From Exposé The dreamy sound of a cello, synthetic textures, and hand drums lead the listener into “Holy Dust,” a mystical soundworld that seems both strange and familiar, with shadowy elaborations and evocations that seem to be trying to open a door into some unknown; finally around the six-minute mark a drum cadence takes shape with the electronic textures riding over it, subtle melodies leaving their mark in the sand while the beat echoes off some distant pyramid. It’s hard not to imagine that this is a real place — all of the signatures are prescient, in a distance that keeps working its way closer until finally everything settles down with the moon rising over the desert darkness as the piece works its way to a near-nineteen-minute conclusion. A listener is transformed as the caravan marches onward, a time for thanks and prayer, though no words are needed. Velan is a Sanskrit descriptive for the god of illumination and knowledge, of revelation and transformation, which we have here in abundance. Montanà has created his own soundworld (emphasis on the world) across six long tracks, of which “Holy Dust” is the first and by far the longest, opening the album and setting the stage for all that follows. In it, Montanà composed and played all parts of every piece himself, as he has done before on some of his Projekt label releases like Decorar Silenzio and Descent, although one can hear the influence of several previous collaborations with labelmate Alio Die on this. Following this magnificent opener we have five shorter pieces (meaning each under ten minutes) that work together like beautiful fragments of other worlds, shimmering eclectic visions that all vibrate with intensity as they drift freely into the imagination of the listener, some more ambient, some more ‘world,’ some more ancient, though fully illuminating all. “Mirror’s Den” is particularly powerful with the use of santoor (or hammered dulcimer with effects) to create a textural backdrop that is at once powerful and glistening, like waves of starlight. Set closer “Inland Ascent” begins in full-on floating ambient mode, while cyptic melody fragments make themselves heard through to cosmic fabric, eventually consolidating their presence as the piece slowly drifts toward its ten minute conclusion. There’s much in Velan to heartily recommend, cosmic sounds that should pique the imagination of every listener. -Peter Thelen
