Collaboration between Martijn Hohmann and Roel Meelkop.
Four tracks of approximatly 15 minutes each. Housed in a laser engraved all-black cardboard packaging with swiveling lid held by a silver screw. Limited to 111 copies.

review Vital Weekly 1451

Last year, Martijn Hohmann bumped into Roel Meelkop at a concert, and as two like-minded musicians would do, let’s work together on music. Hohmann mailed drones and field recordings to Meelkop, who did his magic (as in processing and adding sounds of his doing). Upon completion, a second round of new sounds and new reworkings resulted in four pieces of music, each around 15 minutes, so a solid hour of music. I have followed Meelkop’s work ever since his first cassette releases (first as Happy Halloween, then Mailcop and since the mid-1990s as Roel Meelkop), and I heard a lot of music (if not all, but I don’t like bragging). Meelkop most likely heard previous work by Hohmann and used some of his compositional ideas here and left some of his own out. In his solo work, Meelkop uses the collage form with intricate cuts, lots of dynamics and much less of all the all-encompassing drone approaches of heavily processed field recordings, even when not wholly opposed to these. In the four pieces, he does precisely that: play long-form drones of heavily processed field recordings. In the second piece, I recognised street sounds (cars passing), but otherwise, I didn’t. Various forms of electrical currents, machines whirring, electromagnetic signals from behind walls, that kind of thing. The laptop was the machine for Meelkop for many years. Still, for about two or three years (or more even), he also worked with modular systems, and, at least that’s what I assume, he uses the laptop for recording and editing, and in these pieces, he creates a long-form crossfade in all four pieces. There is the darkness of Hohmann’s solo work, with deep rumbles, spacious oceanic drifting and abandoned industrial spaces, and stale, cold wind licking rusty objects. This is one for everybody who loves the grittier and darker ambient works. It also comes in a beautiful package: minimal (as in, no information) but great design. (FdW)

review Gonzo Circus 184

Martijn Hohmann stuurde veldopnames en drones richting Roel Meelkop (THU20) die ze bewerkte en mixte tot vier scapes van ongeveer vijftien minuten. Soms is te horen dat er subtiel iets werd toegevoegd: modulair gedruppel of concrete geluiden. Maar de stijl van Hohmann blijft duidelijk herkenbaar doorheen dit album. We horen onder andere zwaar bewerkte regenbuien en verkeersgeluiden, die net niet volledig opgaan in gevarieerde dreunconstructies. Het ene moment klinken ze als een traag overvliegende Boeing 747, het andere als een overstuurd kerkorgel. De manier waarop dit alles wordt gepresenteerd, is, zoals altijd bij Universaal Kunst, weer bijzonder. Dit keer huist de gelimiteerde cd in een minimaal bedrukt traanvormig schoolbord. (pv)