Netherworld

*200 copies limited edition* Glacial Movements, an ambient and electronic music label founded in Rome in 2006 by Alessandro Tedeschi (Netherworld), celebrates its 20th anniversary with the release of “The Hermit,” a collection of restored archival recordings from the early 2000s. These recordings, originally stored on deteriorated CD-r and Minidisc formats, were recovered and restored to reveal early experimental sounds full of mystery and emotional depth. These earliest sound experiments emerged while the Netherworld project was still evolving, years before Glacial Movements came into existence.

“I have been going through one of the most difficult periods of my life. The last two years have had a profound impact on my existence, with a succession of dark thoughts, moments of high tension, and anxiety. At times, I couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. Inevitably, this has had a significant impact on my professional life, on the management of Glacial Movements, and on the Netherworld project. One rainy day a few months ago, I was home alone with my three-year-old daughter Dafne. The sky was gray with clouds heavy with rain and strong storms. I was in my studio working when, at one point, Dafne started pulling my entire collection of CDs, accumulated over the years, off the shelves. They were all scattered on the floor, total chaos reigned. As I was tidying everything up, I noticed that there were some old CD-Rs and minidiscs with “2002” and “Netherworld” written on them. I had completely forgotten about these sounds... they were my first experiments, unreleased, never published and never heard by anyone, composed with very basic, low-quality equipment, but full of mystery.

I used a microphone to record sounds captured from metal surfaces, broken toys, breaths, voices, and a Tibetan gong. The only synth used was the Novation A-Station rack. I realized that the physical media had deteriorated over time. Together with my friend and sound engineer Matteo Spinazzè, we carried out a lengthy process of recovering and restoring the audio files. Unfortunately, some of them were completely corrupted and therefore lost forever. However, seven of these files were made available again. Listening to them was a succession of strong emotions. Although they were made many years ago, they resonate with my current state of mind. Anguish, loneliness, darkness... I felt like a hermit, alone in the glacial vastness of my essence. The photos accompanying the artwork are very old, dating back to the first scientific explorations of the 1900s in the Arctic and Antarctic regions of the planet. They were chosen and selected from the archives of museums and libraries in Sweden, Australia, and Wales. " - Alessandro Tedeschi aka Netherworld

Glacial Movements has steadily gained international recognition in the ambient and electronic music scenes. The label has collaborated with a wide array of notable artists such as Rapoon, Lull, Aidan Baker, Machinefabriek, Scanner, Murcof, Oophoi, bvdub, Loscil, Paul Schutze and many others, as well as supporting lesser-known talents. Their collective work reflects themes related to the pristine nature of the Great North and addresses urgent issues like climate change affecting the planet. The label expresses gratitude to its artists, audience, and the specialized press for their ongoing support and engagement with Glacial Movements’ activities.