ARK ZEAD - Niptaktuk

Format: CD

Label & Cat.Number: Glacial Movements - GM055

Release Year: 2024

Price (incl. 19% VAT): €16.00

More Info

About two years ago, the headquarters of Glacial Movements Records was shrouded and immersed in seven ethereal soundclouds that drastically lowered the temperature by several degrees. Rome has never been colder. These sounds come directly from the Cryosphere, and represent the quintessence of the most extreme and coldest isolationism. It is the deep sidereal void that characterizes the planet's icy expansions.

Nothing is known about the artist who composed these sounds. It is all completely shrouded in utter mystery. Only the signature is known: Ark Zead. There is nothing around, no reference sites, no biography and no place of origin. "Niptaktuk" the title of this album, is the first work to be published under this name. However, after several attempts and requests for more information, Alessandro Tedeschi (GM's boss and artistic director) managed to get a very brief comment from the artist:

"I am a gong and Tibetan singing bowls player, interested in vibes in a very usual way. But I felt inspired when I faced the very hostile cold in Canada. I looked for stories about exploring these lands and the people who live there. I then modified my vibe sounds with computers and synthesizers to describe the state of isolationism you have to reach to enjoy the beauty of the true North."

Everything ties in perfectly with GM's aesthetic. Another key element of this album is the artwork, specially made by Italian artist Lia Bosch, whose art faithfully described Ark Zead's sound. The cover image is mysterious and hermetic. It contains a deep mystery, as much as the music of "Niptaktuk." The six-panel digipack is a balance of colors ranging from gray/black to emerald green. Sleeve by Rutger Zuydervelt aka Machinefabriek and mastering by sound engineer Matteo Spinazzè Savaris.

It is highly recommended to listen to "Niptaktuk" at night, in a quiet environment.

https://glacialmovements.bandcamp.com/album/niptaktuk

"So little has been said on this obscure and almost unidentifiable drone-based sound art project. First offer published by the emblematic Glacial Movements imprint and a perfect soundtrack to illustrate the heroic age of arctic explorations to the North Pole, following the struggle and infinitely challenging quest of pioneering men shrouded by the deep solemn silence of sovereign Nature. In this regard, check out the story of Ejnar Mikkelsen.

Niptaktuk is a soundtrack about bravery, devotion, and self-awareness in meditative stillness. Scientific researches to foreign lands sometimes turn into a tremendous metaphysical and personal adventure, facing human finitude, death, and extreme life survival, this soundtrack is all about it, an ode and elegiac thrilling hymnic excursion into nebulous and highly emotional sound waves meeting the deep arcana of human consciousness. A mysteriously moving soundscaping odyssey with a solid and tragic backdrop, palpable emotions leading to a contemplative pensiveness about endurance, absolute quest and fate.

Easily recommended for admireres of ambient and atmospheric music with a sense of space articulated to the majesty of Nature (in particular rugged Northern landscapes), to profound quietness and wintery melancholia. Fans of Machinefabriek, Simon Whetham, Andrea Polli, Sébastien Roux, Northumbria, and Strom Noir may find a whole sound universe to explore on Niptaktuk for their lonesome deep home listening moments. Also a perfect sonorous accompaniment while reading Beasts, Men And Gods by Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski. [Philippe Blache, IGLOO mag]