Ulla - Tumbling Towards A Wall

Very limited copies of Ulla Strauss latest immersive opus, a sound artist of some esteem who you might remember from her contributions to the bblisss compilation that effectively launched Huerco S' West Mineral imprint. This new one comes via Experiences Ltd, a new label formed by UON, another West Mineral affilate and WOE favourite. I mention all of this so as to make it clear what we're talking about here - contemporary sound design that forgoes the clinical and precise in favour of richly textured, real world ambience. As with a lot of the WM crew, I'm reminded most obviously of the natural world, sound like water, like air through trees, like a mic held to the soil or to wood, and even almost like hearing your own blood flow. The result is something akin to a water bath experience, where you're free of the extraneous, tuned into just one thing - you gotta say that's the art of true composition. Fittingly, 'Soak' is where Strauss does this best, recalling Loidis and late period Voight, gliding on a gently hiccuping beat, a babbling brook of a tune. Solid gold fair, it's gonna sell out quick.