Author: dirkserries

the aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance

STREAMS REVIEWED

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DIRK SERRIES’ compilation of music from his STREAMS OF CONSCIOUSNESS series on Projekt digital has gained a lot of attention and praise. Here’re a few reviews.
The album is still available through the PROJEKT bandcamp site. And mark February 25th in your agenda for ‘TREASURE OF STARS’, a new exclusive Streams Of Consciousness album, for PROJEKT.

AMN reviews :
“In 2007, Dirk Serries wrapped up his long-standing vidnaObmana project, which began two decades earlier as an ambient electronic endeavor influenced by synthesists of the Berlin School. But a few years later he began quietly putting out recordings of this ilk once again, under the moniker Streams of Consciousness. There are a total of 17 albums released so far, including eight in the last year. This compilation consists of about 3 hours of these pieces. The sounds here are gentle ambiance, with slow-moving chord patterns, airy textures, and a peaceful mood. Created spontaneously on guitar run through effects, the music fits the album title. Serries plays in a stream-of-consciousness style and his output can be absorbed in that manner as well. The eight tracks are in the 18-25 minute range and feature lilting tones and expansive – yet mysterious – atmospheres. Individual notes and reverberating guitar washes are immersive but not suffocating. Despite the apparent simplicity of the music, it resonates deeply on an emotional level, inviting the listener to engage in relaxed, thoughtful introspection. Through this prolific project, Serries constructs serene soundscapes that facilitate moments of solitary reflection. He engages with the notion that the notes you do not play can be just as important as the notes that are played, thus using space as an auxiliary instrument. The album comes highly recommended for fans of vidnaObmana, Steve Roach, and the like. Streams Of Consciousness Compiled also serves as an unassuming antidote to an increasingly crazy world.”

EXPOSE reviews :
“We all remember VidnaObmana from the last years of the 20th Century, a floating ambient project alias created by one Dirk Serries, Belgian composer and instrumentalist in 1984, who recorded nearly 100 albums, both solo and in collaboration with like-minded travelers like Steve Roach, Jeff Pearce, Brannan Lane, PBK, Sam Rosenthal, and many others. In 2007 Serries officially retired the VidnaObmana moniker and moved forward using his given name and some new aliases like Fear Falls Burning. One of those new aliases was Streams of Consciousness, which began in earnest in 2013 and continues to this day (2024), bearing an explorative deep ambient drone style created using electric guitar and guitar effects in his home studio, with slow flowing evolutionary washes of sonic color full of warmth and emotion, not at all unlike the works he produced as VidnaObmana. As of this writing, Serries has released 18 albums in the Streams of Consciousness series, all with cryptic numeric titles that seem to indicate the date on which they were recorded. Each of the albums contain two tracks, each roughly the length of an LP side, and those tracks do have English titles, so with 18 albums with two tracks each, to date there should be 36 tracks total, though you won’t find any of them on Serries’ Bandcamp page — instead one needs to search for Streams of Consciousness to find them. Streams of Consciousness Compiled contains eight tracks selected from the ongoing series (only a few were ever produced on physical media in the beginning, and have since been download only), it’s something of an introduction to his ongoing project, which as it turns out is more like a homage to VidnaObmana than most of the other projects that Serries has running currently, so for any listeners who were tuned into his work back in the VidnaObmana days, this eight track sampler (almost three hours of music) should go far to quench your thirst for his brand of dreamy, meditative sounds, and point you in the direction where more can be found.”

IYEZINE reviews :
La qualità del deep ambient e drone di Dirk è sempre molto alta, le composizioni arrivano da pubblicazioni diverse, ma fanno parte di un unico continuum e lo si percepisce benissimo. Dirk Serries è un artista belga, compositore e musicista, uno dei produttori ambient e drone fra i più influenti e capaci della scena europea. “Stream of consciousness compiled” è un progetto per Projekt Records che racchiude una selezione di otto lunghi brani per circa tre ore di deep ambient, drone e viaggi siderali. Gli otto brani sono stati scelti da Dirk facendo una selezione delle diciassette uscite pubblicate su https://streamsofconsciousness.bandcamp.com/ . Tutte le composizioni sono state composte e prodotte dal vivo da Dirk nel suo studio usando una chitarra e tantissimi effetti, e il risultato è davvero notevole. La serie è cominciata nel 2013, e delle prime tre uscite sono stati pubblicati dei vinili in quantità estremamente limitata, per poi continuare la sua vita nella forma digitale. Questa raccolta mostra cosa sia questa meravigliosa collana di uscite deep ambient e drone.
Seguendo da anni la collana ogni uscita prodotta da Dirk è notevole e questa selezione è sicuramente un ottimo punto di ingresso in un qualcosa che vi avvolgerà e si insinuerà dentro la vostra mente, cambiandola in meglio. Serries è uno sperimentatore sonoro da oltre quarant’anni, avendo iniziato nella scena do it yourself belga degli anni ottanta, cominciando nel 1984 il progetto Vidna Obmana con il quale ha cambiato la storia ambient e drone europea e non solo.
Come si può ascoltare qui, la frequenza musicale di Dirk eleva l’animo umano, è un sostrato di luce e di bellezza, e anche le tenebre illuminano. Seguendo linee di chitarra totalmente inusuali ed estranee alla comune nozione della sei corde, si entra in altra quota, fra le nuvole che attraggono e al contempo respingono la luce che arriva dal vuoto, in un vero e continuo flusso di coscienza che abbraccia il tutto partendo dalle parti che lo compongono, arrivando a rompere la divisione e la diversità delle parti. Questo disco non va ascoltato, ci si deve immergere ad occhi chiusi, è quasi una meditazione nel senso più altro della parola, un essere qui ed ora ma a diecimila metri da terra, distantissimi da dove ci troviamo ora. La qualità del deep ambient e drone di Dirk è sempre molto alta, le composizioni arrivano da pubblicazioni diverse, ma fanno parte di un unico continuum e lo si percepisce benissimo. Profondità, bellezza e anche magnificenza, per un’opera che lievita ad ogni ascolto, e che come le cellule germina in continuazione producendo nuove cellule, in un afflato che non è solo musica ma tendenza all’infinito e a risvegliare una parte di noi che è infinita e che fluttua, lontana dal nostro corpo. Non è un lavoro per chi cerca nicchie di genere o appartenenze a qualche genere o scena, qui c’è l’universo nella sua totalità che pulsa.

