Through the Veil", bringing everything full circle. In the song, I read a poem I wrote in 2012 called The Lights That Beckon. It was never quite finished, as I was never fully satisfied with it. For this reason, I decided to pitch-shift and add echo to my voice, obscuring the words enough to hide the poem as a whole, but leaving enough to catch many of the words and phrases in order to get a sense of what I wanted to say with it. This turned out better than I could have hoped and the music allowed me to give the final words of the poem added emphasis. In this form it functions as I had always intended, allowing me to finally finish what I once started.
|
||||
Claustrophobia Durban, South Africa
Ambient artist from South Africa, currently residing in Kobe, Japan.
An ever-expanding
discography that encompasses numerous releases covering everything from drone and dark ambient, to harsh noise, sound collage, modern classical, and new age.
... more
If you like Claustrophobia, you may also like:
Cinematic dark ambient music from Melbourne artist Claire Deak that summons shadowy worlds full of mystery & intrigue.
go to album
Paperbark buries short sample snippets in a deep ocean of electronics, to mesmerizing effect.
go to album
featured on Bandcamp Radio Mar 29, 2022
go to album
In The Dust Of Idols
by SPECIMENS
Swirling, lightly experimental ambient full of expansive instrumental choices and dynamic sonic dimension.
go to album
Rough-and-tumble folk guitars co-mingle with stark synth melodies on the LA duo's third LP, bridging the gap between Americana and ambient.
go to album
Erang’s dungeon synth masterpiece “A Blaze in Time” comes to cassette via Dungeons Deep Records.
go to album
Minimalist compositions that take their time unfolding, bands of sound melting glacier-like from one end of the song to the other.
go to album
