Erik Levander KvadSUP008: CD / Digital
Preview
Release Date: 3rd March 2023
Format: CD, Digital
Written and produced by Erik Levander
Cover Design by Supple 9
Mastered at Supple 9 Studios
Description
We are absolutely delighted to welcome Erik Levander to Supple 9, and thrilled to present his brand new album Kvad.
This album began its life way back in 2001 when a young Erik Levander passed by the Lunds Domkyrka cathedral in Sweden, and decided to step inside to enjoy the architecture and peacefulness. Under the dome a choir was rehearsing, and Erik captured a recording with his minidisc.
Years later when browsing through his archives of field recordings, Erik rediscovered this recording and was immediately enchanted - both by the reverberated atmospheres of the cathedral, and the sparse harmonies of the song. Erik started experimenting with the recording: re-arranging it and re-processing it using both software and guitar pedals, and then layering multiple new elements on top.
The results were quite stunning: a beautifully textured, organic, and pulsating composition, which swells, dips, grows, and then collapses in on itself; it draws the listener close; it whispers and roars.
Whilst Erik is unsure of the composition's origin, he believes the choir may have been singing "Här tystnar träden", after which he named this track. It serves as the foundation stone of this album, and it set Erik on a path to creating his most affecting release to date.
There are familiar tonal qualities we recognise from his previous work - cassette loops, lo-fi noise, waves of distortion - but there is a maturity and depth to these compositions which pushes them into new and beautiful territories. Furthermore, his decision to use additional choral elements throughout the album strengthens the whole and lends it a cinematic quality. When we heard the demo, we were captivated, and we are delighted to present you with "Kvad", an album which deserves your full attention.
Currently based in Berlin, Germany, this will be Erik’s 8th solo release with his previous albums garnering consistently strong reviews and high praise from sources such as The Wire, Echoes and Dust, Vital Weekly, and many more.
Press
... deep, textural, and sometimes deliciously distorted full-frequency soundscapes
... voice is just one of the elements in this densely layered, constantly evolving, and gorgeous piece… This is a stellar journey into a sonically rich space.
an epic minimalist dronescape work, heavenly and powerful, mysterious and inscrutable ... The album is best heard as loudly as possible, to hear the many layers of noise and drone that Levander has added to the source material to turn it into something far beyond
It has images of dark clouds over likewise dark forests, and the occasional chant sounds like a gothic ritual is happening down these trees... Levander once again created some very powerful, varied and quality music.
A captivating listen: soft/minimal tech, choral singing, found-sounds folded into glitchy, quiet-noise-driven backdrops create an enveloping & thick silk curtain of sound!
... the combination of the electronic elements mixed with the church atmosphere (and the choir recordings) ... gives these tracks their fascinating emotional depth.
In a divine dance of harmony and timbre somnolent chords sustain below the rise and fall of merciful melodies and tenebrous textures. Precise, like a prayer, then moody and glowering, the low-key execution found throughout Kvad lends a sensuousness and depth to this quietly confident work... Kvad is a leap into artistic freedom, and proof that musicians excel when they follow their passions.
About Erik Levander
Erik Levander is a Swedish electronic music producer based in Berlin, Germany.
He gained attention as part of the new wave of young DIY laptop experimentalists arising in the early 2000's. His solo work is multifaceted and diverse, but you can often recognize his affection for glitch, grit and distortion, the vibrant and dense weaves of sounds, and above all the crafting of dynamic, powerful and epic atmospheres.