CHAIN D.L.K. REVIEW :
There are albums you listen to, and then there are albums that listen to you. Dirk Serries’ “Streams of Consciousness Compiled” belongs to the latter category – a collection of ambient driftworks that doesn’t demand attention but rewards surrender. These nearly three hours of shimmering, slow-motion soundscapes are less a “best of” and more a portal into Serries’ post-VidnaObmana meditations, a distilled essence of his decade-long “Streams of Consciousness” series, built entirely in real-time with just an electric guitar and a handful of effects. Serries has spent over 40 years sculpting sound, often navigating the liminal space between presence and absence, between what is played and what is left to dissolve in its own wake. His approach here is a masterclass in restraint. Notes don’t so much ring out as they breathe; they rise and hover, contemplating their own existence before fading into the ether. It’s music in which time itself slows to a near standstill, like sunlight refracting through water, catching brief, fleeting patterns before they are swallowed by the current. The track titles – “Meandering”, “Harmonious Flare”, “The Whispering Scale” – serve as vague coordinates, but they don’t prepare you for the immersive depth of each piece. “Remote Delight” is a lesson in how delay and reverb can bend perception, stretching a single note into something more resembling a memory than a sound. “Solstice of Murmur” unfolds in waves, each one softer than the last, as if it were erasing its own past. “Glow Horizon” feels like floating through the liminal zone between wakefulness and sleep, where recognition and abstraction blur. For those who miss Vidna Obmana, this release is a gentle assurance that the spirit never truly left. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to exist as a cloud for an afternoon, “Streams of Consciousness Compiled” is your answer. A weightless, introspective dream of an album, built for those willing to embrace slowness – not as a limitation, but as a form of transcendence.

DIRK SERRIES’ TREASURE OF STARS

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DIRK SERRIES – TREASURE OF STARS 
A Streams Of Consciousnes album
(Projekt Records)

ARC333 • 617026233321 • Digital • Projekt’s Bandcamp : Tuesday Feb 25 •
Release at all DSPS: Friday Feb 28

The Streams Of Consciousness series is home for Dirk Serries’ gleaming solo ambient work. With over 40 years of sonic experimentation — including his many albums as VidnaObmana — Dirk’s Treasure Of Stars is a return to his trademark melancholic ambient dwellings. Created in real-time on electric guitar and a handful of effects, it’s a shimmering slowflow exploration of textures and emotional states. Transcendent and esoteric soundscapes facilitate moments of solitary reflection. 

Projekt’s 2024 release, Streams Of Consciousness Compiled, was such a success with the label’s fanbase that the decision was easily made to return with a new album exclusively recorded for Projekt. The serene tones and expansive – yet mysterious – atmospheres are constructed live, solely on the electric guitar. Individual notes and reverberating washes ebb and flow over the course of these longform pieces. 

For those who wished VidnaObmana was still around releasing albums, the wait it over. This release invites repeated listenings as one is gently rocked by warm, starlit washes of sound. 

Press excerpts from 2024: • A slowflow inner exploration of sonics and emotional states… Dirk Serries’ homage and return to pure harmonic sonic moments. This music is purely ‘in-the-moment’ ambient. 
• The sounds here are gentle ambiance, with slow-moving chord patterns, airy textures, and a peaceful mood. 
• Despite the apparent simplicity of the music, it resonates deeply on an emotional level, inviting the listener to engage in relaxed, thoughtful introspection. 
• Serries constructs serene soundscapes that facilitate moments of solitary reflection. He engages with the notion that the notes you do not play can be just as important as the notes that are played, thus using space as an auxiliary instrument. 
• At time while listening I feel like I’m floating in deep space, at others that I am a piece of driftwood being gently rocked by ocean waves, and at still others it’s as if I’m lying stretched out in the grass, the sun gently warming my face as I watch puffy white clouds slowly drifting by. 
• Slow flowing evolutionary washes of sonic color full of warmth and emotion

Now temporarily available as a ‘name your price’ purchase over at Projekt Records’ bandcamp :

https://projektrecords.bandcamp.com/album/treasure-of-stars-streams-of-consciousness

Watch and enjoy this youtube teaser, with photography of Shaun Cullen, featuring one of the songs from ‘Treasure Of Stars’…
https://youtu.be/S_3Ny_tI2OM

BANDCAMP REVIEW :
“Listening to this album offers one an opportunity to practice non-attachment; to attend carefully to each moment that passes, exploring its unique contours and textures with the wide-eyed wonder of beginner’s mind; but then to let it pass into the next, as it must, without grasping at it frantically. Listening here one simply floats, serene and complete; a part of it all, but shackled to none.” Dave Aftandilian

AMBIENT LANDSCAPE REVIEW :
Dirk Serries has once again figured out a way to pull our [ambient] strings!
His latest offering, ‘Treasure of Stars’ (releasing February 28th), creates a sonic mosaic of intricate ambient sound. Serries at once presents dreamy, melancholy waves of ethereal isolation; wielding his ambient “axe” to build an intangible wall of delicious quietude and dividing intentional spareness from the larger elemental body of enveloping ambience. “Other Transformations” is the standout track for me personally; with the entire album embodying a sublime reflection of Dirk’s ability to transport the listener’s attention into a personal space of solace.
Beautiful and . . . evocative

ROCKERILLA REVIEW (translated from Italian) :
A mantra that accompanies the mind in the most intimate hours of the night. A game of mirrors between sleepy reverberations and chords that melt in the moonlight like incandescent lava. The latest chapter of the Streams Of Consciousness series, Treasure Of Stars, is yet another journey into the dreamlike and evanescent universe of dark-ambient, built over many years of career during the era in which Dirk Serries called himself Vidna Obmana. Today, when the Belgian musician is focused on finding the exit from the labyrinths of free-jazz, it is nice to find him still absorbed in contemplating the stars.

