Somnium

Drone ambient project born from the ashes of null, Somnium is an audio-visual project which is about perception of reality during dreaming state or during altered states of mind of various kinds. The two steps to grasp Somnium's works are to be mesmerized and to feel.
The project consists of two elements: sound (ky) and vision (Calliope).
The music is made mainly with a bass and real time effects. Other instruments used (flutes,vocals...) are all acoustic and there aren't digital source sounds. Tracks are recorded mostly live, mixed in few time to let the sound be as original and raw as it possible.
The visions are suggested through use of images closely tied to the sensations roused by sounds. The shots are taken singularly or assembled by the stop motion method. The intention is to realize a real and unseparable connection between music and visual art.
The spirit of the project is to induce sensations through sounds and images, so if the two elements were divided the work should appear mutilated.

Releases

Somnium & Alenda - Split

Cat # ... DNA 121
Release Date ... 28.11.2011
Genre ... Drone Ambient
Type ... FLAC Lossless

Here is another work from Italian drone ambient project Somnium, this time in collaboration with Belgian act called Alenda. This split album is an epic more-than-hour release with three monumental drone ambient tracks.
Somnium part is traditionally dedicated to exploring various human mental disorders with the instruments of sounds and visual art. In this work sounds dominates as viscid drones of "Dissociazione" brings a listener to weird state of dissociation where human perception comes to discordance with conscious and psychic processes. "K-Hole" aggravates the state and shows how it can lead to total depersonalization through schizophrenic reaction, temporary memory loss and vivid hallucinations. Low frequencies howlings pierce hallucinogenic canvas of fluid drones and creates inside a weird impression of chaos and claustrophobia at the same time.
Alenda part presents single more than 37 minutes long piece. Staying in drone ambient territory, it differs from Somnium part a lot musically and conceptually as well. "Art of Zen" acts as a instrument in meditation practice. Static and primitive low-frequencies drones work perfectly in the art of Zen which learns how to reach enlightment through meditative contemplation.

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Somnium - Arachnophobia EP

Cat # ... DNA 120
Release Date ... 30.10.2011
Genre ... Drone Ambient, Dark Ambient
Type ... FLAC Lossless

"Arachnophobia EP" is a work of a new project Somnium by ky who recently in collaboration with DNA Production released an album of the same name. It was last work under his old project Null, and now he starts working as Somnium.
Somnium debut work slightly differs from previous release. Less Troum influence, expressive composition of tracks which contrast with each other to reach some new level of development. This is totally new work with new ideas and fresh approach. Also "Arachnophobia EP" revives Short Drones series. It was ky's desire, and I'm very grateful to him for that.
Araneae is built on endless loops of steel drum Kalimba which are slowly sinking in waves of strings chords and low-frequency drones. It reaches a peak when the drones meet cacophony of high-frequency noises as fear turns to panic horror. Then seconds later Araneae dramatically looses power and returns to the Kalimba loops with eerie feelings staying at the heart of a listener.
Unlike the first track, Scorpiones is much calm. It's made of hundreds tiny ambient layers, pieces of drones and string chords fragments. Main theme for Scorpiones is a melody piece which is one breath cycle long. And it naturally starts to breathe like a sleeping man when the melody loops consecutively along the whole track. Driven by drone pulsations, Scorpiones oscillates measuredly tempting a listener to fall into a dreaming state where reality looses its boundaries and human brain follows a way of subconsciousness.

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