Skip to content

Zoharum

Strom Noir ‎* Urban Blues (cd 2014)

However this project has been around for seven years, the name does not ring a bell. There have been many releases on labels that also do not ring bells. Now there is a release on Zoharum, so the project can pierce ‘our scene’.
“Urban Blues” is quite a typical Zoharum release; minimalistic ambient, soundscapes, a bit of drone (guitar drones actually). It is all a bit monotonous and not entirely my cup of tea, but if you are up for a ‘new’ project you might want to get your hands on this “ecopack”.
Links: Strom Noir, Zoharum

Aquavoice * Grey (cd 2013)

This is a very cool album! “Grey” opens with some pretty dark ambient and immediately goes over into something rhythmical (no, no ‘trance ambient’) and gradually grows into a weird sound collage (with ‘trance ambient’ elements), not as minimalistic as Zenial, but “musique concrete” also applies to parts of this album.
I had never heard of Aquavoice, but there have been three previous releases in the past decade. My first encounter is a positive surprise for sure. The album goes from dark to atmospheric and from minimalistic soundscapes to trance ambient, it is all well executed and sounds interesting.
Links: Aquavoice, Zoharum

Zenial ‎* Chimera (lp 2013)

That is funny. Just like the previous album of Zenial that I reviewed, I was going to say that Zenial makes music that I would normally not like, but yet I do. “Chimera” has very experimental soundscapes, is minimalistic and has little structure. Normally that would annoy me, but in this case I again like this album. There are ‘industrialistic’ rhythms (to not give you the idea that this sounds like industrial music like we know it today), soft noise and enough happens to keep drawing my attention. The music sounds like it is made with some stoneage electronic equipment and on Discogs I noticed that the release was tagged “musique concrete”. Should you know what this term (used to) refer(s) to, you might have a good idea of what this album is like. Like the previous album: interesting.
Links: Zenial, Zoharum

Hati ‎* Zero Coma Zero + Recycled Magick Emissions (cd 2013)

Two hard-to-get releases of Hati on one cd. Both releases were made available in very limited editions in 2005. Hati has that ‘Zoharum sound’; weird ritualistic soundscapes with (mostly) real instruments (or ‘instruments’).
There is nothing much for me here, but if you like things like Z’ev, Soviet France or Nocturnal Emissions, this might be something to try. Or of course, when you love Hati (beware that there are more artists with the same name) and have been looking for these limited releases, know that you can finally get them.
Links: Hati, Zoharum

[Haven] * Noir (cd 2013)

I mixed up [Haven} with Havan and expected dark ambient. I was not too happy to hear some soft techno with female vocals which is entirely not my taste. There are sparse darker parts which are more interesting, but I really dislike the overal sound of this album.
Perhaps the fact that this came out on Zoharum is in a way interesting. There have been releases on War Office Propanda / Rage In Eden in the past, so may I did know this project (and they sound different on this release), but you will have to like soft techno if you want to try this.
Link: [Haven], Zoharum

X-NAVI:ET * Brain Overloaded (cd 2012)

Zoharum found yet another strange electronic project, but the good news is: this one is dark, dirty and somewhat noisy. “Ambient noise” is a perfect description for this album, even though most releases that I put in this category are harscher. “Noisescapes”, perhaps I should add the category some time. Weird soundcollages or an entire track filled with the sounds of feedback, X-NAVI:ET makes short tracks (3 minutes) to very long ones (20 minutes) with interesting combinations of sounds, a descent atmosphere, a soft wall-of-sound type of noise, erm, ambient kind of stuff.
Links: X-Navi:Et, Zoharum

Aabzu ‎* There’s No Other God Than Rambo! (cd 2012)

I do not think that I ever heard of Aabzu, but since I also never heard of the labels that released the first two albums, this may be very well possible. In 2010 Aabzu released a cd called “Rambo” and Zoharum presents recordings of a live performance in the same year. The music can be described as ambient IDM, often soft and soothing, at other times a bit more rhythmical and technoish. The overall atmosphere is ambient though, but I think that people who like those tranquil sounds of dub/IDM might enjoy this album as well. For me there might have been a bit more variety, but I guess this album goes well as background music.
Links: Aabzu, Zoharum

Rapoon ‎* Time-loop Anomalies (cd 2012)

This is the second album of Rapoon that Zoharum sent me. The first two tracks are soft, melodic and minimalistic, but like on the previous cd that I reviewed, there are also more dark ambient like tracks, however still ‘soundscapish’, or perhaps “soundcollages” is a better description. There is also some ‘idm’ experimentation and a slightly more ritualistic sound here and there. Just as on “Disappeared Redux” I prefer the darker tracks over the lighter ones, but there are not too many of them.
Links: Rapoon, Zoharum

Zenial * Connection Reset By Peer (cd 2012)

The latest Zenial contains live recordings and remixes. I did not really know Zenial and however as I will describe the music, this will sound not too much of my liking, I do really like “Connection Reset By Peer”. The cd opens with a “noisescape”, a monotous, minimalistic soundscape but then noisy. No power electronics or electronic terror, more a soft kind of noise. Usually when I write “monotous” and “minimalistic” I am of the opinion that not enough happens, but in this case I like the recording. There is a problem with it however, it contains a range of very high tones that just keep going and I really do not like high tones in noise, especially not when two or more tones just keep hammering my ears (that already have such tones themselves anyway). So going to track two I am delighted to be able to ascertain that Zenial is working more with lower frequencies and slow, industrial rhythms. The third track is even better, a slightly noisy, soft industrial track. The fourth track is annoyingly noisy though. The remixes are again softly noisy industrial with a soothing rhythm. A very interesting album!
Links: Zenial, Zoharum