MUHD — Dilogia
MUHD's debut, Dilogia, originally appeared back in 2014 as a limited cassette release. Now available for the first time on CD through Cyclic Law, this drifting, droning slice of ambient is now getting into more hands. Despite being seven years old, Dilogia sounds amazingly fresh, showing just how far-sighted MUHD's debut really was.
Six, sprawling tracks nearing 40 minutes, Dialogia lets each composition take its time to develop and blossom, allowing for all of its hidden intricacies to unfold in front of the listener. Varied approaches from softer, majestic flybys like "Komorebi" to buzzing, metallic drones like "Orthorexia Nervosa," this album carries forth a lot of different tones and inspirations. Well crafted, the pieces on Dilogia work together to craft a structured and vibrant whole, based on a softly swelling and oscillating leitmotif. Opening itself up and giving the listener a full view, MUHD puts thoughts, emotions, and feelings on display and allows synths to rise, fall, sweep, and swell to convey these messages. Beautiful and often cinematic, there is still a real, grounded feel to them despite their vast scope. Each layer fills its space and thickens the mix so that each composition plays to its maximum scope with minimum moving parts. This also allows for the listener to ride each layer like a wave, become one with the song, and enjoy all the interactions. Thoughtful and sometimes wistful, Dilogia is a wonderful piece of ambient music.
With longer track times, ambient pieces run the risk of being overindulgent and sabotaging their own experience. MUHD's Dilogia is well constructed and gives each composition exactly the right amount of time to grow, live, and then die right before the listener. These song lifespans form a generational album, and its evolution is a lovely experience. The remastered CD release is very welcome, and getting Dilogia into more hands is a great thing for music kind.