Delivering sonic, sinister and grandiose aural vibrations, Monastic removes any trace of melody to concentrate on the psycho-acoustic density of shapes, moods and tones.
Based in Germany, Christ Sigdell is an active sound-artist who now works under the moniker of b°tong. His field of experimentations includes concrete sound industrialism, drone ambient and field recordings. After a couple of notable releases such as Hostile Environments (Greytone) and Prostration Before Infinity (Silken tofu), his latest album is welcomed by the Swedish indie label Reverse Alignment—one serious actor in modern day dark-ambient / post-industrial electronic music.
Titled Monastic, this new b°tong release is a collection of materials recorded in 2010, mainly structured around processed field recordings, gauzy spacious textures and a vast array of industrial noises. It has been recorded in collaboration with Benny Braaten and Bertrand Gaude. The general musical atmosphere captures absolutely claustrophobic-isolationist cinematic sceneries with a fancy for cathartic and religious estate. The soundscapes are well elaborated, quite organic with an organizational sense of noises and concrete objects. Delivering sonic, sinister and grandiose aural vibrations, Monastic removes any trace of melody to concentrate on the psycho-acoustic density of shapes, moods and tones. Pieces are developed as one epic, droning and frightening musical inferno filled of ghostly echoes and industrial resonances. This is a tripped-out blackened trip in a state of complete isolation.
A recommended album if you are into the more abstract / conceptual hermetic style of post-apocalyptical cinematic tendencies of dark-ambient music (ie. Lustmord, Terra Sancta, Megaptera, Gustaf Hildebrand et al.)
Monastic is available on Reverse Alignment.
