Their approaches, methods, and sound signatures are relatively aligned, revolving around microtonality and meditative spiritual stillness. Such a creative dialogue can only be harmonious, guided by an imaginative force that invites the listener on a mental journey elsewhere.
Guided by an imaginative force
Jolanda Moletta and Karen Vogt are two contemporary classical artists and ambient music artisans who explore the sonic potential of vocals.
Along other musical creative efforts, Jolanda Moletta notably released the remarkably thoughtful and expressive Nine Spells (2022) for Amsterdam based label Ambientologist. She is a superbly inventive and versatile sound designer, with a focus on deep listening and vocal experimentation—often soothing, emotive, and transportive, with heavenly resonances. I discovered her work and artistic universe more recently than Karen Vogt, whose distinctive and exceptional harmonic layers in her soundscapes I was already familiar with. Vogt is a Paris-based sound alchemist with a strong interest for the luminous qualities of timbres, tone colors, and concrete poetry issued from pure vocal sounds and expanded spatio-environmental soundscapes. She has a substantial musical production with numerous albums for independent labels including Sonic Dialogue, Stellar Frequencies, Waxing Crescent, Wayside And Woodland Recordings, and others.
It becomes evident that these two artists have finally had the opportunity to collaborate. Their approaches, methods, and sound signatures are relatively aligned, revolving around microtonality and meditative spiritual stillness. Such a creative dialogue can only be harmonious, guided by an imaginative force that invites the listener on a mental journey elsewhere.
Crystallized ambient mantras ::
The collection of pieces gathered for this album, released by key indie label quiet details, marks a new step in the collaboration between the two sound artists, exploring the intersection of modern-day analog and digital ambient music. The past year they co-released Suspended Between Worlds. Sea-swallowed Wands is once more built on processed vocals, seconded by massive reverbs and additional effects with occasional electro-acoustic elements and droning flux. The result presents fully ethereal, warm, enchanting, and crystallized ambient mantras. The singular approach of these two sound artists will leave you in a state of quiet spiritual splendor and deep inner serenity. With simple motifs and a vibrant sense of magic, this album will captivate those in search of sparkling, healing, meditative moments through music.
If you appreciate the delicately enveloping and gently soothing spiritual ambient explorations of artists like Sofie Birch, Angela Winter, Anne Roxanne, and Mary Lattimore—as well as the more spectral vocal manipulations of Perila and other like-minded women in sound—don’t miss this album. This slowly moving body of ethereal pieces is also recommended for fans of oceanic ambient explorations by Hypnos, Databloem, and Slow Tone Collages. Sea-swallowed Wands is a nuanced and exploratory vocal ambient work that expands both artists’ musical imaginations.
Sea-swallowed Wands is available on quiet details. [Bandcamp]
