sylvie walder - moments (download)

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Experimedia presents the first public release of French sound artist Sylvie Walder. Sylvie's 'Moments', pulls one into delicate and intimate moments in time. Drawing from a palette of introversion, nostalgia, absence, longing, and "la prsence du sacr" Sylvie creates a uniquely evocative sound through the intimate tones of her piano as the driving force behind her emotive sonic constructs.

This is the download only version of expcd007 available HERE.

//00. Coupe de (introduction)
//01. Non dpourvue d'une certaine violence
//02. Nuages flottants
//03. Atat
//04. Pastiche
//05. Restored
//06. The most abstract to date
//07. Sunday after noon
//08. Rminiscence close et nostalgie
//09. Varia track 9 (un chant au loin)
//10. Paris failure
//11. Squence 5
//12. Une route, vers o ?

Sylvie Walder, 28, has suffered from a recording obsession since childhood resulting in numerous private recordings on tape and later on mini-disc. Later on Sylvie joined the group "Les bruits du silence" before it eventually split due to geographical reasons in 2003. Following several solo attempts, under various names, focusing mainly on drone music and field recordings Sylvie's current "musical affair" took momentum in 2007. Several hours of drone music ensued, recently compiled as miscellaneous private releases. During all these efforts, the approach has remained the same: making "musique intime", music for headphones and lonely moments, minimal snapshots of moments and places, trying to recall forgotten feelings, in attempt to "remember one's self" to quote Gurdjieff. myspace.com/sylviewalder

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//REVIEWS

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CYCLIC.DEFROST
"Theres an eerie, unsettling remove at work in the drones of French sound artist Sylvie Walder, like an itch one cannot scratch. The 13 pieces that make up Moments function much like movements in the classical music sense, each delicate drone providing a new glimpse into Walders world, but ultimately offering no conclusive picture. Walder was a former member of Les Bruits des Silence, and has a history of self released drone recordings behind her, but Id doubt that theyd match the precision found on these intimate works.

Walder quotes metaphysical musical mystic Gurdjieff in trying to remember oneself, these tracks functioning as snapshots, Walder capturing tiny details and bringing these to the listeners attention, but through her ears. Fragments are magnified, distorted, processed, presented as blurred, hazy, warm or cold, much like memories and recollections. Gurdjieff-like piano motifs lie buried beneath layers of wispy drones (Paris Failure), deadened chuch bells toll meaninglessly (Non Depourvue dune Violence), birdsong decorates glacial shimmering pads (Restored, Sunday After Noon). For all the warmth and silken beauty theres a deep menace at work, lurking just beneath the surface. Its as though Walder is exploring the same horrifying underworlds as David Lynch, only the veneer is more firmly masked on. Nonetheless, Walders is a wonderful world to be lost in.

Joshua Meggitt

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AQUARIUS
Sylvie Walder has been recording the sounds around her since childhood, with piles of tapes, mini-discs, and now digital files amassing her obsession with sound. Its a little unclear as to when Ms. Walder began to manipulate and transform her recordings into artfully slow-burn compositions of ambient wash and darkened piano smear. Sure, we have to wonder what treasures may be lurking in the tapes made by a precocious French kid some 15 years ago; but were really happy to have discovered this strikingly confident ambient record that could easily find itself on Kranky next to Stars Of The Kid or Gregg Kowalsky. The piano seems to be the source material for the bulk of this album, as Spartan, deep notes are rendered through digitally tricked effects for a pitchshifted and timestretched mass of reverberating tones which in turn spiral into a darkened atmosphere of shimmer and drone. Enos Thursday Afternoon and Colecloughs Period would be the nearest landmarks of elongated ambience and melancholy impressionism. Walders production does harken to some of the Pop Ambient pixel-pushing washes of sound, but always push forward the liminal slippages between forgetting and remembering through her shadowy sounds." aquariusrecords.org

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NORMAN RECORDS
We got a bunch of stuff in this week on Jeremy Bibles Experimedia label and heres one of em! Its a CD by Sylvie Walder which comes in one of their signature custom designed six panel tall-slim pack and is limited to 150 copies. You wont really understand that until you see one. You see theyre very foldy inside. Sylvie is a French sound artist who has created a lovely 12 track album of ambient soundscapes for you to soothe your modern batterred head with. Moments is minimal ambient droney stuff suited for late nights and for people with really nice headphones. You cant go wrong really. The more I hear this one the more Im being sucked into its lovely warmth. Its really quite good! Also we got a couple of CDs in Koen Park and Ian Hawgood (one and the same) but as weve reviewed him loads we thought wed do someone else this time! normanrecords.com

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SMALLFISH RECORDS
So, we come to the second of the new Experimedia releases. This one comes from French artist Sylvie Walder and I must say that Im deeply impressed with this album. You know sometimes when youre not quite sure what somethings going to be like and it turns out to be something you keep going back to and enjoying? Thats exactly what this CD is like for me. The first thing I noticed, which I guess is the kind of thing I would spot is the way the opening track begins on the left side and then gradually fades into both ears. The reason I liked this is that it almost exactly reflects one of Celers trademarks as they often begin their tracks on the right side of the stereo field before moving into both right and left. Its an intriguing way to start a piece of music as it has a strange sensory feel thats initially quite disorientating. I think its probably the aural equivalent of a cracking opening first line in a book. It certainly gets my attention. And, as Ive mentioned Celer I feel its worth pointing out that, reference point-wise, thats probably a good one to give you. If you enjoy their melancholic and subtle sound works then I think this is going to be very much up your street. Its comprised of a series of ambient pieces that use a muted and very beautiful palette of sounds to create shimmering slices of thoughtful goodness. There are overtly melodic moments, certainly, but for the most part this album is all about the texture and the layering of soft, warm sounds. At times it has a hazy, blurry quality to it like youre listening to it underwater and at others it uses clear instrumental moments than shine through giving the whole thing a fascinating focus. Each track is a unique experience sharing themes with other pieces but creating its own identity. And all of them are absolutely gorgeous I have to say. I really rate this and I cant wait to hear more from Sylvie. A delicious and low-key work that comes highly recommended. smallfish.co.uk

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