German noise rock drummer JÖRG A. SCHNEIDER teams up with DIRK SERRIES.As we know Dirk, who never shies away from a challenge, but this one is beyond there. The music is absolutely not drone but rather a cross-pollination between abstract post-punk and post-metal. Enormously swirling and very in-your-face. While Jörg treats his drums as a madman, Dirk establishes himself once again as inventive as ever before with another unique take on playing the guitar and treating the sound with real-time and on the spot effects. The result is alienating, captivating and plain powerful. A record that is released in the impressive series of Schneider collaborations.
DIRK SERRIES & TRÖSTA – MAGNETAR (Projekt Records Digital, 2024) now available as a ‘name your price’ download here.
Belgians Dirk Serries & Trösta (the nom de plume of Nicolas Lefèvre) release their second album of ambient drone. What sets MAGNETAR apart from many others in the genre is Trösta’s melodic alto saxophone. Warmly phrased, the saxophone spreads its serene and graceful melody, washed in reverb, flowing in long, engulfing phrases. Don’t think about the jazz use of the sax but consider it as a warm analog wind instrument that moves above, underneath and along with the expansive guitar soundscapes.
Serries began the project with electric guitar and effects; performed live in the studio, he received a duet in return. The results are elaborate soundscapes: a symphony of lyricism, depth and nuance. It’s a solace drenched in melancholy and light, organically made by the hands of talented musicians. The 102-minute album expands their unique sonic universe, creating a beautiful, harmonic and moody blend. Music created on the spot showcases how naturally their two worlds blend.
AVANT MUSIC NEWS wrote of their debut, “Serries, who has also recorded and performed under his VidnaObmana and Fear Falls Burning pseudonyms, returns to his signature sound on this duo effort with Trösta on alto sax. Credited with electric guitar, Serries provides… layers of soft drones that gently reshape themselves. To this, Trösta adds plaintive and exploratory themes. Whether merging with the drones or serving a contrast thereto, these melancholy lines evoke a wistful and peaceful sadness… The result is not quite ambient, and neither dark nor light. Instead, it is a strangely moving set of long-form pieces that capture the emotions of the moment.”
LUMINOUS DASH wrote of their debut, “The two musicians produce a rich and compelling sound palette… Trösta colors the sonic swells in an impressive way with his saxophone. The duo immerses the listener in beneficial cosmic atmospheres that convey a soft timbre of melancholy.”
A subtle contrast is created between the fine, graceful brushstrokes of the saxophonist and the ever-transforming surfaces of the electric guitarist. Within a subtle cloud of sound, Trösta feels at home with his light, intimate playing as these two artists keep each other in balance walking together on a tightrope across a deep, dark chasm.
Recorded live, including all spatiotemporal effects at Sunny Side Studios between 2021-2023. Electric guitar, alto saxophone and electronics by Dirk Serries and Trösta. Mixed and mastered at Sunny Side Studios, Anderlecht.
Tomas Järmyr & Dirk Serries’ THE VOID OF EXPANSION is celebrating their 10th anniversary this year with a new album called ESCAPER on Dunk! Records and a tour they just did throughout Belgium, Poland, Germany, and Norway (Oslo). Although a bit of bad luck interfered with their Trondheim concert (Dirk’s flight was canceled by KLM without any alternative), and a bumpy road throughout their long driving in Europe, the tour was a mesmerizing one. Thanks to all who came out to listen and the bookers and promotors who made it possible. Thanks also to Kick Backline in Belgium for great service and instruments, Hoba’s backline, Pearl Drums Europe for enabling Tomas Järmyr to play such wonderful instruments and for your continued support, and FFUK for financial support.
Their album ESCAPER on beautiful 180 gram anthracitic faded color, available here.
the set upsLive At DUNK! Festival 2024 photos by Jan Kees HelmsLive At DUNK! Festival 2024 photos by Tomasz KasiarzLive At Spontaneous Music Live Series / Dragon Social Club (Poznan, Poland) photos by Andrzej NowakLive At Grölle Galerie (Wuppertal, Germany) photos by Mike VennenLive At Kinky Star (Gent, Belgium) photos by P.O.B.
THE VOID OF EXPANSION, the duo of DIRK SERRIES (electric guitar) and TOMAS JÄRMYR (drums), is celebrating their 10th anniversary with a new album ‘ESCAPER’ (2xLP) on DUNK! Records and a European tour which will take them to Belgium, Poland, Germany, and Norway. Check out where they are playing. Tomorrow they start at DUNK! Festival in Gent (Belgium). Meanwhile, SPONTANEOUS MUSIC TRIBUNE wrote a nice in-depth review of their new album.
DIRK SERRIES – AT FUTURE DAWN (Cd, Cloudchamber Recordings 2024) pre-order here.
