Irr.app.(ext.) — Ozeanische Gefuhle

Ozeanische Gefuhle is the 2004 release by American surrealist artist and sound sculpture Matt Waldron operating under his musical moniker Irr.app.(ext.). Coming from the same angle as Nurse with wound, Organum, Hafler trio, Waldron has composed two long form pieces (one very long 40mins+) creating a deep, layered sound world evoking equally feelings of dread and intrigue.

Taking influence from the philosophy of Wilhelm Reich the title track (German for oceanic feelings) is a mammoth slowly unfolding beast of field recordings, drones and noise that certainly lives up to it’s title. Beginning with the sound of rain in the distance the track builds upon a multitude of low ebbing drones and higher unearthly tones that sandwich the field recordings in a miasma of dream like ambience. Over the next ten minutes various frequencies are allowed to move forward in the mix emphasising different moods and emotions. Sometimes tranquil sometimes tense but this slow morphing and movement of tones has a way of drawing you in. At times the faintest hint of melody perforates the fog and you get the feeling of a long dead ensemble on the edge of limbo whose forgotten chamber pieces are seeping through the atmosphere into your subconscious. At around the ten minute mark the mood changes and the noise of strings and brass twist into sharp metallic forms that tear the atmosphere apart leaving a more desolate and forbidding mood of wooden drums and open spaces. The myriad of different sound worlds that Waldron evokes over the next half an hour is too varied to fully describe here. The mood, sound palette and direction of each section merges seamlessly with the last. Periods of jagged noise, juxtaposed with eerie passages of warped classical music, bringing to mind VVMs Caretaker releases. The final section leaves us in a strange wilderness where the sound of crickets compete for strange snatches of dialogue, distant piano and organ. Finally a wonderfully epic crescendo of synth noise and bells sees out the piece.

The second, shorter piece is titled The Demiurges Presumption. This starts in ominous fashion with cavernous drones and bubbling noise as electronic tones and whistles dance all around. There is a disturbing picking sound which could be the plucking of guitar strings but in the context of the other sounds takes on a deformed surreal character. Like the title track delicate drones drift in and out of the mix like a passing fog obscuring then revealing elements as it passes. At around twelve minutes the piece fades away and after a short silence a strange bubbling and creaking sound collage builds before fading away once more, signalling the end of the album.

Sadly the work of Matt Waldron receives very little of the exposure it deserves, his difficulty in getting his records out has resulted in only a few limited releases. Hopefully his 2004 collaboration with Nurse with wound will open up new opportunities for people to hear the work of this very underexposed and underrated artist.