Ingar Zach — Musica Liquida

Musica Liquida is an album that sits somewhere between aquatic-focused drone scaping, taut-at-times dramatic improv, and atmospherically detailed percussive workouts. Here from the always excellent and worthy, Norwegian label Sofa Music is this three-track album- which is available as either a CD or vinyl release- I’m reviewing the former.
 

Ingar Zach is a prominent and respected Oslo-born percussionist. He has been fairly active/ prolific putting out over thirty-plus albums since the early 2000s- these take in solo releases, as well as a few collaborations with the likes of Derek Bailey, Giuseppe Ielasi, Rhodri Davies. The CD comes presented in a light pink colour schemed digipak, which fitting the album sound pallet/ theme takes in landscape pictures of sun-glinting seascapes- with possible human shapes amongst the waves.
 
For the album, Ingar is utilizing percussion, vibrating speakers on snare drum, timpani, and Gran Cassa (an Indian stringed musical instrument that can be played with a bow or plucked). And really is astounding what often non-formal percussive sounds he gets out of his set-up.
 
 
Each of the three tracks has runtimes between nine and fifteen minutes-and each creates it's own distinct, yet certainly linked soundscape. We open with “Mercuria” and its at first sweeping then later tautly expanding layers of droning, billowing, rumbling, and rapidly jangling tonality. Just like the ocean, the track can be both huge and intimidating, yet equally calm and lushly lapping. 
 
Next “Increspature Su Un Lago” blends together an evenly sawing drone bed- with slowly sliding over sheets of fork, chime, rustle, and subtle feedback drifts. The track feels akin to being a drift on a lulling, yet busy waterway which is touched by both gentle breeze and a fleeting sense of unease/ foreboding. Finally, we have “Vapore” which is all about lightly tolling plucks and jaunting tonal gallops, which are shifting by sudden loud grates and forks. And this feels like watching a dusk coming in sea vista that is cut by sun glinted shapes.
 
Musica Liquida shows Mr Zach on the level of creativity and scope of another renowned (though sadly no longer with us) percussion-focused sound artist Z'ev- which is high praise indeed. I think this is my first taster of Ingar's work, but it most certainly will not be my last- most recommended!