Anamorph Experimental Music/Viviano Wich – Trauma

[Reviewed by: Iaha Crax]

It is not very likely to find a complex and intricate form of dark ambient as generally the digital creations only scratch at surface the corners of perception and other projects, which compose on analogue equipment, revolve over a redundant musical theme. Certainly sometimes this is where all the beauty comes to being, the power of repetitions, as a key which is being rolled into the door and opens it to a new world.

On the contrary, “Trauma” exposes this turbulent type of atmospheric music that drags the listener to all sort of diverse passages never decreasing in intensity or lack of inspiration. The lo-fi aspectual concept makes it all vulnerable to pedant approach and openly influential for hardly bearable states of mind reflecting, in a manner that is both vivid and painful, experiences which enigmatically connects the listener to the interpreter. Despite the choice of instruments, Trauma sounds greatly due to a careful production and manipulation of the original sounds. Besides synths and a tape-recorder for field recordings, they also bought in intriguing samples or percussion. As I understand this is a collaboration between Anamorph Experimental Music which dealt with instrumentations and Viviano Wich taking care of the voice processing. Fulu Records (an independent label in Vienna, with limited editions) released it on tape with a very representative booklet which depicts the process of incubation that resulted into this musical experience.  

The album is divided into 2 parts, Psychosis and Catharsis, suggesting a healing process through the power that sounds has to reflect and receive the derangements of the mind or the angoisse of the spirit. Thus the outcome that we hear on “Trauma” is the athanor, the alchemical vase, where the two artists concocted resounding matter and immaterial responses to internal suffering. Sometimes “Trauma” reminds of the defunct project Aghast and Halo Manash first endeavours, but also of the recently Kammarheit.  Only sometimes, because all through the album you will be kept in a continuous perplexed state  allowing you to let your thoughts wonder only within the limits of the “Trauma” sound. It is recommended to read the biographies of these two quite unknown exponents of experimental music. They deserve a proper recognition and excavation of their creation. Check here: https://fulurecords.com/artists/.

“Trauma” offers deep rewards to the listener because of a textural density cumulating spectral sounds of diverse luminosity and different heaviness.  A particular natural acoustic embellishes the whole piece and avoids the typical dryness in the dark-ambient scene. Anamorph Experimental Music and Viviano Wich have recorded a hypnotic and beautifully colored dramatic album which could become recognizable instantly like in the case of Poe’s poetry.

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Anamorph Experimental Music/Viviano Wich – Trauma
Fulu Records, fulu-001
MC 2021