KRAUTNICK REVIEW :
Im Rahmen seiner Reihe „Streams Of Consciousness“ entführt der Antwerpener Ambient-Gitarrist Dirk Serries mit „Treasure Of Stars“ dieses Mal an den Strand, ins All, unter Wasser und auf hohe See, alles allein mit der Gitarre und einigen Effektgeräten generiert, alles unendlich langsam und alles unendlich schön. Serries nahm dieses Album solo und am Stück für das Label Projekt Records auf. Eine wärmende Flucht aus dem Alltag.Die Anwesenheit am Strand allein betäubt bereits. Die Sonne geht unter, blutrot, ewig, unendlich lang andauernd. Die Wellen bewegen sich im gleichen Tempo, wie eine massive Masse, die draußen, jenseits des Strandes, in eine endlose Bewegung gerät, eine Masse, deren Absicht es gar nicht ist, an den Strand auszurollen, sondern die schlichtweg hin und her wogt, extremst verlangsamt. Einige Surfer sind bereit, sich dieser Bewegung auszusetzen, sie verharren auf ihren Boards auf diesen Wogen und zelebrieren die Langsamkeit. Möwen und Pelikane stehen in der Abendluft, deren Hitze nur allmählich abnimmt, gesättigt, allein zur inneren Freude zu so etwas wie einer Levitation aufgebrochen. Der eigene Atem passt sich der Langsamkeit an, man ist komplett heruntergefahren, blickt aufs Meer, blickt in die Sonne, lässt ihre Wärme auf seiner Haut, in seiner Lunge wirken, man fühlt sich völlig befreit. Irgendwo nah genug, um nicht verloren zu gehen, schlägt ein Musiker karibische Akkorde an, alle halbe Minute mal einen, schickt sie durch ein weichzeichnendes Effektgerät und zaubert den am besten passenden Soundtrack zu dieser komplett entschleunigten Lebenssituation.
„Soft Rain“ nennt Dirk Serries seinen viertelstündigen Opener, dessen Gitarre indes mit sonnigem, karibischem Surf-Twang eine strahlendere Entspannung vor die inneren Augen führt als ein weicher Regen. In „Other Transformations“ leitet Serries anschließend für 14 Minuten über, seine Gitarre klingt jetzt zweigeteilt, in eine höhere, beinahe orgelartige, sowie eine dronige, in mittleren Lagen angesetzte Variante. Das Tempo bleibt gleich langsam, ein Metronom hätte hier Schwierigkeiten, überhaupt anzuschlagen, ganz abgesehen davon, dass es auf dem gesamten Album gar keine Takte gibt. Mit Hall und Leichtigkeit wähnt man sich in der Schwerelosigkeit, indes nicht im stockdunklen All, sondern im gleißenden Licht, umgeben von einer wohlwollenden, seelenwärmenden spirituellen transzendentalen Entität.
Mit „Weathering The Gale“ verführt Serries die Hörenden dazu, die nächsten 20 Minuten unter Wasser zu verbringen. Die Töne sind gedämpft, die Sonne schickt ihre Strahlen sanft durch die salzige Flüssigkeit, aus der unbedrohlichen Tiefe schlängeln sich Algenbäume empor und konkurrieren in Zeitlupe mit dem Glanz des Lichts. Es dauert eine Weile, bis man begreift, dass man ja unter Wasser atmen kann, dass diese Situation, in der man gerade schwebt, ein Geschenk ist, eine Gabe, dargebracht allein dadurch, dass diese Musik erklingt. Abermals meint man, anstelle einer Gitarre eine Orgel wahrzunehmen, als spielte sie jemand in einer versunkenen Kathedrale, deren Hallraum vom Meer verstärkt, verwischt, verteilt wird. Sind es zunächst noch Schulen kleinerer Fische, die in minimalster Geschwindigkeit durch diese abgedunkelte Kathedrale ziehen, werden diese alsbald durchkreuzt vom Leviathan; aus den unterschiedlichen Strömungsverhältnissen ergeben sich Dissonanzen, das Licht nimmt weiter ab, doch keine Angst, der Leviathan zieht vorbei, von ihm geht keine Bedrohung aus.
Der Leviathan ist nicht nur nicht bedrohlich, sondern sogar ein Freund – er nimmt die Hörenden mit zurück an die Oberfläche, zur letzten Viertelstunde, die dem Titelstück gehört. Auf der offenen See wogt das gigantische Urtier, man wogt mit ihm. Die Sonne dringt hell durch sich gemächlich verflüchtigenden Nebel, man wähnt sich in Breitengraden, auf denen der Frühling naht. Die Luft wird frischer, heller, womöglich befindet sich festes Land irgendwo in der Nähe, sieht man da am Horizont nicht behäbig mit den Flügeln schlagende Schmetterlinge im Dunst des Morgens? Serries‘ Gitarre erklingt einmal mehr mehrstimmig, aufmunternd dieses Mal, aber immer noch nicht wachrüttelnd, sondern positiv stimulierend.
Nach einem solch umfangend schönen Album mag man sich gar nicht an Fakten wenden. Aber muss ja: „Treasure Of Stars“ ist eine Sonderausgabe der Reihe „Streams Of Consciousness“, die Serries seit 2013 in unregelmäßigen Abständen mit solchen One-Offs füttert, in der Regel betitelt lediglich mit dem Aufnahmedatum, einzig die Tracks tragen greifbare Namen. Der letzte Teil „240112“ erschien nachträglich am 1. Januar 2025, der vorliegende entstand ja außer der Reihe. Zudem spielt diese Veröffentlichung auf Serries‘ Ambient-Alter-Ego VidnaObmana an, das er 1985 aus der Taufe hob und offiziell 2007 dorthin wieder zurückbrachte. Ein Blick auf jene Discographie lässt Sammler die Hände über dem Kopf zusammenschlagen: Der hat unter vielem anderem mit Klinik und Asmus Tietchens zusammengearbeitet! Bevor man sich nervös daranmacht, sein Kleingeld zusammenzukratzen, sollte man besser zur Ruhe kommen und nochmal „Treasure Of Stars“ auflegen.

