Rafael Anton Irisarri

Midnight Colours

From the colours of early autumn to the colours of midnight (how apropos), I open the sonic windows of my studio to another album released in the past. Recorded in 2017, American musician and mastering engineer Rafael Anton Irisarri was already reflecting on the Doomsday Clock, “which symbolizes the world’s existential vulnerabilities, beckoning the listeners to contemplate the gravity of our existence and the delicate balance that envelops it.” And this is before the large-scale military invasion of Ukraine, before the escalation of the conflict between China and Taiwan, and, of course, before the ongoing madness in the Middle East. Is all of this somehow “normal” right now? Has the hand of the clock slowed down or paused, or have we merely become deaf to its incessant ticking? In 2017, the Clock was at 2½ minutes to midnight. In January 2023, we had 90 seconds left. I don’t need to do the math for you. Midnight Colours is a record that is even more poignant now than when I first wrote about it here, selecting it as “best of the year”, of course. Back then, I was already reflecting on this music, memorialising doubt, unease, and melancholic grace. Remastered [once again] by Stephan Mathieu, lacquer cut by Loop-o, and re-released on Irisarri’s own Black Knoll Editions, the limited colour and black “Biovinyl” editions of this monumental album continue to permeate “with the melancholy of memories resurfacing as one approaches the end of life: the regrets, the closure, the uncertainties, the anxieties.” The original release appeared on the Atlanta-based Geographic North imprint on a cassette and is now available for the first time on vinyl. Get your copy on Bandcamp.

Celer + Forest Management

Landmarks

Here is another gorgeous ambient album from the era before the absurdity of these times, which kept me centred and, to some extent, calm. It’s a perfect record to end this ⟪ REW | FF ⟫ column since I feel that I’ve riled myself up a bit with the doom and the gloom. And yet, even back then, for this record released on Constellation Tatsu in the winter of 2018, the two veteran ambient musicians, Tokyo-based Will Long (as Celer) and Chicago-based John Daniel (as Forest Management) were already contemplating a new interpretation of a soundtrack, “nostalgic for a different time, something that’s only partly imagined, and without the defined predictions about the life cycles of mass culture based on our limited understanding of current events.” Here, custom patches, samples, and loops are drowned out and manipulated through tape, dissolving their essence in that beautiful, dreamlike, lo-fi glow that is so prevalent on productions by these two musicians. Filled with field recordings and symphonic alterations, the album appears to be easy-listening on the surface. And yet, throughout this hour of music, there is an undercurrent of unease, slight tension, and unresolve, which is precisely what leaves you imparted, slightly perturbed, and emotionally touched. And all music should make you feel something, don’t you agree? Originally released on a cassette tape, the album is now available for the first time on vinyl, remasted by, you guessed it, none other than Stephan Mathieu again at Schwebung Mastering. You can pick up a limited edition 12″ directly on Bandcamp. If you’re looking for more timeless music, be sure to check out Celer’s Engaged Touches, that has also been expanded and remastered (you know by whom now), which I covered in depth here.