Description
Legendary Spanish ambient composer Suso Sáiz's 'Distorted Clamor' is one of the most compelling works of his musical career. Over more than 40 years, Sáiz has continued to be increasingly prolific, and this album can be seen as a culmination of his work.
Following his previous releases on Music From Memory, such as 'Resonant Bodies' and 'Nothing Is Objective', Sáiz used sonic experimentation and a conceptual approach to create 'Distorted Clamor'.
Sáiz speaks about the concept of the album as follows: "Thousands of beings cry out for their lives, for the sustainability of their habitats, for their future. Their cries overlap, creating a distorted, deafening, incomprehensible noise. I tried to delve deep into all the voices hidden within that distortion and discover the power and beauty each one holds. This was the initial image I had when I began composing 'Distorted Clamor'. Can sounds that are usually discarded—clicks, clips, ticks, tocs, plucks, crashes—create beauty? This question haunted the entire project."
The process of sound passing through various materials is also an important theme in this work, with Sáiz using water, wood, and metal as filters and sound-transforming pedals. Without using any synthesizers, he creates a new sonic world by unnaturally transforming entirely acoustic sounds.
Across its 11 tracks, this album highlights Sáiz's use of timbre and his ability to paint layers of sound with the subtlest of touches. The drones he creates are always imbued with emotion, radiating complex feelings and textures while evoking vulnerability and hope.
Cover art and design by Michael Willis.
1. Distorted Clamor
2. Sweet Elephant
3. The Horizon Did It
4. Electromagnetic Ride
5. Your Hand In My Peace
6. ...And The Volcano
7. That Lives In Me
8. Quiet Races
9. Green Stones
10. I Look For What Is In me From The Earth
11. Memory Crusher
'Distorted Clamor', the latest full-length album from legendary Spanish ambient composer Suso Sáiz. Marking his eighth release with our label, the album showcases Sáiz at his spellbinding best, continuing a prolific creative phase in a career that spans over 40 years.
Building upon 'Resonant Bodies' and 'Nothing Is Objective', his most recent full length releases for Music From Memory, Sáiz's dedication to experimentation and conceptual approach to sound lie at the centre of 'Distorted Clamor'.
Discussing his process and the concept behind the album, Sáiz says: “Thousands of beings cry out for their lives, for the sustainability of their habitats, for their future. Their
clamouring together generates a distorted, deafening and incomprehensible noise. Trying to go deeper into that distortion and understand all the voices and discover the strength and beauty in all of them. This was the first image I had when I started composing Distorted Clamor. Can distortion and all those sounds (clicks, clips, ticks, tocs, pluks, crashes) that we normally discard, generate beauty? This question has also accompanied the entire whole project.”
The transit of sound through various materials is also central to the work, with Sáiz using water, wood, and metals as filters and sound-transforming pedals. The album was created without the use of synthesizers, relying entirely on acoustic sounds that were transformed in an unnatural way to achieve something completely new.
Spanning eleven compositions, Sáiz's mastery of timbre and ability to paint layers of sound with the subtlest of touches stand out unmistakably to the listener. As always, his radiant drones are a nest of hidden feelings; they glisten with complex emotions and textures, teasing out moods of vulnerability and hope.
Sleeve art and design by Michael Willis.
