Between warm intimacy and torturous distance. Abul Mogard and Rafael Anton Irisarri bring their own version of ambient. The collaborative fusion between the Italian and American producer will offer a step beyond the clearly defined boundaries of ambient, drone and improvisation. The Italian musician and his American colleague will perform an audiovisual performance on March 17, 2025 at Camp as part of Spectaculare_12. For the first time in the Czech Republic, they will present their album Impossibly Distant, Impossibly Close, released in 2024 on the Black Knoll label. They will be accompanied by Italian audiovisual artist Simone Bosco with the REbirth AV live programme.
Abul Mogard and Rafael Anton Irisarri met last year in Madrid at the SoundSet festival, which brought together musicians whose musical visions might be similar. This time the organizers hit the mark perfectly, and as the set was recorded and broadcast by Spain's Radio 3, news of the extraordinary union of two prominent figures in experimental music spread quickly on the scene. The pair then went on to collaborate separately in their respective studios, the joint record building on the energy that fuelled the aforementioned gig. In fact, one of the two tracks – Waking Up Dizzy on a Bastion – is a remnant of a magical moment at the Madrid festival, taking a subtle turn from melodic motif towards intense sonic massage. In the second track, Place of Forever, Mogard's Farfisa organ and modular synths and Irisarri's guitars swept over loopers communicate at a distance, but also evoke a mutual closeness.
Abul Mogard is the alter ego of Gudio Zeno, an Italian producer whose compositions are known for delicate textures and majestic drones. In his work, he likes to go beyond the conventional boundaries of melodies and beats and takes the listener on a trip to dreamy soundscapes. American composer Rafael Anton Irisarri creates his compositions from layers of lush yet ethereal sounds, wrapping his listeners in them like a blanket. Part of his discography, and especially his solo efforts, is devoted to guitars, but he has also done a number of collaborative projects (Grouper, Fennesz, Pantha Du Prince), with typical moods of melancholy and introspection.
Ambient night Spectaculare_12 will be presented by Italian audiovisual artist Simone Bosco. His AV programme REbirth moves in the space between different sonic and visual languages, exploring the synaesthetic process between them. Complex textures, melodies and rhythms merge with the visuals, revealing to the viewer the beauty and complexity of our universe where everything is interconnected.