EXPOSE REVIEW :
A while back I wrote a few words about Dirk Serries release Streams of Consciousness Compiled on Projekt Archive, a double-length download of eight recordings he made in this ongoing series. Now, one year later, he has released another installment, Treasure of Stars, an introspective, meditative collection of four new pieces of deep listening magnificence. For those who tuned into Serries’ work back in the 90s, when he went by the moniker VidnaObmana, the music in the Streams of Consciousness series approaches the work he did at that time, a very dreamy sound that floats freely in spaces unknown, with some textures held within, one might find these works comparable to Steve Roach’s floating ambient material, at least in a general stylistic sense — Serries’ work is mostly created using guitar, though one may not know unless you  listen closely. All four tracks clock in between fourteen and twenty minutes, leaving the listener with plenty of space for the imagination to wander deep inside the inner spiral or out among the farthest stars. “Soft Rain” opens the program, a warm, beautiful drifting piece that splashes colorful walls of sound on all sides of the listening experience as it proceeds forward; it doesn’t change a lot during its fifteen-plus minute existence, but that’s exactly what soft rain should be — and it’s a perfect title. Next in line is “Other Transformations,” a somewhat darker, knurled piece with strong textural elements that float by in passing; there is a must-see video of this track on Projekt’s Bandcamp page (link below), it’s certainly not what one might expect. In the near-twenty minute “Weathering the Gale,” the feeling is expansive and mysterious, a powerful fountain of night music that flows over the spirit, while the closing title track certainly lives up to its title — one can visualize the stars in the night sky while very subtle insect sounds fill the imagination. The four pieces fit together perfectly, guiding the listener through a sound world that one might find surreal, something suitable for meditation or slumber.

MOORS MAGAZINE REVIEW :
Een elektrische gitaar en wat effectpedalen, meer heeft de Belgische gitarist Dirk Serries niet nodig voor zijn in één keer opgenomen “streams of consciousness”-albums, waarvan Treasure of Stars de laatste is. Het is bijna ongelofelijk hoe weinig er lijkt te gebeuren en hoe onvoorstelbaar spannend deze muziek tegelijkertijd is. Ambient, melancholiek, zacht verschuivend en meeslepend, het is allemaal waar, maar het mysterie is vooral hoe het kan dat deze op het eerste gezicht “saaie” muziek toch zo boeiend kan blijken te zijn. Want als je ook maar een beetje aandachtige luisteraar bent hoef je je hier geen minuut te vervelen en word je al snel volledig meegesleept in de ambient wereld van Serries en zijn magische gitaar. Luister maar eens naar de fragmenten die ik hier laat horen en beluister ze dan vooral nog een paar keer. Dan hoor je wel wat ik bedoe

WELL OF SOULS

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Incredible but true, this year marks the 30th anniversary of STEVE ROACH & VIDNA OBMANA’s critically acclaimed WELL OF SOULS album on PROJEKT RECORDS ! After Steve Roach produced VIDNA OBMANA’s The Spiritual Bonding in 1994, they both felt that the connection was strong and that they could tell a whole story together as a duo. WELL OF SOULS was recorded in 1995 at Steve’s amazing TIMEROOM STUDIO in Tucson, Arizona and became pivotal release in their duo legacy.

SCHNEIDER SERRIES REVIEWS

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Currently the new and first SCHNEIDER/SERRIES album release is spreading its wings and rest asure that this is a surprise release. We’ll bundle over the course of the next weeks the reviews when they appear. Meanwhile do check out the album and buy it here.

