Matthias Urban

"Only two months have passed since the release of Matthias Urban‘s Passagen, but Sial is an entirely different creature.  The earlier album investigated the oscillations of drum cymbals, while the new set is a soundscape of Icelandic ocean recordings. But wait, there’s more! In 2018 the artist also released The Galvanic Twitch, a work of musique concrète, and Grey Line I & II, field recordings captured in his native Austria at dawn and twilight. Credit Urban for his hard work and diversity!

Like Grey Line I & II, Sial unfolds in two parts, essential in this case due to the cassette format. The listener is immediately aware of the shoreline location due to the massive wind and surf. The recording is made so close to the crushing waves that at first no local species are heard; they know better than to risk being caught in the current. The sounds are violent, yet ancient; these are the same conditions the Vikings endured". (A Closer Listen)