Palimpsest

The source material for “Palimpsest” was recorded over several fairly different sessions. Some of them took place in the live setting, others happened in the confinement of the Kontingent Records studio. These recordings were then carefully examined, subtly (re)arranged, and barely overdubbed. Four long-form pieces were shaped in the end. Despite having collaborated on many different occasions and in varying formats, “Palimpsest” is the first full-length recording in which the different approaches by Shentov, Simitchiev, Lukanov are utilized in pursuit of a unified musical direction. The result is an album that explores minimalist drone territories through a purposely limited toolset and in a recording environment that relies heavily on intuition, spontaneity and patience. The record also carries delicate traces of raw ambient, found sounds and field recordings, processed guitar and electroacoustic improvisation. While the first three tracks are slightly more condensed in both length and substance, the closing piece, which spans over the whole B-side of the album, is where this collaboration peaks. During its almost thirty minutes, it majestically unfolds its textures and synthetic artifacts, which are layered over a subtly shape-shifting backbone of guitar drones, melodic fragments and loops.