Danheim — Heimferd

Danheim is the project of Danish producer Reidar Schæfer Olsen, who has here created an album of what I would describe as cinematic tribal ethnic downtempo - primarily hand drum rhythms and chants, which sound digitally produced and sequenced. It sounds akin to the soundtracks of Hollywood blockbusters like 300 or Gladiator or a show like Game of Thrones. Looking up his credits, he actually did the soundtrack for the show Vikings.

As such,  there is nothing new here, and at points it's even somewhat clichéd. The moment it comes to my mind's eye is flooded with Hollywood-esque high fantasy images. However, it is well built, with the polished, vivid production value these types of shows tend to have. Danheim is quite skilled at layering and processing, with a natural sense of dynamic build-up, skilful compression use on the drums, and a warm stereofield full of pads surrounding every rhythm. I do appreciate the extent to which he performed instruments himself for the recording, and there are some quality performances for strings, but the drums honestly sound artificial and rigid to the point that I would say if any of them were recorded acoustically, they have been overly sterilised with processing.

There is an artificial sheen to any attempt at primitivist aesthetics here, and clear looping and sample use. While there are certainly historical elements employed that signify an authentic ancient music recreation project (such as the mythology-inspired lyrics), I would also say this is over-produced with too many television tropes, and clearly digital. As a producer and DJ of psytrance, to my ears, this is too close to standard chillstage fare in which tribal hand drums, flutes and chant samples arranged in basic loops are already the norm, often displaying a polished, sample pack-ish preset fakeness that is a far cry from the rough-hewn origins of these traditions.

The tracks are all short at 1-3 minutes, and it strangely feels like an ambient recording without space or pauses for reflection, as each piece seems to end abruptly as soon as the rhythm cuts off. There isn't much of a feeling of flow across the whole recording, due to a sort of impatience with the pacing. The best and most memorable moments are probably when Olsen begins to sing melodies, as this adds another dimension to the over-familiar tribal grooves, which I have heard in many soundtracks and ethno-ambient albums.

I am sure that as an album Heimferd, would be well received at the chillout stage of a dance music festival by the new agers and yoginis, or make a solid soundtrack to a fantasy game in which realism was not intended. Perhaps it is simply not for me; I have undoubtedly been oversaturated by this sort of digital faux-tribal theming for decades as part of the psychedelic festival community. If this theme is not tired for you, perhaps you will enjoy this recording. However, I would still indicate that it is for short attention spans, and the lowest common denominator in tribal downtempo styles, which adheres to something of a stereotype of Viking aesthetics (much like the show does). I would call it a very polished recording, but not an interesting one.