Heimito Künst : Post Exoticism

 

Heimito Künst is a mysterious sound artist / multi-instrumentalist from Italy. In 2021 he released his debut and eponymous CD album on the Dissipatio label, the Italian label run by Nicola Quiriconi of VipCranco. (Are VipCranco still in existence)? 

"Post Exoticism" is a C50 cassette on the Californian based Shrimper label. "Post Exoticism" is an album in three parts, if not parts then certainly atmospheres. The first three (opening) pieces ;  "Terminus Radioso", Soloviei" and "Slow Speckled Train" are built on slow melodic drones. It's as if it was all recorded at 45rpm and played back and mixed at 16rpm. (if that makes any sense)? It's the trumpets, the horns that give these tracks a Throbbing Gristle feel .. it does carry an 'industrial' feel. "Soloviei" evokes the atmospheres of those early Last Few Days recordings. It's a joy to sit back and immerse in the sounds. One downside is that the pieces just end ... no 'ad lib to fade' (an in joke for 70's Queen fans there), or an obvious endgame ... just end. Side One finishes on "Sovchoz Red Star", a change in approach. The sound is much cleaner with a more spaced ambient sound, synthesisers to the fore. 

Side two is another shift. If Side one of "Post Exoticism" explores two aspects / atmospheres of the sound of Heimito Künst then side two is part three. Opening with "Ugdel" and its' heavy organ lead drone a la Nico and/or Ivor Cutler, a voice wails, swims along, a calling to all angels. It all continues into "49 Days After Death", a funereal dirge. I think Heimito is exploring an unhappy place here. "SKS 56" follows, again layering the use of the organ sounds, it all becomes less unsettling and reaches a calming plateau. "I Wait For The End" is a rapturous end to the album. An epiphany. It has some minimal percussive clicks (ticks) that lie beneath the droning vocals. Brilliant. 

Released in the USA by Shrimper : http://www.shrimperrecords.com. It's limited to 100 copies with artwork by Dennis Callaci. Dissipatio have picked up a handful for European distribution (it's where I grabbed mine from) : https://dissipatio.bandcamp.com/album/heimito-k-nst, where it is also available for download. 

Enjoy .... I do.