Placing special emphasis on creating piano flavored ambient meditations capturing the moment, these compositions are splattered with improvisation and chance. Iván Muela is fascinated by the way technology can become an essential part of the compositional process.
A sway of beautiful melodies and fascinating textures
Placing special emphasis on creating piano flavored ambient meditations capturing the moment, these compositions are splattered with improvisation and chance. Iván Muela is fascinated by the way technology can become an essential part of the compositional process.
Iván is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and sound artist blending traditional instrumentation with electronic processing, creating soundscapes that resemble ever-evolving sonic paintings, based in London. His music relies heavily on warm-sounding pianos, strings and electroacoustic experiments, ultimately resulting in a sway of beautiful melodies and fascinating textures. What stands out to me are the sounds of the mechanical aspects of the piano, captured with an extremely close mic.
With sixteen tracks this covers a lot of territory. Starting with a slow fade in, an electronic glow, “Premise” (5:00) promises emerging embryonic essences building into a harmonious drone, getting more solid and then relaxing several times. “Grey on amber” (1:43) is a little gem, the piano is floating, there may be some fancy backwards effects on the main melody. I love it!
The Magnoliaceae have large sweet-smelling white or pink flowers and are quite famous in Mississippi. “Hidden magnolia” (6:43) brings a rippling gentle melody, the melody rolls on shifting keys. This track starts as a solo piano ditty, strings join in bringing a very light touch which adds drama and shadows. I hear lovely complex combined tones, soon the chamber sound gets freaky, then ripples out into a cold ending. Another short orchestral emergence, “Stuttering chromatic pulses” (1:12) brings together strings and magic horns, perhaps the sound of bowed metal, delicate moments expand and vanish, slowly, until everyone is here.
Starting with piano ghosts up close, “Solid bodies” (5:31) has a fragile melody, a dusty old sound getting more solid. There is the mechanical motion plus the hidden melody, featuring some haunting simple familiar chamber music tone stories, perhaps describing something emotionally, while also employing bowed metal. The sound is cold, a slowly developing form, by the end you would swear it is all real.
Now a new slow fade-in, kinetic flickering sparkling strings “Dancing, unowned” (4:11). The dance brings together the orchestra, still slowly at first, with glimpses of a shimmering tempo. The fluttering treatment of the instrument’s tonality suggests an orchestra arpeggiating. The feeling wanders into an echoey cave where the light flickering is turning into undulating mirages.
“Winter sun” (2:38) might be a traditional ode on piano, with a cold melody that is also somehow bright with ringing electronics behind the piano or maybe those are strings. Soft. Soon there might be an electronic glow with the orchestra, “On a canvas made of silk” (1:38) is slow, gorgeous and glitchy, as piano and strings become fuller. There might be some rain somewhere a bit distant, “Night time comes” (0:20) is very subtle and easy to miss.
A treated piano has been altered, perhaps there are objects placed on the strings changing the tone and nature of the gentle piano. “Eye-opened” (6:20) comes easing into the promise. With the most delicate and gossamer moments of empty rest and great attention to detail, the melody emerges again and again, slowing down sometimes. The melody hesitates and pauses, there are never any disturbances, dedicated to keeping the moment. The mystery is precious. Now I think I am landing on a new planet, “When everything is warm blue” (1:51) is buzzy glitchy and old sounding, a strong monotone governed by transient turbulence that keeps getting bigger, rumbling while a hot blue comes through, like a train, there are moments of rattling below the sustained tone, finally into an electrical hum, and a slow fade.
I imagine a glockenspiel flavored theme-like sound of space, “Help me fear the stars” (3:39) and the tension climbs slowly, perhaps a piano supports the melody of the bells, the feeling I get is grim and sad, melancholic (not fearful which seems it would sound jumpy) there are building strings and the melancholy grows into a full sounding chamber ensemble, over and over again circling and repeating sadness with some moments of light. The dimensions are huge, looking out across the empty void with distant planets and objects slowly moving as the orchestra comes closer, strings first. I feel a quiet sad terror, mostly sorrow which flows continuously into the next short track, “Swell does no love” (0:28) which features a transition between continuous flows and the minimal presence of a piano.
Deep in the electronic wilderness ::
A buzzing drone, revealing itself slowly, getting stronger “Within its self” (5:47) now getting deeper into a full ensemble of electronic keyboard strings. Deep in the electronic wilderness there is a structure made of the strings, the full sound emerges gently like a bowed metal guest owned by the chamber ensemble. Eventually establishing the ending melody, with slow fades, repeating strings, an introspective organ keyboard. Now there could be some emerging strings combined to form a melody and while the organ carries the focus, while the strings pull it apart, until the strings have taken the focus. Now the story is sad and finally floats out.
Suddenly a solo sax, breathing slowly, riding the empty moment to freedom, how did a sax get here? Did I miss other sax moments? The sound is a perfect fit but the sax has sort of a different voice from the album so far, the relieved horn gently floats away “Escaping, unbound” (2:09), testing and reflecting, always slowly.
We close with animated piano jangling, pulsing piano tones that seem rather light and upbeat, “Unearthed” (5:23). Is being unearthed like a sunrise? Are there several pianos? Nice complicated melodic elements. Now add a wooden guitar, building and weaving getting more complex and joyful, growing steadily building into more adding piano layers adding string layers and shrieking bowed layers calmly joining into delicate lasting tones reaching through time, released and testing size the room to jump about in. This is a joyful anthem compared to what we’ve just been through, piano and strings, a slight horn all becoming formed into a delicate awakening emerging into new structures, something new takes form and gallops or flaps its wings, and then it’s over.
Iván Muela is a young Spanish artist based in London, placing special emphasis on capturing the moment. His compositions are splattered with improvisation and chance. What I hear are warm-sounding pianos, strings and electroacoustic experiments, ultimately resulting in a sway of beautiful melodies and fascinating textures. These fall somewhere between the modern classical, ambient and experimental realm, and may appeal to fans of Max Richter, Colin Stetson, Abul Mogard or The Vernon Spring. Ether collaborators include Iván Muela (piano, synths, electric piano, harmonium, electronics, field recordings), Helena Massip (violin, viola), Kalina Dimitrova (cello), and Nat Philipps (saxophone).
Based in London, Iván has performed his music in a number of spaces across Europe, from intimate piano concerts to experimental noise events. His semi-improvised live sets combine piano, tape loops, guitar pedals and contact mics, generating a constantly-evolving soundscape that revolves around the classical, ambient and avant-garde.
Upcoming 2024 live shows ::
Oct 01 :: Prague, Kavárna Potrvá
Oct 29 :: London, Piano Smithfield
Nov 30 :: Stockholm, Skaiv
Ether is available on Bandcamp.
