In striking daubs of bled-out colour and finely sculpted layers of instrumentation, Lord of the Magi arrives on Tartelet Archives with an album of ambient reflections.

Copenhagen-based Theo Nicola Anker has different sides to his musical output. But on Soul Exchange, he shakes off stylistic concerns to focus on a purer emotional expression. It’s an instinctive paean to the pastoral life he grew up with, sent with love from his city-centre apartment. His chosen tools – guitars, pedals, synths – are the medium of the message.

“I appreciate music with personality, character, and charisma,” Anker says, “so I always strive to create tracks that tell a story and evoke a specific atmosphere. No single idea for a track is solely melodic, rhythmic, compositional, or focused on mix techniques. It's always about the bigger picture, the overall vibe.”

Earlier works under the name Paxton Fettel appeared on labels like Great Cottage Workshop, where you could spy his affinity for jazzy musicianship and atmospheric pools of ambient production. On Soul Exchange, the dominant swathes of soft-attack and slow-release chords can be intercepted by pointed flurries of guitar, or even the sparse hiccup of a kick-shaped percussive pulse. From piece to piece, a different story is told – the result of Anker’s investigations into beatless production, manifested as a cohesive body of work.

On Soul Exchange, the overarching mood is an inviting, becalming one, but there’s plenty of space for melancholy and even a little friction. That’s apparent in the natural synergy of the organic and electronic elements as much as the emotional content, rounding out as a wholesome, holistic listening experience.

“The album is a reflection and projection of emotions, thoughts, and feelings experienced during a challenging time,” Anker explains. “It embodies the process of going through difficulties and coming out on the other side, embracing change.”

The exquisite detail of the album comes through in abundance on the lead single ‘Él Es Deê’, which teases its psychedelic leanings in shifting sands of oscillating pads in the middle distance, and a panoply of pointed melodic figures dancing up front. It’s vivid and teeming with energy even as it intones a pervasive calm.

Limited to 150 copies and only available in select shops, the LP comes in a specially designed sleeve that folds out into an A1-size poster designed by a Hamburg-based design agency Bareis-Nicolaus. Out October 13 on LP and digital.

Soul Exchange

:: Lord of the Magi - Soul Exchange (snippets) - Tartelet Records 2023 ::

Copenhagen-based record label founded in 2007

Comments

Tartelet Records

Tartelet Records

Tartelet Records

Tartelet Records

Tartelet Records

Tartelet Records

Tartelet Records

Tartelet Records

Tartelet Records

ALLINGOODTASTE