VITAL WEEKLY REVIEW :
“As I finished the previous review, the one about Left Limbs, true story, the last mailman of the day handed me this album. It was the end of the day, so I postponed listening to it. Had I done it straight away, I may have lumped this LP together with Left Limbs one, as there are similarities and differences. Two men again, drums and guitar, and again rock meets improvisation. I’ll get to the differences. Dirk Serries, on guitar, isn’t a one-trick pony (I may have used these exact same words before), as with his guitar he can play very much the sort of chaotic improvised music we know from free improvisation, but also thoughtful ambient music (and here too he
has various sub directions) or metal-inspired music. The latter we find on this LP he recorded in June 2023 with drummer Jörg A. Schneider. I don’t think I heard his music before, or the many groups he’s part of (Gaffa, Glimmen, Jealousy Mountain Duo, Les Hommes Qui Wear Espandrillos, Nicoffeine, Roji, SWWS, Tarngo, Teen Prime, The Nude Spur). he has several collaborative projects, mostly with guitar slingers, such as Thisquietarmy, N, Mikel Vega, Aidan Baker and others. If Left Limbs combines rock and improvisation, they do it from a more punky perspective, while Serries and Schneider operate from a metal music perspective. The opening piece, ‘Muscle Steam’, rips right in with much distortion and banging on the drums. I am the first to admit that I don’t know much about metal music (or nothing at all), but even I hear it’s nothing traditional. It’s the idea of something with guitars and volume, but straight away, Schneider plays his drums in a more improvised manner. He’s all over the kit. In other tracks, Serries maintains force by using several sound effects. Still, it can be open and dirty yet spacious, such as in ‘Enhance The Machine’, sparse notes, still brutal, whereas ‘Mechanical Collapse’ ups the speeds and aggression. If Left Limbs plays their music in a free improv way, they have a different, perhaps friendlier atmosphere than Schneider and Serries. Their music is much darker, sealed off from the outside world. The last piece, ‘Force Regeneration’, is the album’s jazziest affair, in which both players find their way to play their version of jazz music. It’s also the album’s lightest piece if you can imagine such an album having a lighter side. It also shows the amount of approaches they take on the notion of ‘let’s play some loud drum and guitar music’. A tour de force.”

MOORS MAGAZINE REVIEW :
“De Belgische gitarist Dirk Serries zoekt op vele verschillende manieren de grenzen op van wat hij met de gitaar kan doen. Vaak gebruikt hij daarbij de akoestische gitaar, maar af en toe neemt hij ook de elektrische gitaar op en dan houdt hij zich niet bepaald in – de opnames die hij maakte met de Duitse drummer Jörg A Schneider laten dat overduidelijk horen – het gaat hier van krankzinnige dark metalherrie tot enerverende soundscapes, waarbij hij zijn gitaar dingen laat doen die je werkelijk nog nooit eerder hebt gehoord. Drummer Schneider probeert hem te volgen, maar het is wat mij betreft overduidelijk Serries die hier aangeeft waar de reis heengaat. Een muzikaal avontuur dat zijn weerga niet kent. Spannend, enerverend, bij vlagen bloedmooi, en dan weer rauw scheurend uit de bocht vliegend. De stevigste hardrockers doen het dit duo niet gemakkelijk na. Goed voor een stevige dosis adrenaline – laat deze muziek maar eens lekker hard door de ruimte knallen! Zorg er dan wel voor dat er geen mensen met zwakke zenuwen in de buurt zijn. Haha.”

JAZZ EN ZO REVIEW :
“De Belgische gitarist en improwizard Dirk Serries zat vorig jaar in de studio met de Duitse drummer Jörg A. Schneider, indertijd oprichter van het alternatieve BluNoise Records. Wie een rustig luistermoment met akoestische improvisatie verwacht, is eraan voor de moeite. Fans van een hardcore interactie tussen elektrische gitaar en drums daarentegen zullen duidelijk in de wolken zijn.Alles begint met ‘Muscle Steam’: een helse intro van overstuurde gitaarnoise en trashy drumslagen, de titel waardig. In contrast hiermee is het daaropvolgende ‘Enhance The Machine’, een donker americana tableau met zwaarmoedige gitaarakkoorden en heel veel slagwerk met cymbalen. Serries zorgt door zijn pedalenwerk af en toe voor uiterst ontwrichtende klankeffecten. Uiteindelijk al even verontrustend als de openingstrack. ‘Mechanical Collapse’ sluit dan weer aan bij de start van het album. Denk hierbij vooral aan de waarden van een festival als het Tilburgse Roadburn of de groep Xiu Xiu om maar een paar referenties te citeren.
Kant B opent met het loodzware en in gitzwarte ambient gedrenkte ‘Complex Particle System’, waarbij het duo overgaat tot het ontleden van deze decibelmassa. Ze ontrafelen, puzzelen en ontwerpen een kringvormige basisstructuur ter voorbereiding van ‘Force Regenaration’. Een gelaagde aaneenschakeling van repetitieve gitaarspielereien en een hyperkinetisch drumspel. 
Tenslotte een coherent en gezamenlijk verhaal uitgebouwd rond circulaire patronen. Heftige impact verzekerd mede door het volume.”

KRAUTNICK REVIEW :
“Zufälle gibt’s: Aus nicht rekonstruierbaren Gründen findet der Rezensent seine Mailadresse plötzlich im Verteiler von Dirk Serries wieder und hört sich seitdem gern durch dessen Oeuvre. Ein der Industrial-Szene entwachsener Impro-Gitarrist aus Antwerpen, der mit haufenweise Leuten zusammenarbeitet, mit Tomas Järmyr, dem Ex-Drummer von Motorpsycho, etwa als The Void Of Expansion. Als der Text dazu zur Veröffentlichung auf dieser Plattform anstand, erzählte Freund Arni, dass er von Serries einige Platten habe, nämlich vom Projekt Continuum, das Serries mit Steven Wilson von Porcupine Tree betreibt. Sowas. Wer in Serries‘ Impro-Reihe indes fehlte, war Schneider, und darauf angesprochen, erzählte der: Ja, Dirk kommt morgen zu mir, wir spielen das zweite Album ein. Ist das noch Zufall oder schon Koinzidenz? Danke, lieber Weltengeist!

