Mammoth Ulthana
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They say you shouldn’t judge the book by its cover, and blimey they are right! My example: Mammoth Ulthana, which professionally prepared debut LP released in a digipack with some neat, distinctive cover and a spread insert regarding the theme behind the album (shamans etc.), was enough for me to expect tribal, or at least ritual, ambient. It’s not difficult to predict that I was wrong, but not so wrong that I would have to flog myself as repentance, but just a little but off the track, as although the LP is not purely tribal, it is still an ambient production nonetheless.
Judging from the amount of various sounds and fillers, it’s safe to say that the debut album of Doroszenko & Kołacki duo is close to so-called organic ambient, an instantaneous reminder of Hristo Gospodinov and Tetsu Innoue’s work. The difference is that in case of Mammoth - Ulthana the music is mostly composed of ‘live’ instruments, adding more spice to the whole. Oriental gongs, ethnic drums, a whole range of pipes and rattles, all of this coming from Rafał Kołacki, perfectly supplemented with electronic backgrounds and sounds of Jacek Doroszenko. The entirety of M-U’s music reminds me of the film ‘Stalker’ (dir. Andrei Tarkovsky), especially of a scene where the camera was slowly passing over a medley of random objects accompanied by music with similarly random elements. Although I’m sure the duo had a pretty clear concept for their music, the effect seems rather like a collection of random sounds, which due to some inexplicable occurrence have merged together forming a slightly chaotic creation. At times it is most atmospheric (‘Mine’, ’Interludium’), at others quite mysterious (‘Ballade’), and there are even instances where the listener has no idea what to expect (‘Impromptu’, ’Path’). And that, I believe, is what draws to the music of M-U – unpredictability. You can listen to the LP numerous times, and on each occasion discover something new, some new element or sound previously not heard. More so, considering the length of the record, 67 minutes, searching for what eluded us before, be it a single bell ring, a scratch, or a pipe blow, becomes an attraction in itself. Add this and the above mentioned music characteristic and you’ll notice that you actually did not notice when the album finished and started again (if, of course, you listen the LP on the loop). Pro or con? Depends on you.
Success of a debut, I dare say. The only drawback would be quite subjective, as the length of the album and general nature of the music does not have to appeal to everyone. Still, I consider Mammoth-Ulthana a worthy project discovered anew with every listening (and there is much to listen to), which seem to be a rare feature nowadays
Tracklista:
01. Prelude
02. Ballade
03. Impromptu
04. Mine
05. Interludium
06. Hybrid
07. Path
08. Nocturne
Judging from the amount of various sounds and fillers, it’s safe to say that the debut album of Doroszenko & Kołacki duo is close to so-called organic ambient, an instantaneous reminder of Hristo Gospodinov and Tetsu Innoue’s work. The difference is that in case of Mammoth - Ulthana the music is mostly composed of ‘live’ instruments, adding more spice to the whole. Oriental gongs, ethnic drums, a whole range of pipes and rattles, all of this coming from Rafał Kołacki, perfectly supplemented with electronic backgrounds and sounds of Jacek Doroszenko. The entirety of M-U’s music reminds me of the film ‘Stalker’ (dir. Andrei Tarkovsky), especially of a scene where the camera was slowly passing over a medley of random objects accompanied by music with similarly random elements. Although I’m sure the duo had a pretty clear concept for their music, the effect seems rather like a collection of random sounds, which due to some inexplicable occurrence have merged together forming a slightly chaotic creation. At times it is most atmospheric (‘Mine’, ’Interludium’), at others quite mysterious (‘Ballade’), and there are even instances where the listener has no idea what to expect (‘Impromptu’, ’Path’). And that, I believe, is what draws to the music of M-U – unpredictability. You can listen to the LP numerous times, and on each occasion discover something new, some new element or sound previously not heard. More so, considering the length of the record, 67 minutes, searching for what eluded us before, be it a single bell ring, a scratch, or a pipe blow, becomes an attraction in itself. Add this and the above mentioned music characteristic and you’ll notice that you actually did not notice when the album finished and started again (if, of course, you listen the LP on the loop). Pro or con? Depends on you.
Success of a debut, I dare say. The only drawback would be quite subjective, as the length of the album and general nature of the music does not have to appeal to everyone. Still, I consider Mammoth-Ulthana a worthy project discovered anew with every listening (and there is much to listen to), which seem to be a rare feature nowadays
Tracklista:
01. Prelude
02. Ballade
03. Impromptu
04. Mine
05. Interludium
06. Hybrid
07. Path
08. Nocturne
