Description

“An intriguing instrumental set that mixes minimalism and melody with bursts of furious energy and experimentation, with echoes of anything from ambient styles to free jazz. This is music that ebbs and flows like the sea. There are passages where vibraphone and dulcimer provide throbbing, repeated and percussive backing for piri, or horn solos that gradually build up and erupt like a furious storm before the calm eventually returns, as in the lengthy All Soul’s Day. And there are gently tranquil, atmospheric passages where the saenghwang sounds like an organ – as on the exquisite The Longing of the Yawning Divide, inspired by the Belgian monastery where she rehearsed with her band.”

 The Guardian (‘World music album of the month’) ★★★★☆

 “Jiha’s gift is in her ability to skirt dull prettiness in favor of exploiting the edges of her instruments, yet not at the expense of tangible, straightforward melodies.”

Pitch Fork

“The album features beautifully delicate yet resonant melodies, and displays her impressive range on traditional regional instruments including the saenghwang (a mouth-blown pipe organ), piri (double-reed bamboo flute) and the yanggeum (hammered dulcimer).”

BBC Culture

“Who knew that a meld of ambient, free jazz and Korean folk could be so serendipitous? Park Jiha’s spectral minimalism – and her hammered dulcimer – feels like a belated sequel to Laraaji/Eno’s 1980 Day of Radiance.”

MOJO ★★★★

“An extraordinary instrumental album full of hypnotic rhythms and minimalist melodies that are both stunningly beautiful and at times oddly upsetting … The glib comparisons would be Terry Riley or Steve Reich, but the melodic ebb and flow probably makes Michael Nyman a closer analogue.”

Uncut Magazine

“Pushing at the boundaries of traditional and contemporary, Park Jiha creates absolute lucidity when she wants to and complete disorientation when she does not.”

TheQuietus

*products photo by_Lee Jaemin