Review of Basal [12k1014]

Incursion (CA)

Basal is the debut full length from Sogar, aka Jürgen Heckel. Richly layered textures, crackles and tones create some compelling sonic spaces and a mood that is quite calming and reflective. The components often melt into gentle rhythms, yet sometimes remain in the abstract. The tracks are medium length (9 tracks in all, with a total runtime of just under 50 minutes), and develop with natural ease. There’s a calm, contemplative nature to this music, which carries a sort of warmth about it that seems rare for a microsound project (usually favouring more of a cold, stark mood of alienation in the digital age). The melodic textures on this album can be almost hypnotising: their crackles, tones and harmonic loops mesmerise the listener with their soothing rhythms and complex layering. In all, this is a peaceful and engaging new release, and a promising start for Sogar. [Richard di Santo]

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