“At Future Dawn” is the second Cloudchamber release for Dirk Serries. Picking up where Dirk left off with “Nocturnal Discord”, this album pushes those ambient boundaries once more. Known since the early eighties for his trademark ambient music under the Vidna Obmana pseudonym, Dirk continues to steer his music into new territory using a motherboard of pedal effects and one electric guitar. “At Future Dawn” contains music that constantly breaks down and build itself up again, all done real-time without any specific editing apart from EQ-ing and mixing. The music becomes an organic flow of processing the guitar, carefully analyzing the tonalities to create 6 songs of beauty, introspection and abstractness all at once. Let yourself be immersed in this new world Dirk Serries is creating.
JOURNEYS TO THE INFINITE PODCAST DIRK SERRIES / VIDNA OBMANA : The Modulations of Appearance
For four decades, Dirk Serries has carved a unique path across genres like ambient, avant-garde, industrial, and experimental. Under the pseudonym Vidna Obmana, the Belgian artist garnered global acclaim from 1984 to 2007, leaving behind a prolific discography that showcased his vibrant creativity. Beyond Vidna Obmana, Serries ventured into new directions with Fear Falls Burning and Microphonics series, collaborating with luminaries such as Steven Wilson, Justin K. Broadrick, Low and Cult Of Luna, and touring with bands like MONO, Jesu, Low, and My Bloody Valentine. In October 2013, Serries revived the ambient sound of Vidna Obmana, this time experimenting with the electric guitar instead of synthesizers. The result was an introspective manifestation of sonic purity and subtle harmonies created on the spot in real-time improvisation sessions. Embracing his passion for free jazz, and inspired by legends like Derek Bailey, he emerged as a leading figure in the Belgian impro scene. While still occasionally performing his vintage ambient music, Serries now dedicates most of his time to delving into the depths of free improvised music and curating emerging talent through his label, A New Wave of Jazz. However, despite these transformations and modulations, the core remains the same as in the beginning and Vidna Obmana’s legacy lives on in Serries’ continued exploration of atmospheric soundscapes.
On April 21st, 2024, FEAR FALLS BURNING played their final concert. Where better to conclude the story during the fantastic ROADBURN festival in Tilburg (The Netherlands). FEAR FALLS BURNING in trio constellation with originator DIRK SERRIES (electric guitar, effects, amps), TIM BERTILSSON (drums), and COLIN WEBSTER (tenor sax) recorded their final album THE PRINCIPLE FLAW on Friday at the Sunny Side Inc. Studio (Anderlecht, Belgium) while solidifying the music live at Roadburn on Sunday. Photographer PEDRO ROQUE captured the live performance in its raw beauty. Check out also his blog here or instagram here.
“Fear Falls Burning performing The Principle Flaw. For just about twenty years now, FEAR FALLS BURNING has been a creative outlet for Dirk Serries; this prolific musician has appeared at Roadburn under many guises over the years. He will return to Roadburn with Fear Falls Burning for the first time since 2019, this time to premiere new music titled The Principle Flaw. Dirk will be joined by impressive, introspective Swedish drummer Tim Bertilsson (of the Switchblade fame) and British saxophone player Colin Webster (famous for his active role in the free improv scene and his live and recorded contributions to Idles’ repertoire). Fear Falls Burning are returning more bleak and more devastating than ever before. Stripped down to the bare essence of his own signature style of guitar playing in combination with the mighty metronome pulses of Tim on drums and the desolate howls and tonal streams of Colin on the sax, this music goes beyond and within. Dirk promises that The Principle Flaw is “an echo which will burst the ear and compromises the mind.”We urge you to give yourselves over to Dirk’s experimental ruminations and perhaps you’ll leave this edition of Roadburn a changed person. – Becky Laverty“
Fear Falls Burning plays ROADBURN 2024 on Sunday, April 21st, 2024 at 4.40pm in the Hall Of Fame (Tilburg, The Netherlands). All information here. There are still a few tickets left, to order go here.
VIDNA OBMANA’s semi-classic albums ECHOING DELIGHT (originally released on the Australian EXTREME RECORDS in 1993) and PARALLEL FLAMING, his collaboration with percussionist DJEN AJAKAN SHEAN (in 1993 released on the Swedish MULTIMOOD RECORDS) got the 2024 remaster treatment and are available on most major streaming platforms as of today.
Links for vidnaObmana – Echoing Delight (2024 Remaster)
Streams of Consciousness is Dirk Serries’ homage and return (after the closure of vidnaObmana in 2007) to pure harmonic sonic moments. A mix of deep ambient and drone, this collection presents a nearly-3-hour selection of tracks from the 17 releases created in real-time on electric guitar and a handful of effects in Dirk’s home studio, it’s a slowflow inner exploration of sonics and emotional states. Single notes and reverberating washes of guitars ebb and flow over the course of these longform pieces.
The Vast Wilds writes: These pieces are stunning. I could listen to this forever. They are up there with River of Appearance, which I happen to think is a perfect album. Favorite track: harmonious flare.
Dave Aftandilian writes: I loved drifting off to DS’s compositions as vidnaObmana, and these new streams seem to flow directly down from those ideas. The shimmering guitar here has a very organic ambience. 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.
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