Vidna Obmana — Memories Compiled: Three Tapes

Memories Complied: Three Tapes is the next in the series of reissues from the important euro ambient project Vidna Obmana by Poland’s Zoharum. It’s a three-CD set, which as its title suggests takes in original tape releases from the project that appeared between the years 1989-1991.

 
The three discs come presented in an eight-panel digipack- this features close-up monochrome images of flowers. And on the just inside gatefold flaps we find on one side full track listings, and on the other production, details/ what was used to create each release. All three releases have received a remastering by the man behind Vidna Obmana Belgian composer/ improviser Dirk Serries. This three-disc set is Ltd to just 400 copies- so if you are a fan of euro ambient, I suggest acting sooner than later!. The album can be purchased direct from here. 
 
First, up on disc number one we have Gathering In Frozen Beauty- this originally appeared in the year 1989 on Decade Collection, Serries own label- it was just the second release put out by the fledgeling label and appeared as a C60. The release featured seven tracks in all (though listed as only six on the CD) - these have runtimes between one and just over ten minutes. The first half or so of the release sits very much in the dank and gloomy sonic shadow. We move from slow wavering pulse ‘n’ swim of “Dazzling Array 1” which sounds akin to watching a lonely amoeba glide and swim in endless grey. Onto sombrely revolving and blurring synth choirs meets a drift and off-kilter organ tone weave of “Lost In The Swirling Distance”. By track number four “Upon Steels Heaven” we moved into slightly more warming ambience, as the track features a blend of glowingly rising and harmonic tones, which seemingly drift and haze together- it's like being surrounded by a cloud of dandelion seeds on a gentle warming summer morning. Though things turn once more uneasy with “Into The Grey Divides” as we find slowly circling, and seemingly encroach jangling underfed by malevolent/ sour hover. With the album playing out the title track which finds what sounds like hazed, slowed right down and lulling shoe gaze guitar chime mixed with piping and drifting tone melancholy.
 
Moving onto CD number two, and we have Near The Flogging Landscape. This was originally released in 1990 on USA’s Violet Glass Oracle Tapes as a C46. Featured here are eight tracks- which each have runtimes between three and seven minutes. The tone throughout this album is more hopeful, at times hazily elegant in its ambient fruit. We go from the sparse harmonic piano plod meets wishful drone glow of “Floes On Miracles”. Onto gentle tone ebb, lightly scrape, and warming hover of “To The Primal Land”. Though we do have the odd dart into the more unease side of things with the fittingly titled “From Within The Cold” which finds wavering drone drifts meeting slightly off-pitch vibe tolling.  We're back in more glowing and goldenly glistering ambient waters with “Above The Mellow Earth”- which find chiming almost Asian tone drift meeting gentle gliding vibe simmer.
 
 
Finally, on disc number three we have Refined On Gentle Clouds. This first appeared in the year 1991 on UK’s Direction Music as a C46. This album is largely a lot more warming, bright, and at times harmonically lulling. Featured here are eight tracks- and these have runtimes between three and seven minutes. We open with the rising-if-slightly drifting on a slipstream harmonic tone glimmer of “Glance”. Moving onto the hazed string-like drifts and soothing swells of “Forever Grown”. Though we do have the odd shift into semi unease sonic waters with the likes of “Unfold Gradient 2” with its haunting whistle slowly drowning in drone feel.  There’s the soothing string glide meets gentle tolling tone roll of “Bright Fall”, and finishing off the album we have “Onto A Broken Path” which is all hazed and warming tone glides.
 
It is so wonderful to see Zoharum continuing on with their reissuing Vidna Obmana ambient back catalogue. And Memories Complied: Three Tapes once again proves why this project is so important and influential with the euro ambient scene. An unmissable release- if you have any interest in the wider ambient genre.