MONOGOTO – PARTIAL DELETION OF EVERYTHING (VOL. 3)
Monogoto is the ambient music trio formed by David Newman (also known as Autistici), Porya Hatami, and Ian Hawgood.
Previous editions of the Partial Deletion Of Everything series were released in 2020 (on 12k) and 2022 (on Polar Seas Recordings). This third volume finds its home on Home Normal, the label curated by Ian Hawgood.
When I read a title like this, I prepare for some harsh, noisy sounds, because ‘destruction’ is usually not very quiet. But there’s no need for this on this album, because the two long tracks – Marine Snow (Deletion 23) and Virgo (Deletion 84) – are comfortably calm soundscapes in the best ambient tradition.
For the concept of ‘Partial Deletion’, we have to go back to the liner notes for Vol. 1: this is a series of works “based on the concept of creation, change, and loss. The Partial Deletion of Everything series focuses on impermanent objects and their placement within time. Even something as vast and powerful as the ocean was once not here. The Work chronicles the impact of beautiful moments in time and documents how they change, disintegrate, and fade. […] As an artist collective, we are pleased the music is at once exquisitely sad and uplifting.”
‘Everything is impermanent, so enjoy it while you can’ – is what this music seems to tell us. If the goal is to ‘delete everything (partially)’, I guess this will probably not be the last of the series.
There’s probably more uplifting sadness where this came from…
‘T GERUIS – THE KINDEST ENCOUNTERS
‘t Geruis is the alias of Belgian artist Daniël Jolan. It is a Dutch(/Belgian) word that is a bit hard to translate: I think ‘the murmur’ (as a soft, slightly distorted sound) comes close best.
‘t Geruis released six albums since 2021, on various well-known labels. The ‘otherworldly, dusty memory-hued’ music caught the attention of Ian Hawgood, who now proudly presents The Kindest Encounters on his Home Normal label:
“In this digital age I am so thankful for the warmth of such an analog spirit as ‘t Geruis wandering the world sharing the things that sit just slightly out of view; blurred and often forgotten but always there, guiding us home.”
In every release, Daniël Jolan is searching for “the balance between beauty and what is broken, or generally what might be considered so”. This includes a lot of hiss, noises, and sounds of deterioration, as well as brighter sounds like a piano. The result is, indeed, an otherworldly atmosphere.
The combination of this particular, unusual sound design with the gentle melodies and loops is what makes the music of ‘t Geruis immediately recognizable.
The Kindest Encounters is available as a limited (100) CD and, of course, as a digital download.
