Wanu is the solo nom de plume of Swiss bassist and composer Sébastien Pittet, but for this Magma project, he is assisted by Sébastien Guenot, who provides live drawings, and Mathias Durand who deals with multicasting and sound processing. Seb Pittet’s background is in jazz, but this latest project moves far away from any kind of structure and into the realms of shadowy soundscape.
The atmosphere on opening is subterranean, hidden from sight; rhythmic noises emerge, echoing and reverberating with a drone slowly building in the background. There is a sense of the forlorn, as if these sounds trapped below are conscious of their inability to escape, destined never to be heard.
When the lovely bass arrives, its melody is a reaction to the feeling of there being no exit. Its light rumble against speckles of light seeping in from an unknown source are transformative. They flicker and refract as running water adds to the sense of below-ground abandonment; and all the while, the atmosphere thrums.
Finally, the swell of the ocean heralds our arrival outside, a deserted beach with the sounds of whales adding to the sense of solitude. The whales put you way out in the open water, but it is relief not oppression that floods the senses as moonlight plays on the wave crests. The final section introduces us to Turkish singer Saadet Turkos, whose earthy strength moves in and out of the moon’s shadow, a sepulchral tenderness that is also slightly at odds, never fully comfortable. It leaves us with questions that only another listen can possibly answer.
As a standalone piece of sound sculpture, Magma works really well, conveying a sense of inner peace somehow wrestling with some form of turbulence and as it moves slowly through the seven sections, that turbulence is generally kept at bay. It would be fascinating to see the whole multi-media extravaganza, but for now, this is a great introduction.-Mr Olivetti-