Das erste gemeinsame Album gibt’s nun auf Vinyl, und darauf finden beide Musizierende stillere Töne, als man erwartet hätte. Beide halten sich zurück, der gemeinsame Rausch umfängt die Hörenden wie nebulöse Watte, in der feste Strukturen zu erahnen sind. Für „Enhance The Machine“ etwa wählte Serries einen leicht angezerrten Sound, den er akkurat und behutsam anschlägt und damit Töne erzeugt, die ähnlich auch auf „Laughing Stock“ von Talk Talk zu hören gewesen sein könnten. Zwar haut Schneider dazu auch auf seine Felle, lässt aber die Hi-Hats dominieren und sie den Eindruck von Rausch unterstreichen. Bald kippt Serries trunken ins Schräge und Schneider intensiviert sein Spiel, der Track erfährt dadurch eine Neigung, keine Steigerung.

Aber keine Angst, die beiden können Lärm, die beiden machen auch Lärm. Zumindest ist „Mechanical Collapse“ die Umsetzung des Titels in Sound und ein noisiger Abschluss der A-Seite. Dafür beginnen sie die B-Seite mit „Complex Particle System“ umso chilliger, wenn auch ebenso wenig auf herkömmliche Weise strukturiert: Drones können schließlich auch leise sein, steigern kann man sich immer noch, und das passiert hier auch, gemächlich und gemütlich ins Unbequeme. Für „Force Regeneration“ zersägt das Duo Hawai’i-Musik, ein lysergsaurer Dick Dale taumelt am Strand herum und rempelt ständig die Surfer an, aber mit dem Tempo einer Flipperkugel, und damit ist nicht der Delphin gemeint. Insgesamt weniger Drone als erwartet, aber deshalb nicht weniger gut gelungen – auf das zweite gemeinsame Album darf man äußerst gespannt sein.”

FREEJAZZ BLOG REVIEW :
“The duo album of Serries and German experimental, free-improv, avant-rock and noise drummer Jörg A. Schneider (known from the free jazz-drone-dub duo Roji with Portuguese bassist Gonçalo Almeida, a frequent collaborator of Serries) was recorded at Schneider’s home base, the Loundry Room in Hückelhoven, Germany, in June 2023. This is the most radical and varied album of these three new duos. Series plays a distortion-heavy, mean electric guitar and pushes Schneider’s manic, primitive drumming to extreme terrains on the opening piece “Muscle Steam” but on the following “Enhance The Machine”, Serries suggests a much more reserved, twisted kind of ballad, accompanied by fragmented rhythmic patterns of Schneider. “Mechanical Collapse” threatens to drown in another manic, noisy freak-out and “Complex Particle System” experiments with a dark and noisy cinematic soundscape. The album ends with the sparsely melodic “Force Regeneration”, and already calls for continuous chapters of this stimulating duo.”

AFRICAN PAPER REVIEW :
Es kratzt und drescht und rumpelt derart zu Beginn des eröffnenden “Muscle Steam”, dass unmissverständlich klar ist, dass man sich mit der ersten Kollaboration von Drummer Jörg A Schneider und Gitarrendröhner Dirk Serries auf eine Reise durch steiniges Gelände mit allerlei struppigem Wurzelwerk eigelassen hat. Wenig ist hier von den entspannten Ambientwelten Vidna Obmanas und dem eher luftigen Jazz zu hören, für die Serries bekannt ist, stattdessen herrscht hier eine aufgewühlte Freakoutstimmung, die auch deshalb herausfordernd ist, weil sie nie ganz klar macht, ob sie treibend oder auf der Stelle tretend sein will. Ein aufgewecktes, aber zunächst tastendes Gitarrenmotiv eröffnet das knapp neunminütige “Enhance the Machine”. Hier lassen die beiden sich mehr Zeit, auch wenn die Becken spannungsvoll zu zischeln beginnen und einzelne Rumpler auf den wuchtigeren Trommeln deutliche Wegweiser in Richtung einer neuen Jagd anzeigen, die dann nach einigen Minuten auch losgeht. Ein langsames Steigerstück, bei dem man derart stetig zum finalen Klimax geführt wird, dass man ihn irgendwo im letzten Drittel erst registriert, wenn er sich schon ereignet hat und sich die Musik in Knarren und Tremolieren auflöst. Man könnte über vieles reden – über das wunde Knarren und die funkensprühenden Becken und die hämmernde Drumarbeit im apokalyptisch anmutenden “Mechanical Collapse”; über die kriechende Dröhnung, die in “Complex Particle System” von stetigen Eruptionen durchlöchert und in ein Felsengebirge verwandelt wird; über das abschließende “Force Regeneration”, das zwischen all dem Schaben und Zisseln auch ganz deutlich harmonisch-melodische Details in seinem knarrigen Saitenspiel inklusive schwülen Twang-Ansätzen aufweist. Letztlich empfiehlt sich aber, dieses Debüt als eine Einheit zu rezipieren. Ein tolles Werk wie aus einem Guss, das viele überzeugen wird, die metallisch angehauchte Dröhnung und Jazz gleichermaßen lieben. (A.Kaudaht)

SPONTANEOUS MUSIC TRIBUNE REVIEW :
Belgijskiego gitarzystę Serriesa znamy na tych łamach doskonale – zarówno jak wrażliwego, improwizującego akustyka, jak i dark-ambientowego elektryka. Tu, w duecie z niemieckim perkusistą Schneiderem, mamy niepowtarzalną okazję poznać go jako instrumentalistę niemalże noise rocka. To z pewnością jeden z jego najgłośniejszych albumów. Pierwsza odsłona albumu świetnie dokumentuje fakty zasugerowane zdanie wcześniej. Noise rockowa gitara skulona w kłębie post-bluesa wraz z samonapędzającą się maszyną circle drums systematycznie buduje tu ścianę dźwięku. To także rodzaj prog-rocka w stanie agonii, w chmurze dogorywającej psychodelii. Kolejny utwór pogłębia ów stan, ciekawie balansując pomiędzy ginącą melodią i kreatywnym hałasem. Ta część albumu przywołuje w pamięci nagrania Fear Falls Burning, ale zagubione w nieznośnym upale południowego Texasu, zatopione w magmie repetycji. Trzecią część wypełnia płonąca gitara hard-rocka, a kumulujący się wokół niej drumming dopełnia miana power duo. W czwartym epizodzie Serries przypomina epigona ambientu, dla którego jedynym ratunkiem jest ucieczka w psychodelię. W ostatniej części jego gitara wpada w wieczną pętlę powtórzenia. Jej brzmienie zagęszcza się z każdą sekundą, skutecznie tłamsząc melodykę, choć samo frazowanie wydaje się najłagodniejsze z możliwych.

