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Anders Ilar, "Ludwijka (Extended Visit)"
The fifth LP from the Swedish producer is a significant expansion on its early vinyl only incarnation, with a massive bonus track added. It's a dark, yet comfortably fascinating journey through the wilds of Sweden.
There isn't a more specific description for this album other than "electronic," as it doesn't fit into any single style or genre. Mixed as a massive, uninterrupted piece, the disc is intended to be an audio document of the town of Ludwijka but its variety and depth go far beyond geographic boundaries. Having never been to Sweden, I can only assume how well this approximates the environments and ambience of the region.
The first third of the album is the most dance-floor friendly, overflowing with organic textures, analog synths, and fragments of speech, matched with thumping electronic beats. Even though they are superficially more conventional, a more in-depth listen reveals a world of textures and patterns that are almost impossible to discern. A little bit of everything can be heard throughout this entire album: piano, standard synths, recordings from Ilar's childhood, and even his cat.
The next three tracks are a bit minimal in comparison: basic digital IDM click rhythms, minor synth and piano chords, glacial tones, and a lot of reverb. The geography in this album is clearly evident, from the earlier tracks' urban industrial sprawl, teeming with rhythms and bits of missed conversations, followed by the midpoint's frigid snowfield ambience, and ending with the native percussion and bird sounds of the final two pieces. The sound of the birds flocking in the country side actually gives an almost tropical feeling to the ending of this journey, even though I highly doubt there are rainforests in Sweden.
The final track, exclusive to this CD reissue, is about 15 minutes long and actually feels like the journey through Ludwijka in reverse: starting with the crows and birds from the final two tracks and going from there into a long form drift of textures and chill out sounds back to the beginning. It's a sort of "mega mix" and its placement on the disc doesn't detract from the overall conceptual feeling of the disc.
Anders Ilar has created an audio journey through the wilds of Sweden, and while it is not well suited for the club or the DJ set, it is great for simply sitting down and absorbing. Dark, but warm and familiar, it's a damn compelling work.
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