TONUS’ latest album ‘Analog Deviation’ gets a beautiful review from Ken Waxman over at Jazz Word (Canada). The album is of course available from our store.
“Under the rubric of creative improvised music a variety of sonic notions can be expressed even if the instrumentation and inspirations arise from similar circumstances. Abstract and pointed, Tonus’ two improvisations encompass tonal ambiguity and rhythmic transformation as the trio members languidly stretch out their distinct response to free form challenges. The band is Belgians, guitarist Dirk Serries and pianist Martina Verhoeven, who singly or together have worked internationally with among many others Charlotte Keeffe and José Lencastre; while the UK’s Benedict Taylor, playing viola and broken fiddle, has worked with Paul Dunmall and Alexander Hawkins. Before Verhoeven’s inner string strums and soundboard echoes from the piano are finally obvious about 10 minutes into the improvisation. That’s because Taylor’s arco viola pinches intersect with Serries flat string clanks and frails at the top. The two string players’ flanged strains, rubs and stretches are further emphasized as the pianist’s rolling patterns provide a complementary bass line. The subtle timbral transformations are further emphasized as an adagio slide finds isolated guitar picking prominent among elevated and basement shakes from piano pitches. The trio’s slightly longer “Outbound” confirms Tonus’ identification as a string trio combining discordant fiddle rubs, bottleneck-like guitar frails and massed inner piano string shakes. Additional percussion arises from Verhoeven smacking the piano’s wood and Serries doing the same on his guitar’s body as Taylor brings out his broken fiddle to screech dog whistle-like strains as the exposition speeds up. Reaching a sequence of group tension so intense that imminent string breakage is suggested, intermittent passing tones finally connect individual split tones. First suggested by Serries’ mandolin-like frails and Verhoeven’s keyboard thumps, eventually Taylor’s elevated rubs propel a final sequence that that is as imbued with intermittency as improvisation.” Jazz Word – Canada
As from today on, after careful debate and in the light of the constant changing world economics (shipping costs, custom taxes, etc.), we are launching a new line of digital releases. Music that has been on the waiting list for a physical release but the harsh reality caught us in speed. We sincerely hope you’ll follow us in our vision and adapting to the circumstances around us but we want to keep our label alive and haven for the unique in free improvisation, avantgarde and free jazz alive and this is currently the way to proceed. Each digital release comes in a stylish design, featuring the breathtaking photography of MARTINA VERHOEVEN. Thank you.
BENEDICT TAYLOR & DIRK SERRIES – GEOMETRIC FOLKLORE (nwoj0070, A New Wave Of Jazz)
GEOMETRIC FOLKLORE is Benedict Taylor (viola) and Dirk Serries (guitar)’s third duo collaboration. After their OBSIDIAN album for Creative Sources, they returned to the magnificent Oude Klooster chapel to record/perform this next phase in their ongoing duo dialogue. And growth is clearly noted, two long form improvised pieces touching upon slightly different themes and tonalities. Perhaps a bit less abstract that what we heard on their previous two albums and deliberately more harmonic and with a strict interplay between the two kindred spirits, re-inventing the folklore as you will.
Benedict Taylor – viola Dirk Serries – archtop guitar
GARUDA TRIO + RODRIGO PINHEIRO – LIVE AT SMUP (nwoj0071, A New Wave Of Jazz)
Hugo Costa travelled back to his native country Portugal (he currently lives in The Netherlands) to play with some of his favorite musicians. Their GARUDA TRIO doesn’t play often live because of the distance. After their acclaimed album ’TONGUES OF FLAMES‘ featuring RODRIGO PINHEIRO , they set for playing the legendary SMUP venue. Due to the miscalculation in the schedule, their concert was troubled by the rehearsals of a big band in the basement. The quartet of Hugo Costa (alto sax), João Valinho (drums), Hernãni Faustino (double bass) and Rodrigo Pinheiro (piano) decided to amp up the volume and dynamics to at least match or even overpower the sound of the rehearsal band. The concert became a celebration of life, injected with fire, heart, drama and joy, making the quartet grow as an unity. And proud to release this excellent concert on A New Wave Of Jazz digital.
Hugo Costa – alto saxophone Rodrigo Pinheiro – piano Hernâni Faustino – double bass João Valinho – drums
Drawing from his oeuvre and experience in ambient and experimental music, projects like his acclaimed Microphonics project, ‘THE MIGHT OF STARS SUBLIME‘, Dirk Serries‘ debut for German label AUDIOPHOB, feels familiar, close to home, but simultaneously creates another dimension in his realm of ambient music. This album leads the listener through a trip of minimalism, a sense of grandeur, a specific harmonic quality and beautiful ambient music which becomes full circle in ‘The Stars Sublime’, probably his most iconic and striking piece of music he made so far while it resembles a feeling that’s mutual with another iconic and acclaimed piece ‘microphonics XXIII – there’s a light in vein’ from his 2013 album. ‘The Might Of Stars Sublime’ is slated for release on April 25th
DIRK SERRIES – ZONAL DISTURBANCES II (cd, ZOHARUM 2025)
Following DIRK SERRIES’ recent albums the composer continues to explore different sonic terrain. Still on the electric guitar with a motherboard of analog pedals, the 4 tracks on ZONAL DISTURBANCES II start to give signs of a new signature style of ambience Dirk is constructing. Organic, brooding and eerie. All recorded live on the spot creating music that still showcases the artist’s fondness for minimalism and slow repetitive clusters of sound while tying connections with his roots in industrial and experimental music. Foremost he continues, after 4 decades in the scene, to etalate his artistry in creating provocative, unique and genre-bending ambient music. Dirk Serries is a musical force to reckon with and to be finally rewarded for his wilful and unique voice in an ever increasing superficial music industry.