GONZO CIRCUS REVIEW :
Dirk Serries heeft een lange weg afgelegd sinds vidnaObmana (en Ratbau volledigheidshalve want nog net daarvoor). Er waren en zijn niet alleen Fear Falls Burning, YODOK III, Loud As Giants (met Justin Broadrick), Continuum (met Steven Wilson) en massa’s andere samenwerkingsprojecten, maar ook flink wat releases onder eigen naam. Grosso modo het afgelopen decennium focuste hij zich voornamelijk op vrije vormoefeningen, meestal (grotendeels) gestoeld op improvisatie en geluidsexperimenten. Raakvlakken met freejazz en avant-garde werden daarbij veelvuldig geëxploreerd. Ook die periode wordt in grote mate gekenmerkt door collaboraties en kruisverbanden, met onder andere saxofonist Colin Webster als frequent opduikende kompaan. Ditmaal gaat zijn gitaar de confrontatie aan – en dat mag letterlijk genomen worden – met het drumstel van de Duitse stilistische veelvraat Jörg Alexander Schneider. Die houdt er, onder de noemer ‘Schneidercollaboration’ zelf ook flink wat samenwerkingen op na, onder andere met Thisquietarmy en Aidan Baker. Serries is geen conventionele gitarist; Hij gaat de geluiden die hij uit zijn instrument puurt te lijf met real-time gemanipuleerde effecten, terwijl Schneider een bombastische basis legt. Beide muzikanten flirten met chaos, maar proberen tegelijkertijd met alle macht op de gemeenschappelijke rails te blijven. Precies omdat dat lukt, blijft de rit spannend. Ietwat gevaarlijk soms, maar altijd onder controle en nooit ontspoord. Elementen uit abstracte (post)metal worden gekruist met freejazz en dat levert, voor de zoveelste maal, een onnavolgbare stijloefening op. (Swat)

PURR24

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DIRK SERRIES contributed a fine ambient piece (which incorporates the purr sounds of his house cat Kuro) to the beautiful compilation – all profits go to the aid of older shelter cats.

★ NAME-YOUR-PRICE DOWNLOAD ★
For Charity!

This collection stars our beloved cats whose purrs fill the heart of each track. Fourteen artists in the electronic, ambient, space music, and drone genres weave their kitty’s purrs into the mix highlighting the warmth and unique presence our feline companions add to our lives. Though some of these magnificent beings have passed on, their essence runs throughout. With all royalties and profits going to an elder-cat charity, PURR24 is nearly 100 minutes following sonic tangents and red dots of light created with our furbabies in our thoughts.

Projekt-founder Sam Rosenthal’s 18-year-old collaborator Nova Cat passed away in April. “When Nova died,” he reflects, “I lifted my spirits thinking of the five years she spent with me, enjoying our friendship in her final forever home. I emailed Michael Stearns as we previously chatted about a kitten he found in Los Angeles in the 80s who lived to 23 (108 in human years!) I knew he could empathize with my attachment to older cats who need more care yet offer a wealth of wisdom and love. With ideas of a benefit album and royalties donated to an elder-cat charity, I asked Michael if he’d create a song incorporating his kitty’s purrs. I’d already released two collaborative albums with my Nova (as ‘Nova Cat Purring Sounds’). I was interested in what other artists would create within the purr + music concept.”

Rosenthal continues, “Collectively, we’ve been in the music business for more than 400 years; over those centuries many felines have shared our lives. They hang out in the studio, run around like madmen in the other room while we’re trying to create, and sometimes lie at the feet of our cellists curled up and purring to the deep tones. There’s a lot of ASMR of cat purrs available, but not much where the purrs are incorporated into music. The results here are loving, lovely and warm. My new kitties like listening to everyone’s purrs.”

In 1999, Rosenthal compiled (and released on Projekt) the darkwave collection A CAT-SHAPED HOLE IN MY HEART, raising over $10,000 for charity. With some help from feline-loving fans on social media and today’s streaming economy, there’s no telling what this album might raise! All artists royalties and profits are contributed to charity, starting with Senior Cat Action Network seniorcatnetwork.org/donate (and changing over time).

ZONAL DISTURBANCES

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Out for a little bit over a week is this digital-only solo album of DIRK SERRIES. Following his recent albums AT FUTURE DAWN (Cloudchamber Recordings) and DEFIANCE OF SELF(Silentes) the composer continues to explore different sonic terrain.  Still on the electric guitar with a motherboard of analog pedal, the 4 tracks on ZONAL DISTURBANCES start to give signs of a new signature style of ambience Dirk is constructing.  Organic, brooding and eerie. 
You can purchase the album here : 

AMBIENT LANDSCAPE REVIEW:
“This is an amazing, semi-ambient excursion from Mr. Serries. At once caustic & experimental, Dirk deviates into a sonic world of sublimely drone-scaped melancholy contained within an ambient substructure that resonates not so subtle undertones of deliberate aural chaos. The sounds that Serries pries from his guitar are astounding; if you dig your #ambient with an edge, you owe it to yourself to give Zonal Disturbances an intentional listen!”

