Black Sky Chants: “Strobe Glide”
Black Sky Chants is the current alias of Sergei Dmitriev, perhaps formerly known to International Tapes readers as Bedroom Bear. The recent past has seen splits with Ous Mal and Wind in Willows, but I’ll Sleep Untill I See The Moon is Dmitriev’s first solo release since 2010 and is only the second tape to be released on Belgian label Aguirre.
Side A begins with “67km of Capricorn,” a 12-minute ambient epic. Based on degenerating loops, the track blends a repeated melody with encroaching noise and feedback, blurring the lines between the two, rising and falling in pressure over it’s lengthy duration. To be honest, it might be a bit too long for some, but others might embrace the opportunity for some deep listening. “Z-boys” rounds out the opening side as an altogether less frantic affair, led by echoing vocals and repeated, drawn out notes. The feedback eventually builds to a mini-crescendo but it never really goes anywhere, feeling a little directionless or uninspired at times.
Side B is where things really begin to kick off. “Phoenix Blast” jumps into a swirling mass of noisy textures, not overly harsh with notes and chords buried deep within, echoing in the haze. It’s an enveloping sound that sticks to it’s guns, focused in a way the opening salvo is not. “Strobe Glide” closes out proceedings with a much cleaner effort, with delayed piano chords underpinning a set of shimmering synths gliding effusively over the top.
All four tracks sound quite different, suggesting a spate of experimentation. While it’s not at all bad, the recordings are rough and a haggard in a way that suggests these themes still deserve further exploration on the part of the artist and the listener. Whatever your favored type of drone, you’ll probably find something worth getting sucked into here.
I’ll Sleep Untill I See The Moon is available now from Aguirre
Written by Ian Maleney
