Gidge - Autumn Bells
Autumn Bells Cover Art, Atomnation
Starting off with something old and something new:
The DJ-Duo Gidge has accompanied me since 2015 when I first discovered their debut-LP “Autumn Bells”. I can safely say that overall this album has been my most important record over the past years and has never left my side. Not until recently Gidge hadn't released anything new since “Autumn Bells” in 2014, however at the beginning of November 2020 they finally published their new LP “New Light” for which I had built up a lot of excitement for. Thus, for my debut review in this blog it is a great opportunity to introduce you to Gidge and their two records.
Gidge is a Swedish electronic DJ-duo, consisting of Ludvig Stolterman and Jonatan Nilsson, based in Umeå, Sweden. They are signed to Atomnation, an independent record label in Amsterdam. What makes them stand out is their distinct sound, weaving in sounds of Scandinavia’s nature into their music, for instance recordings of Swedish woods. Through this they create a mystic, melancholic and nostalgic atmosphere, transferring the loneliness and calmness of a forest. The immersed listener will get the feeling of being in the woods oneself: absorbing the serenity of the woods through looking over misty and dusky fields, walking on moss-covered land while breaking little branches of wood lying on the ground, creating crackling sounds.
The 2014 LP “Autumn Bell” has a fantastic structure with the songs sequenced thoughtfully, so I do highly recommend to listen to the whole album in one go. However, I'd like to point out two songs that are particularly characteristic for the whole album.
The overall style is best showcased in the track “Dusk”: starting off with mysterious bird and nature sounds which get taken over by a melodic and dancy melody underlaid with crackles, piano samples supported by a gentle baseline. The outro gives the song a surprising twist, by a sudden interruption of the melody when a dark stomping rhythm kicks in, yet again in its final ending with the sound of running water and a piano melody coming from afar.
The second track I'd like to point out is “I Fell in Love” which reproduces Gidges' unique flair of converting melancholy and the feeling of lovesickness into their sound. Listening closely, one can discover so many different components: sounds of rain, thunderstorm, piano samples, a very typical vocal sample and several outstanding rhythms all interweaving with each other.
To sum up, I highly recommend this record. It is perfect if you like to listen to something calm and soothing, letting yourself drop down into the intense and deep sounds of “Autumn Bells”.
To read the second review of Gidge’s latest LP New Light click here.
Autumn Bells on Spotify:
