"The end result is simply stunning, and this album is one you have to check out if you’re a fan of dark ambient drone with a classical edge." Thisisdarkness
“While I was listening to Sketches For Francis, this is what I saw: Up north landscapes delicately sharpened with steel while a fresh breeze is blowing on your cheek” - Otto Lindholm
"On an average Tuesday afternoon, grey and cold, in January, this massive piece of atmospherics works wonder for my mood. Not down at all, but rather uplifting, odd as that may seem. It is the elegantness of a dark night that guides the lone soul away from all too dark thoughts; music as medication."-Frans De Waard for Vital Weekly
"An essential work capable of combining textural sound with the tension of improvisation"- Radioaktiv
"Atmospheric music that envelops you and transports you to wide linear horizons, distant, desert and strange lands. I particularly liked the organic sounds of the introduction of Sketch I."-Christine Ott
"Cello and Fender Rhodes come together organically on Sketches for Francis, the debut album by ambient duo Matterhorn Well. Although they themselves enjoy improvising more than recording music. If you have a church available where they can do that live, feel free to give them a call." - Focus Knack
In the field of tension between height and depth, Imre De Cauter (on cello) and Matthias Dewilde (on Fender Rhodes) create their own universe in which, with a purified acoustic and electronic palette of sounds, they take the listener to another dimension, averse to time and space.
With the help of effect pedals and various playing techniques, Imre De Cauter (Myrddin & Imre De Cauter) and Matthias Dewilde (Nagløed) merge the acoustic and electronic sound worlds. Coincidence, improvisation and minimal compositions are the starting point for this. The end result is a breathtaking experience, where, with your eyes closed, you can transcend reality for a moment on an intense inner journey.
Between the twists and cracks of the mountain, a human, round shape has emerged, stretching into the depths. The resulting sound focuses outwards and blends with the echo of its surroundings. In this created tension between height and depth, Matterhorn Well searches for its form, which translates live into ever-changing, new improvisations.
This album emerged on the occasion of a photography exhibition by Belgian visual artist Francis Vanhee, on whose work the cover is inspired. ‘Four Sketches for Francis’ arose from the improvisation sessions of Matthias Dewilde and Imre De Cauter
who, struck by Vanhees’ carefully mutilated images, managed to perfectly reinterpret the colour and texture of his work musically. This pure and uninhibited primal form of the work has been preserved as much as possible and further developed into this release.
credits
released January 20, 2023
Music: Imre De Cauter (cello) & Matthias Dewilde (Fender Rhodes)
Artwork: Francis Vanhee & Jeroen De Wandel
Gaelynn Lea won NPR's Tiny Desk Contest, and it's easy to see why. Haunting, beautiful country songs, laced up with weeping fiddle lines. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 3, 2016
The eclectic influences of this California group shine through on these creeping tracks, full of dark electronics and intimate vocals. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 15, 2020