Neil Bloem-Dying Earth EP. FFO: Dark, ambient soundscapes.

 

Neil Bloem-Dying Earth EP. FFO: Dark, ambient soundscapes.

This is definitely a different release for Aussie hardcore label Life Lair Regret Records. But in an absolutely great way and kudos to them for releasing this absolute ambient masterpiece. This is six solid tracks of music recorded during this wizard's (he is a very skilled musician and photographer) camping and hiking escapades in Tasmania and by utilising natural sounds from this journey. It is reflective, dark yet exceptionally relaxing in a moody and gloomy ambient style. There is a real essence of embracing the landscape and using it to reflect the way man has destroyed many parts of the natural world. It is sombre and mournful, but that is the purpose to this listener. Refreshingly I found this to be a calm and quite meditative set of tracks. This release is not defined by a genre, it may be slightly tribal in both indigenous and raw forms of musical structure/form, but it is very atmospheric and solemn. The album encompasses everything from throat singing to deep electronics and intelligent nature samples, all structured in a sublime way. This sounded equally amazing when hiking through a park or in contemplative mindfulness/meditation practice. The production is fittingly warm and crisp as I hope for in a release of this type. The track sequence was perfect and whilst overall it is a gloomy atmosphere, it has so much texture and pops of punchy mood that it is semi-industrial at its core. These types of sounds I have heard at fantastic events like Dark Mofo and the like. This is free of mainstream appeal and that passion echos across this EP. This type of musical exploration is worthwhile and encourages us all to reach beyond our normal listening.

This is a solid and deep release, and I cannot wait for further releases from this artist.

Watch this:

Buy it here:

And take the time to suss out Neil's amazing photography:

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