(2020) Desensitized - Hemispherica Portalis (Portal of 1000 Years)


Review:
Hemispherica Portalis offers a fascinating example of what happens when two artists boasting differing styles unite. It’s especially interesting in this case when one of the partners, Deborah Martin, brings such a long-standing association with Spotted Peccary to the project, the artist having made her inaugural appearance on the label in 1994. Hers has not been an hermetic undertaking, however, as collaborations with others have transpired along the way. Operating out of Southern California, Dean De Benedictis brings as deep a history to the endeavour, with music by the electronic musician extending back to 1996. The collaboration results in music that both aligns with expectations but surprises too. On the one hand, the kind of mystical evocations crafted so mesmerizingly by Martin merge with De Benedictis’s elaborate textural design in a way that one might expect; at the same time, the seven settings sound like nothing either might have created alone. What distinguishes the recording most, however, is its live dimension, the impression it engenders of material being born and sculpted in the moment rather than preprogrammed. The cover imagery is likewise emblematic of the music’s character. Draped in mystical light and with multi-hued plant forms in abundance, an unidentified planet—maybe Earth, maybe not—teems with flora and fauna. That biological emphasis carries through to the music, which, generated using flute, percussion, synthesizers, and various softwares, feels perpetually alive. During the opening “Hemispherica Portalis (Portal of 1000 Years),” the seeming chime of a guitar and strum of a harp intersect with silken synth washes to suggest a natural realm peacefully subsisting since time immemorial. Emerging from misty haze, flutes swirl like gusting winds as analog and digital elements seamlessly blend. A good illustration of the duo’s working methodology arises in “Concunus Dracus (Dragon of the Heavens)” when Martin’s melodic gestures invite textural responses from De Benedictis. Meandering, woodwind-like phrases drift across a thick mass of shimmer and percolations, the impression created of each melodic element assisting in the propagation of the sound world billowing around it. Throughout the recording, the music’s slow-motion flow encourages a kindred meditative response in the listener, with the subtle ebb and flow of the material strengthening the connection in mirroring the breathing rhythms of the human body. However much some tinklings in “Formulata Oblivonos (A Complicated Tale)” might seem to flirt with New Age, gritty textures and a heavy plodding beat pattern ensure the piece retains a harder edge; “Terminus Equitos (Redemption Seeker)” similarly pulsates with insistent animation. In other places, the space ambient character that sometimes pervades the album is offset by an almost pastoral quality, evident, for example, during the peaceful opening minutes of “Ecumenicus Orato (The Umbilical Center)” and the harp-sprinkled “Amphibinatum (Myths and Legends).” Though there’s no doubt a solid rationale behind the choice, Desensitized seems a rather curious name for the collaboration, given how much the music the two have produced exemplifies an inordinately high degree of sensitivity to the nuances of sound texture and design. Regardless, their partnership has resulted in a recording of seven expansive soundscapes that more resemble living organisms than static portraits.





Tracklist:
01 - Hemispherica Portalis (Portal of 1000 Years)
02 - Concunus Dracus (Dragon of the Heavens)
03 - Formulata Oblivonos (A Complicated Tale)
04 - Ecumenicus Orato (The Umbilical Center)
05 - Saltis Nominus (Floating Seabeds)
06 - Terminus Equitos (Redemption Seeker)
07 - Amphibinatum (Myths and Legends)


Media Report:
Genre: ambient
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits