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Obscure Atlas SG-3 and Heliopause

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Basilova, Napolov, Fridman - Obscure Atlas

Intro

Contents

From the edge of our solar system to the center of our earth. Two musical journeys that take us to places we won’t otherwise go.

My favorite book was a book about space travel. I was 7 or 8 years old when I got it. The favorite chapter was about the Voyager voyages, the satellites that were sent to the far end of our solar system to explore the planets up close. Staring at the sky through my bedroom skylight I would try to imagine how far away the Voyagers were now.

On August 25, 2012, Voyager I left the heliopause, the extreme region where our sun still has influence, and entered interstellar space. The first man-made object outside our solar system. That historic moment plays a role in the albums that I am very happy to bring to your attention.

It started with recordings I received of ‘Obscure Atlas SG-3’, without any information, just the music. Music that hit like a bomb on first listen and immediately reminded me of another album that has been on repeat in 2020.

Anne Müller – Heliopause

Berlin cellist Anne Müller wrote, played and recorded the music on Heliopause herself. The parallel with the Voyager mission is that she herself has left behind the familiar atmosphere of playing in classical ensembles and is entering unknown territory.

She uses the cello, her voice, an old piano and electronic feedback loops with her own playing on the cello to create music that cannot be immediately named. It is contemporary music, harks back to old classical traditions, flirts with minimal music, is cinematic, but can just as well be chill-out music. It is music that strongly evokes a feeling in the listener. Heliopause is a very personal journey of a musician who abandons all expectations that come with the profession of classical cellist. Anne Müller invites us to join her on this journey.

Listening to the album is a journey outward. You drift further and further away on the sounds of the cello. Where the opening track ‘Being Anne’ still gives you the feeling that there is gravity pulling at you, the sounds of the last track ‘Heliopause’ let you go completely, into the big nothing.

Is Heliopause unique or innovative? I don’t think so, but it is music that has soul in it, while literally making you feel like you are floating. It’s not just nice sounds, there’s a sense of urgency that makes you want to listen again.

Heliopause” – Anne Müller, Erased Tapes ERATP128, 2019