Telesoniek Atelier - A Selection Of Improvisations (1989 - 2017)

Now then, what's this? No label so very little info other than Telesoniek Atelier is the pseudonym of one Hans Kulk, a western European mainlander you'd assume (correct me if i'm wrong), with just a handful of CDr releases to his name and who arrives replete with a list of impressive endorsements from some notable students of the game - Suzanna Ciani, Surgeon, John T. Gast++. So far so intriguing. Somehow, A Selection of Improvisations delivers more than might be anticipated from such origins. We've a double disc containing ten outer-zone compositions that straddle the line between late 90s afterhours ambience - situated somewhere broadly within the Gas/Basinski/Oval axis - the minimalist composition of the Lovely Music/Obscure canons, and the emotional richness of the Music From Memory universe of airy electronics. Heavyweight business, then. Granted, we do seem to discuss music of this kind a fair bit, but there's a real allure to Kulk's approach that's as equally indebted to its masterful poise as it is its shadowy origins. A bit of mystery goes a long way when you're making sounds as vaporous and cloudless as this, but there's also real substance here, evidence of a smart composer adept enough to extract a rich timbre of emotion from what is a mostly minimalist approach. Would happily learn more about Kulk, though i'd be equally content to let these ten pieces bubble and swell in their own enigmatic amber free of explication.