Taroug – Najet
Spellbinding and hypnotic new work from German-Tunisian composer Taroug. I’m currently recovering after minor abdominal surgery, and this is exactly the kind of thing I need right now: music that feels soulful and intelligent, presenting just enough of a challenge for the listener to keep me alert from under the veil of opiates, but nonetheless soothing enough to salve the persistent pain I’m in. Both of these songs are from Taroug’s new album Chott, named after the Chott El Djerid, a vast salt lake in southern Tunisia. These work best in the context of the album as a whole, so give it try on bandcamp, or find it for streaming. Also, don’t miss the absolutely gorgeous video treatment I posted the other day for Taroug’s track “Cicada.”
Taroug – “Najet”
Taroug – “Mides”
Yuri Ginzburg – In the Field
Next up, another track perfect for the state I’m currently in. This one is from Serbian artist Yuri Ginzburg, whose work I was unfamiliar with until he sent this to me a few weeks ago. I could listen to this all day, and I have been. It’s two-and-a-half minutes of clouds overhead, lilting windmills, and swaying grass. I can smell the fresh air from my bedroom. No bandcamp for this, unfortunately, but Yuri was kind enough to let me post the mp3 below, and you can find this on all the usual streaming outlets.
Yuri Ginzburg – “In the Field”
Pavel Doronin – Dill 35
Last up today is an intimate set of ambient pieces from UK-based Pavel Doronin. Written following a moment of olfactory nostalgia in which the smell of freshly-chopped dill pulled him back into his mother’s kitchen, Doronin patched this record together using fragments of found-sound, tactile texture, and vintage synths. There’s no doubt that because smell bypasses the thalamus and travels directly to the amygdala and hippocampus, it has a unique ability to conjure memories–especially emotional ones–but seeking to do the same with music is a noble quest nonetheless. When done well, records like this can be transportive. Grab Dill on bandcamp, or finding it for streaming.
Pavel Doronin – “Dill 35”
Pavel Doronin – “Dill 53”
Pavel Doronin – “Dill 8”