Manu Delago’s 3rd solo album is, in some ways, a return to his roots for the celebrated hang player, retreating from the prominent techno influences of 2015’s Silver Kobalt – for the first half of the album, at least. Delago zones in instead on technical experimentation with playing techniques, more often positioning his hang drum alone, or with sparse accompaniment. At the same time, the album conspicuously charts a course from the rural to the urban, a conceptual change which his songs mirror, stylistically: starting from a minimal base, Delago reinforces and expands the repertoire of instruments and production throughout the album, moving from natural to more contrived sounds.

Opener ‘A Step’ sees the hang understated beneath a fluid and meandering vocal line from collaborator Pete Josef. Its part, sophisticated but simple, varies little, but lays a comforting bedrock for the vocals. Some subtle echoes in this track hint at the soundscapes to come, but on the whole it’s unembellished. On this and third track ‘Freeze’ it’s revitalising to hear Delago’s playing un-blurred by other instruments. When it stands alone, his virtuoso status can really shine.

Delago sticks to conventional hang techniques in these two, reiterating his position as a world class player. In the second and fourth tracks though, he turns to more experimental styles: the eerie echo and drip effects of slide hang on ‘Between Oil and Water’, are compounded by Erik Truffaz’s ghostly trumpet, which leads a wordless narrative throughout the song; and ‘Pointillism’, which Delago recorded by setting off chain reactions of strikes on his hang – although this latter’s explorations come at the expense of closure.

Fifth track ‘Zebra Stairs’ forms the break in the album: slow footsteps squelch through mud and brush through leaves, then speed up to crunch through gravel and thud on tarmac as ambient city sounds creep in – cars, then speech, then music as the character enters a club to hear Douglas Dare’s bittersweet vocals and desperate delivery over a deep hang bassline. It is a quite literal progression from nature to man-made, which introduces the second half of the album.

From here it takes on a more augmented feel. We have the introduction of more electronic, even glitchy sounds on ‘Mesmer Mesmerising’, where Delago is joined by Isa Kurz, a frequent collaborator on Silver Kobalt. It’s a more easy-listening dance tune, perhaps the most dynamic on the album. ‘Spaceful’ introduces the timpani which, when used throughout the rest of the album, gives it the flavour of an epic chronicle. The innovative combination of sounds gives a clear picture of Delago as a composer, as ‘Spaceful’ moves to a cataclysmic height. ‘Snow Screen’, a darkly driven song, starts with a hang intro, and again reminds us how Delago pushes the limits of his instrument. ‘Chimp Rave’, uptempo and chaotic, starts with imposing timpani, embracing production alongside Latin piano, before the final track ‘Herzkeks’ brings the mood right back down for a serene close.

It’s refreshing to find that this album takes an organic and unprocessed sound as its start point. While it expands outward over its course, it has paid off to give centre-stage to Delago’s playing at the start. The use of new techniques, the introduction of different collaborators, and the inclusion of fresh instruments later in the album, has given Delago a stage on which to continue to push his own boundaries, while not detracting from his talent as a hang player.
Ben Noble

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