Simina Oprescu // Sound of Matter LP [COLOR]

This is a record released by Romanian experimental musician Simina Oprescu on the Swiss drone label Hallow Ground in March 2024.

Contains two minimal drone songs with the theme of church bells. DL code included. Includes a 2-page booklet with her own essays and a download code. It's a green board.

Below is a commentary by the label.

"The debut album by Romanian sound artist and composer Simina Oprescu. Both works are based on research conducted at the Märkisch Museum and the Stadtmuseum Berlin using 2 historic church bells. After presenting the results of her research into the connection between matter and harmony in the form of a multi-channel installation, she decided to incorporate the fundamental approach of this site-specific work into a subtle timbre that constantly changes the atmosphere of the two pieces. Sound of Matter combines minimalism and maximalism to create an infinitely rich, multi-layered dronescape that immerses the listener in a sonic experience. modestly invite them to do so.

Oprescu has been fascinated by church bells since his childhood in Transylvania. That's because the instrument was shrouded in mystery, she explains in a detailed essay accompanying her album. She obtained her bachelor's degree at UNArte in Bucharest, and after studying at the Royal Conservatory of Mons in Belgium, she enrolled at the Universitätder Künste in Berlin, where she obtained a master's degree in Sound Studies and Sonic Art. She began working on the Melkisch Museum's archives, which contain 15 historic church bells dating from the 19th to the early 15th centuries.

Because bells produce different sounds depending on their shape, material, and density, Oprescu abstracted these properties into the formula f = K1t/d^2√E/s(1-m^2). This allowed her to reproduce the harmonic tones of individual bells in Max/MSP. And she composed songs with semi-superimposed tones, or overlapping frequencies. Naturally, this resulted in a pulsating effect that gave the music a sense of urgency, but the five seconds of natural reverberation in the Mälkisch Museum's Große Halle made it, as the artist himself puts it, "sound like a warm blanket." changed. Sound of Matter's monaural presentation of the music brings out the beat's unique movement in a more nuanced manner than the stereo version, which is perfectly reproduced.

Sound of Matter feels warm and comforting, even when different frequencies seem to rub against each other, or when, as at the end of the record, a subtle beat effect gives way to a throbbing rhythm. It succeeds in exploring both Oprescu's personal fascination with church bells and the psychological, psychoacoustic, and philosophical questions surrounding them. It fits perfectly into Swiss label Hallow Ground's catalog, sandwiched between records by Kali Malone, Lawrence English and Saiavash Amini. "

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12" green vinyl. Includes insert with essay.

tracklist:

1. Sound of Matter I 16:16
2. Sound of Matter II 19:19

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Hallow Ground:

"'Sound of Matter' is the debut album by Romanian sound artist and composer Simina Oprescu. The two pieces draw on research conducted with 15 historical church bells at the Märkisches Museum and the Stadtmuseum Berlin. After the artist had presented the results of her studies of the connection between matter and harmony in the form of a multi-channel installation, she has translated the underlying approach of this site-specific work into an album that unfolds slowly, consistently setting in motion subtle tonal changes that continuously change the mood of the two pieces »Sound of Matter« is both minimalist and maximalist, creating an infinitely rich and multi-layered dronescape that modestly invites its audience to get lost in the sonic experience.

Oprescu has been fascinated by church bells since her childhood spent in Transilvania since the instruments were shrouded in mystery, as she explains in an in-depth essay that accompanies the album. Having received a Bachelor's degree at UNArte in Bucharest and after studying at the Royal Conservatory of Mons in Belgium, Oprescu enrolled at Berlin's Universität der Künste for an MA in Sound Studies and Sonic Arts. She started working with the archive of the Märkisches Museum, which included 15 historical church bells that were built between the 15th and the early 19th century.

Since every bell sounds different according to its shape, material, and density, Oprescu abstracted these qualities in the formula f = K1t/d^2√E/s(1-m^2). This enabled her to recreate the harmonic tone of the individual bells with Max/MSP. She then composed a piece with semi-overlayed tones, ie overlapping frequencies. Naturally, this resulted in a beating effect that provided the music with a sense of urgency, though the five second-long natural reverb of the Märkisches Museum's Große Halle turned it into a »warm blanket of sound,« as the artist herself puts it. This is perfectly recreated on »Sound of Matter« due to the music being presented in mono, bringing out the intrinsic movement of the beatings with more nuance than a stereo version would.

'Sound of Matter' feels warm and welcoming even when different frequencies seem to create friction between each other or when the subtle beating effects turn into throbbing rhythms, like at the end of the record. It manages to explore both Oprescu's personal fascination with church bells and psychological and psychoacoustic questions relating to them as well as philosophical issues connected with them. This music is profoundly physical, but also intellectually stimulating—perfectly at home in the catalog of the Swiss Hallow Ground label between records by Kali Malone, Lawrence English, or Siavash Amini. "

Artist: Simina Oprescu

Label: Hallow Ground

CAT No: HG2402