Tomáš Šenkyřík

London-based Slowcraft continues to craft… slow, and quiet, beautiful music… the type of music that I love waking up to and observing the dark sombre sky open up to the world for another short day. For the latest release on this boutique label curated by James Murray, we are gifted with a six-piece album by a Czech composer and field recordist, Tomáš Šenkyřík, titled Hajú, which is an old Moravian word that loosely translates to “hush hush”. Today’s track premiere of “Advent” is as appropriate as ever, with the seasonal preparation for the holidays, which began yesterday, November 27th. The word is a Latin adoption of “adventus” which means “arrival,” and whether you are of Christian faith or not, the approach towards this time is sensed by everyone. For me, it’s like a ramp down off the highway of the year, about to enter through the tunnel, where night and quietude surround a slow transition in-between, before a ramp-up into busy January, where somehow everyone exhales anew. This journey is perfectly soundtracked by Hajú, with its “subtle weaving together of acoustic elements, soft synthetic manoeuvres and evocative field recordings to spellbinding effect.” These gentle, minimal, and fragile sounds are cradled further by warm strings, with violin and double bass by Pavel Rajmic, concluding with a lovely lullaby, with vocals by Marie Puttnerová, “a modern-day framing of Moravian folklore guided as much by ambient minimalism as the ghosts of Dvořák and Janáček, one in which the family hearth forever glows with unmistakable warmth and generosity of spirit.”

Lovingly mastered by Ian Hawgood the limited edition of Hajú, comprising a high-quality rubber-stamped CDr on a recycled six-panel insert, sealed in a rubber-stamped envelope and bearing a custom postage stamp, comes out this Friday, December 2nd, 2022. Fans of Slowcraft, Home Normal and 12k will be in love. Puchase on Bandcamp.