Anthéne - Asymmetry (2019)

Anthéne is Toronto, Canada based artist Brad Deschamps who has been recording Ambient music since 2011, after also forming part of the duo North Atlantic Drift for which he’d performed alongside artists such as Benoit Pioulard and Bing and Ruth. Solo releases have emerged on leading labels such as Hibernate, Sound In Silence and most recently Home Normal, who released ‘weightless’ only last month which label boss Ian Hawgood describes on the website as ‘warm analog sleep echoes’. Brad also runs the magnificent Polar Seas Recording label, which has released material from artists such as Mikael Lind, Celer and Andrew Tasselmyer.

We’re pleased to present the next release in Brad’s catalog, which is entitled ‘asymmetry’ as he strived to explore different depths of sound. The title of the album was born out of his idea of recording in different ways to create narrow, saturated recordings as well as widescreen ambience yet trying to blend these works together as a cohesive whole. Guitar and effects pedals, synthesizers and field recordings are some of the elements that form the basis of this dynamic yet minimal range of compositions but a simple yet key ingredient can be heard in the warm and gentle tape hiss which underpins the record.

Whilst Brad’s ideas are rooted in joining disparate, unrelated textures, the resulting record is something that makes sense; the seven pieces have been lovingly mastered by Ian Hawgood, the sheer patience of each gently unfolding track will comfort even the most restless of soul and the packaging design features artwork from Peter Nejedly. Somewhere, unintentionally, an indescribable theme emerges from nothing to blanket your eyes and ears.