“Ilpo Väisänen’s “Syntetisaattori Musiikkia Kuopiosta” recalls otherworldly alien aural landscapes. Throughout the duration of the collection the way the sounds twist and turn is impressive. By holding back on outright sheets of noise what results is something rather beautiful at times. Layer upon layer of sound slowly melt on top of each other as mere fragments of what precede is all that remains. Rhythms are kept loose and unstructured. Melody is nearly nonexistent. Focus for these two extended pieces is on texture, on the development of sound. Spacious to its very core there is never a rush to move things along as everything feels natural, nearly organic in terms of pacing.
On “Osat 1-5” the way the sound has an elastic amorphous quality feels quite fine. Sounds bounce off of each other creating a vast plethora of patterns. With every reiteration the way these elements morph is oddly soothing. Quite luxuriant in terms of scope the sound engrosses everything. At first the near silence of the track is jarring then it increases in intensity towards the middle of the piece only to return back to that empty space. For the finale piece “Osat 6-9” Ilpo Väisänen opts for a different approach. Here the rhythm is stabilized immediately. Over the course of this piece rhythms and textures are explored that feel reminiscent of COH’s bizarre synthesized pieces.
Recalling Pan Sonic’s gentler, more cerebral side, Ilpo Väisänen’s “Syntetisaattori Musiikkia Kuopiosta” is a profoundly engrossing body of work.”