Johan Agebjorn - Subtracted Soundscapes '2023

Tracks list

On Subtracted Soundscapes, Johan Agebjörn reworks eight pieces from across
his career into something warmer, calmer than the originals—but no less
moving and profound. Unlike the original versions, these
“subtracted” updates are entirely beatless; the sonic threads of the
originals unraveled and rewoven. Agebjörn describes his remixing process as
“leaving only the key elements of the music, and also working with
different combinations of lowpass-filtering, slowing down, adding reverb, and
mixing the music differently.” Opener “Four Hours to
Karhumäki” exemplifies this. From a gentle piano intro, the piece
swells to a sonic vastness both rich and austere. Reverberant textures drift
through piano chords like wind through asperous rock formations. Subtracted
Soundscapes moves fluidly between the naturalistic and otherworldly. After the
earthbound stillness of “Karhumäki,” “Swimming Through the
Blue Lagoon,” recalls Vangelis’s soundtrack work. On
“Lagoon,” otherworldly voices shimmer across contrapuntal Berlin
School tones. “As I Passed the Vyartsilya Border Crossing” uses
synthetic voice as a marching ostinato. When the melody comes in, it is both
alien and familiar: the major key refrain of adventure wrapped anew in sterling
pearlescence. On Subtracted Soundscapes, Agebjörn revisits past work with a
new compositional mien: a focus on calmness and serenity. The result is an album
that is both dazzlingly otherworldly and startlingly intimate, both a sonic
sanctuary for the listener and another world to explore.

Tracklist:
1.01 - Johan Agebjorn - Four Hours To Karhumäki (Subtracted Version) (5:28)
1.02 - Johan Agebjorn - Swimming Through the Blue Lagoon (Subtracted Version)
(5:08)
1.03 - Johan Agebjorn - Ambient Computer Dance (Subtracted Version) (5:31)
1.04 - Johan Agebjorn - As I Passed the Vyartsilya Border Crossing (Subtracted
Version) (7:43)
1.05 - Johan Agebjorn - Sleep In My Arms (Subtracted Version) (5:41)
1.06 - Johan Agebjorn - Dulciter Somni (Subtracted Version) (5:00)
1.07 - Johan Agebjorn - Siberian Train Part II (Subtracted Version) (7:51)
1.08 - Johan Agebjorn - Zero Gravitation (Subtracted Version) (9:59)

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