MYSTERY SEA 07 | K.M. Krebs | [the light will fill the darkness and obliterate it]

ARTWORK

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INTRODUCTORY WORDS

- "the light will fill the darkness and obliterate it" is a sonic exploration of the connection between the moon and the ocean ;
placing an ear to the subtle sidereal movements of the inner waterways.
I decided to link these two concepts as the moon and the ocean have always shared a vast ground of symbolism : crescent waves and cold geography.
The subtle pull of the lunar tide.
Most resonant to me is their connection with the unconscious - frigid azure light reflecting off the navigators of these uncertain and shifting spaces."

- K.M. Krebs, December 2002.

PRESS RELEASE

Maybe more known under the moniker of 833-45, and also for being the founder of the Nishi online sublabel of No Type, canadian K.M. Krebs has now decided to elaborate works under his own name...
After a dream triggering private debut full-length entitled "Oneiromancy", and a beautiful dense collaboration with Heath Yonaites ("The Seed Project"), he shaped "The light will fill the darkness and obliterate it" for Mystery Sea...

Prepare yourself thus to sail a strange sea, as he embroidered again an enthralling movement blended naturally into a seamless mix...
an unpredictable and profound odyssey made of carefully arranged and merged samples...
Balancing between imaginary shores, swelling dark tones alternate with tidal surges in a sweeping hypnotic motion...
ensuing visions could be that of a rusted moon slowly sinking, corroded by lapping waves of metallic particles, or of gardens of polished stones washed by whirling streams to become minuscule islands of wonder...
K.M. Krebs'drowned orchestra hums a nocturnal soundtrack strewn with foggy murmurs & muted signs, keeping on reflecting the inherent promise of permanent new forms, the resurfacing of muttered secrets...
"The light will fill the darkness and obliterate it" is a lunar mantra pronounced ad infinitum, never appearing the same when experienced...
it leaves a vital imprint & impulse to drift beyond and behind...

TRACKS

01. the southern crown > listen !
02. sea of nectar
03. folding landscapes
> listen !
04. the unassailable and eternal sovereign of the lunar body
05. the azure dunes of midnight
06. the thousand dark veils
07. none of the things that are can perish
08. a large and shining gate
09. waters of the fens and marshes
10. small golden chains extending to the heavens
11. father of the minerals
12. I came to scoff but stayed to pray
13. dissolving into the white horizon

LENGTH

64'29

REVIEWS

VITAL WEEKLY 373|Frans de Waard
I must admit I never heard of K.M. Krebs, but apparently he is the co-founder of the online label Nishi, an off-shoot of No Type.
Musicwise he also works as 833-45, but again not something I heard.
Being on Mystery Sea means that there is a strong interest in the darker side of ambient music.
I guess that Krebs is using a fair dose of synthesizers, sound effects and samplers. Unlike many others who operate in this field, Krebs likes to keep his tracks short. He has no less than thirteen in just over an hour.
That's a nice thing for those who are tired of one hour track per CD approach that some ambient artists tend to have.
Another thing is that Krebs is not out for the entire 100% living ambient experience. He has built in some sounds in some tracks that are a bit more experimental and might be somewhat unsettling for the listener, like the reversed voices at the end of 'A Large An Shining Gate' or the crackles in 'Dissolving Into The White Horizon'.
Of course the gentle and darker moments prevail here, and in that respect this is no different than most other releases on Mystery Sea.
It has a distinct quality in sound and will certainly appeal to fans of their previous releases
.
vital weekly

AMBIENTRANCE|David J. Opdyke
Rated : B+
While thematically shining the light, this 64.5-minute disc from Canadian K.M. Krebs stylistically plumbs some pleasantly murky depths... beginning with the subterranean liquid glow of the southern crown (9:19) which seems to radiate phantasmal choirs, amid deep seismic ooze. Awesome droning powers rise and linger above a sea of nectar, also giving off metallic glares and faint textures. Low strings seep into the unassailable and eternal sovereign of the lunar body; the track becomes something rather different, with almost indiscernible rumblings filling much of the space. Lightly sizzling, the thousand dark veils shift chromatically, varicolored tones mutedly ringing out against sporadic grit. Exuding organic energies from almost-nothingness, waters of the fens and marshes begins to bubble to the surface in biomechanical vapors. father of the minerals (0:40) enigmatically wavers before melting into the deeper rivulets of I came to scoff but stayed to pray. Coalescing from something akin to distant-train-resonance, dissolving into the white horizon concludes 13 tracks of rather somber dreamscapes... evermorphing drear makes for intriguing sonic environments nonetheless. Another limited-to-100 cd-r from Belgium's Mystery Sea.

ambientrance

AMPERSAND|Jeremy Keens
K M Krebs (833-45) appeared in 2001_16 in both guises, although his real name is now his prime persona. This disk is different in a couple of ways to the others it has 13 tracks, so more implied diversity, they are mainly mixed in a flow and water features quite prominently. 'The southern crown' takes us into the sea with drones and hissing, then echoed percussives before a deep almost-voice drones, alternating with shimmers, then come waves and big banging echoes changes the mood, relaxing back though to rumble easing to drone-ring. The ringing continues in 'Sea of nectar' shifting to venting, deep and high, rumble voice drones and water dripping, running and sloshing, that becomes waves of 'Folding landscapes' which slowly develops hissing pulsing movement, resonant buzzing that
returns to water gently washing with electrocalls in. Lovely string samples loop in 'The unassailable and eternal sovereign of the lunar body' over the water, sliding into machine washes and scrapey boobles, ending with empty vinyl noises and a rumble-drone ring.

There is more movement in 'The azure dunes of midnight', hollow scraping and active drones ending in looped percussion,
then an almost jazz mood in 'The thousand dark veils' that fizzes, organ steps and percussive drips, slowly slowing into a sine pulse
in 'None of the things that are can perish' over washes and pulses. A big chord sustain 'A large and shining gate' grows adding hissing that alternates the chord with pulses like tides, and a voice loop.
Spooky moods ensue in 'Waters of the fens and marshes' as sonars, backwards loops and a squeaky layer that could be a voice,
but there are voices later and a sustained note joined by splashing steps through 'Small golden chains extending to the heavens'
and then backwards whips and strumble for 'Father of the minerals'.
An enveloping ringing resonance overawes the tones during 'I came to scoff but stayed to pray' and later deep bird calls opening out
in 'Dissolving into the white horizon' with warm tones, some guitar loops, waves and squiggles and a long soft crackle fade.
ampersand

DEEP LISTENINGS |Gianluigi Gasparetti
Fluid masses of sound are crossed by metallic cleaving blows; a gloomy resonance gather along the horizon; the call of creatures from the abyss of Mystery Sea come to the surface; Krebs’ music sounds perfectly suitable for the Belgian label as it blends the sky and the sea in one single entity, and as it brings on new narrative contributes, and more hidden stories of this huge sea.
It’s impressionist music, with wide spaces for noise and drones on which engraft more drones and noise, marine waves, and padded touching of percussions, and covers of sudden energy and light rays, thanks to a coat-technique which reminds Zoviet France’s sound. It’s an excursion through a spellbound sleep. A big work has been made in the subliminal zone because every listening reveals new angles, and new things. Another great record.
deeplistenings

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