Release Notes
Label: Affin
Release: Black Dahlia
Date: February 7th, 2025
Mastered By: www.artefactsmastering.com
Artwork By: Markus Guentner
German electronic musician Markus Guentner has been a favourite for many years now. You can dig through HC archives and find plenty of coverage on these pages, beginning with his appearance on the celebrated Pop Ambient compilations [he appeared on the very first instalment back in 2001!], his gorgeous albums Theia (2015) and Extropy (2021) on A Strangely Isolated Place, and, most recent collaboration album Overlay (2023), with Joachim Spieth on the latter’s quickly growing in influence Affin imprint. I even got a chance to meet him over a decade ago when he performed live at the Substrata festival in Seattle, curated and put into fruition by the one and only Rafael Anton Irisarri (I can’t believe it’s been so long, Raf!). This Friday, February 7th, 2025, Guentner will unveil his brand new album, Black Dahlia, on Affin, diving even deeper into sound design, lush with ambient textures and dimly-lit depths. I don’t want to call this album “dark”, but I must acknowledge the [very much welcome, IMHO] shift towards even more cinematic soundscapes, where the nocturnal atmospherics drift in their haunting obscurity and shadowy tints. This is a delicious concoction of sonic delights, which is only enhanced by the visuals created by Markus himself to accompany each piece. “The Turning Wheel” is the last piece on the album, with its monochrome artwork re-imagined as an evolving visualizer, reflecting the fusion of the natural world and technology. All you need is a subwoofer, large screen, and a dark room now!
I discovered a song by a Bulgarian choir and was deeply impressed by its harmonics and mood. Inspired, I sampled small sections of it to create pads for what would eventually become The Turning Wheel. I liked how my song had these tones that would almost deepen momentarily before shifting into fuller, more open spaces. As I layered and arranged the parts, I wondered how I could increase and intensify its atmosphere and direction.
That’s when I decided to record the sound of a spinning metal coin, recording from the first turn on the surface until the final impact as it falls. I stretched the recording to match the length of the track. Once you know it’s there, you can pick it out—but its natural, slightly “off” movements stick out compared to the precision of the other elements. I think this adds a feeling of something being just out of reach, and impossible to fully grasp or hold onto.
This feeling of uncertainty is reflected in the visualizer I created for the track. Using the album art as a foundation, I animated it in different ways to match each song. For The Turning Wheel, the visualizer features two overlaid images that are always moving. It produces a strange, almost disorienting sensation as you watch and it reinforces that feeling of not being able to hold onto something.— Markus Guentner
Once again, the album is out this Friday, February 7th, 2025, via Affin, released as a digital download (in 24-bit/44.1kHz) and a limited edition CD (80 copies!) in a handcrafted 4-panel digipack with a card and a sticker. Available on Bandcamp.