In the meantime, while this one is ready to be released, the “Zonal Disturbances” project has developed into several volumes. So if you let yourself be carried away by this music, look out for the continuation soon…
Purchase your copy here through our personal bandcamp shop or directly from the label.
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.
Working band KODIAN TRIO exists 10 years. Rose from the ashes of a scorching concert at London’s Café Oto in 2015. Already 10 years later and armed with three major studio albums and multiple live appearances later, the trio have become major contenders on the fertile and outward-looking European scene. KODIAN TRIO is a unique one with 3 strong musicians constantly challenging themselves to move further and beyond. KODIAN TRIO is Colin Webster on alto sax, Andrew Lisle on drums and Dirk Serries on electric guitar.
They are playing two exclusive concerts : on Friday March 21st they are doing a trio concert at Wuppertal’s GRÖLLE GALERIE and on Saturday March 22nd they are playing jazzvenue PlusEtage with special guests Charlotte Keeffe (trumpet), Martina Verhoeven (piano) and Raoul Van Der Weide (double bass). Not to be missed.
2025 marks the 25th anniverary of this beauty VIDNA OBMANA & STEVE ROACH made to accompany MARTINA VERHOEVEN‘s breathtaking and unparalleled CIRCLES & ARTIFACTS photography. Digitally available from Projekt Records
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 :
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
This fresh trio uniting JOSÉ LENCASTRE (sax), MARTINA VERHOEVEN (piano) and DIRK SERRIES (guitar) released their 2nd album ‘Canonical Discourse’ last year. Ken Waxman just wrote a lovely review about the album for Canada’s JAZZ WORD. The album is available here.
“Boasting a slightly sharper edge are the Lemadi Trio’s four instances of canonical discourse. Firmly embedded in the European improvisational scene, Belgians guitarist Dirk Serries and pianist Martina Verhoeven have worked with numerous players on the continental and UK creative music scene, while Portuguese alto saxophonist José Lencastre has recorded with numerous players like Rodrigo Pinheiro and Onno Govaert. A comparable saxophone-guitar line up is part of both trios, but while the third member is either a drummer or a pianist, comparable sonority is expressed, since Hemingway’s drum subtlety is comparable to Verhoeven sometime keyboard aggression. Canonial Discourse starts off with jagged snorts and peeps from Lencastre, irregular strums from Serries and slashes across the piano’s internal string set by Verhoeven and goes on from there. Very quickly it escalates to whiny reed multiphonics as crackles and cascades from both piano and guitar undulate in unison and set up a contrapuntal challenge to the saxophone. While there are quieter moments in the final “Little Emphasis”, overall the restrained interludes here and elsewhere which favor key plinks, disassociated string strums and horizontal reed lines are surpassed by tougher sequences. Reed screeches, thin guitar jabs and piano soundboard rattles predominate. This interaction reaches a climax on “Disjuncture”. Clashes among reed stops and doits plus keyboard and metallic frails continuously accelerate until ending with note-bending affiliations.”
The latest, and second, live album of MARTINA VERHOEVEN QUINTET, ‘Indicator Light’, continues to receive really good reviews. Here’s one in Germany. The album is available through our webstore.
“Wo treibt sich das Antwerpener Wunderkind Dirk Serries denn noch überall herum? Im Free-Jazz-Projekt Martina Verhoeven Quintet zum Beispiel, wie kommt er dazu? Ah – er ist mit der Bandleaderin verheiratet, so kommt der Ambient-, Drone- und Proggitarrist also in den Jazz. „Indicator Light“ ist eine dreiviertelstündige Live-Improvisation, die den herkömmlichen Musikstrukturen so gut wie alles wegnimmt und eine dennoch hörbare Kakophonie errichtet, mit Schlagzeug, Piano, Saxophon, Kontrabass und eben Gitarre. Ornette Coleman grinst sich eins. Ganz behutsam und beinahe unhörbar schleicht sich dieses Stück an, gestaltet sich aus dem Nichts heraus zu etwas unscharf Figürlichem und vermeidet es fortan weitgehend, greifbare Konturen zu entwickeln. Allmählich setzen alle Instrumente ein, ohne jeweilige oder gar zusammengehörige Strukturen, jedes für sich, mit einem dominanten Alt-Saxophon und dem dazu aufwirbelnd klimpernden Flügel, den willkürlich shuffelnden Drums, dem tieftönenden Kontrabass und den flächigen Gitarren. Wellenartig hat jeder der fünf Instrumentalisten seine Schwerpunkte, tobt sich aus, gebärdet sich wild, kommt zur Ruhe, der Track kreischt beinahe, es entsteht ein Lärm ganz ohne Druck, das Quintett spielt sich in einen Rausch. Und ganz plötzlich, zur Hälfte des Tracks, entwickelt sich doch tatsächlich aus all diesem eine wiedererkennbare Struktur. Das Schlagzeug gibt einen Takt vor, an dem sich die anderen vier ausrichten und einen vertrauten, obschon freien Jazz zulassen, den man sich irgendwann in den Sechzigern vorstellen kann. Doch bleibt das Quintett dort nicht verhaftet, sondern senkt nach kurzer Zeit alle Intensität ab und formt komplett abstrakte, hingetupfte Figuren, jedes Instrument für sich nebeneinander. Jedoch ist dies nur ein Luftholen, denn alsbald verfällt die Band wieder ins energetische Freie, das sie gegen Ende abermals in nachvollziehbare Strukturen leitet, in eine Art Speed Jazz gewissermaßen, der zuhörends an Gewindeschraubungen zulegt und sich überschlägt – um zurück ins Nichts auszulaufen. Der Applaus am Ende ist verdient.” Vanbauseneick.de – Germany
dirkserries.com 