MOORS MAGAZINE REVIEW: “Dirk Serries is een buitengewoon veelzijdige Belgische gitarist die meestal op een archtop gitaar met anderen geïmproviseerde jazz maakt, maar hij heeft ook een zwak voor ambient, en dan haalt hij zijn elektrische gitaar tevoorschijn, en zijn effectenpedalen, en dan gaat hij los op een onnavolgbare manier. Denk dan niet aan kalme drones en rustgevende ambient, want wat je hier te horen krijgt is ambient met een ruw randje, regelmatig aanschurend tegen wat wij hier wel genietend “heerlijke pokkeherrie” noemen. Zonal Disturbances heeft Serries in één keer in zijn eigen homestudio opgenomen in oktober 2024, gemixed en gemastered en meteen uitgebracht. Bij een eerste beluistering mag het wellicht wat weerbarstige muziek lijken, maar als je vaker luistert (de drie fragmenten die ik je hier laat horen zou ik zeker drie keer beluisteren) hoor je de details en de kleine finesses die er in verstopt zitten, en kom je er achter hoe spannend en tegelijk melancholiek deze muziek is. Het is overigens bijna ongelofelijk dat Serries alles wat we hier horen aan zijn gitaar weet te ontlokken. Verbazingwekkend.”

VIDNA OBMANA’s TWILIGHT OF PERCEPTION REDUX VOLUME ONE

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VIDNA OBMANA – TWILIGHT OF PERCEPTION REDUX VOLUME ONE (1990-1998)
(3CD, Zoharum)

After quite a numerous series of reissues of classic albums, it’s time for another real treat for fans of the VIDNA OBMANA. The compilation “Twilight Of Perception Redux Volume One 1990-1998” opens a collection of rare recordings, often unreleased before or scattered on various types of samplers, small formats, which are practically impossible to obtain today. Now these tracks have been collected in one place, rearranged, remastered and provided with a proper commentary by Dirk Serries. This collection, planned for at least four parts of three-disc compilations, is both a reliable compendium and a supplement to VIDNA OBMANA extensive discography.
This edition released in an eight-panel digipack with graphics designed based on photos by Martina Verhoeven.

At an introductory price this first installment is now available with a 15% discount.  Use the code : twilight2024 to order the digital album
Use the code : twilight2024cd to order the 3xCD release. 
Valid till November 8th !

Now available through our bandcamp store :
https://vidnaobmana.bandcamp.com/album/twilight-of-perception-redux-volume-one-1990-1998-zoharum-edition

NEW SOLO AMBIENT ALBUM

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Following his recent albums AT FUTURE DAWN (Cloudchamber Recordings) and DEFIANCE OF SELF(Silentes) DIRK SERRIES continues to explore different sonic terrain.  Still on the electric guitar with a motherboard of analog pedal, the 4 tracks on ZONAL DISTURBANCES start to give signs of a new signature style of ambience Dirk is constructing.  Organic, brooding and eerie. 
You can purchase the album here : 
https://dirkserries.bandcamp.com/album/zonal-disturbances

MAGNETAR

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After a succesful ‘name your price’ campaign on Projekt’s bandcamp, DIRK SERRIES & TRÖSTA’s MAGNETAR remains available at a small price for such expansive collection.

EXPOSE REVIEW :
“A magnetar is a neutron star with an incredibly powerful magnetic field, such that as it decays it powers the emission of high energy electromagnetic radiation, and in particular x-rays and gamma rays. No need to worry about that here, this magnetar is completely safe and won’t harm your hearing, vision, or internal cell structure — no danger at all. In fact, being in the vicinity of this Magnetar is a relatively gentle and calming experience, though it is warm, a combination of ambient and melodic elements that cover the listener like a warm blanket on a cold autumn night under the stars. Dirk Serries should be well known to Exposé readers — we interviewed him years ago when he was using the moniker VidnaObmana to release his own work, as well as many collaborations with the likes of Steve Roach, Stratosphere, Asmus Tietchens, PBK and numerous others over a 40-plus year career. Trösta is Belgian saxophonist Nicolas Lefèvre, an outstanding player but relatively unknown, though we did review his 2021 collaboration with Serries titled Island on the Moon. On the ten improvised tracks at hand, Serries provides a heavily effected ambient guitar backdrop to the proceedings, while Trösta provides the melodies on alto sax with a mild amount of studio reverb. The sax is always clearly audible as such, while the same can’t be said for the expansive guitar sweeps, which often sound more like a wall of synthesizers, but the combination that they present together is always graceful, forceful, and melodically striking, though never harsh or abrasive in any way. For those who need categorizations, one might say it’s a mix of floating ambient and melodic jazz working together seamlessly, weaving in and out of a cosmic atmospheric fabric, each track around ten minutes in length, give or take a few minutes, and all together the album comes to well over 100 minutes. While there is definitely too much going on here to make it suitable for slumber, it’s a perfect soundtrack for relaxation and meditation.”

FREEJAZZ BLOG REVIEW :
“Magnetar takes Serries to his formative ambient era, then working under VidnaObmana and Fear Falls Burning pseudonyms, in a second duo album with fellow Belgian alto sax and electronics player-sound engineer-producer Trösta (aka Nicolas Lefèvre), following Island on the Moon (Consouling Sounds, 2022). The album was recorded live between 2021 and 2023 at Serries’ favorite Sunny Side Studios in Brussels, operated by Lefèvre. This 102-minute album offers atmospheric and peaceful yet quite melancholic, free improvised dreamscapes and drones of Serries’ expansive, effects-laden guitar lines, resonating with great reverb the subtle melodic phrases of Trösta. A highly immersive listening experience that highlights the close and powerful magnetic fields Serries and Trösta share.”