Wanderwelle
~ Lost In A Sea Of Trees ~
Before the rise of the Roman Empire and the spreading of Christianity throughout Europe, an intricate patchwork of pagan tribes existed. Today, fragments of these forgotten cultures can be found mostly in Central- and Eastern European countries during festivities to ward off evil spirits or to celebrate celestial events. These ancient beliefs evolved into folklore and eventually became fairy tales.
Wanderwelle explores these mysterious phenomena and rituals that surround the Slavic folklore and translated it into an ambient techno album. As dark woodlands are the setting for all these ancient tales, the Amsterdam-based duo collected field recordings in Russian, Czech and Dutch forests. The ominous howling of the winds and other natural sounds play a prolific role throughout the album.
The artists researched the many facets of East European folklore and became deeply inspired by the relationship between the strange beings that take a prominent place in the stories and the primeval forests they inhabited. These creatures were brought to life by Russian illustrator Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin (1876-1942) at the dawn of the 20th century. Known to have been highly influenced by Slavic folklore, he illustrated many tales and created the looks of beings like the Leshy; a woodland spirit that enjoys itself making people feel lost and anxious whilst travelling. They're known to lure travellers into the deepest parts of the woods where they eventually will perish.
Its shape shifting ability helped to trick unfortunate souls into chasing its hypnotizing chants. Another being that was of huge importance in the tales of Eastern Europe is the Domovoi. This protective house spirit cared for the houses owners. Originally being a forest spirit, Domovoi channeled itself into the house by using roots of nearby trees. The spirit resembles an old bearded man who lived in the shadows behind the stove in traditional homes. Although it cared for its owners, it behaved mischievously and even threatening when it was ignored. When angered, it made rattling sounds, which the artists translated into harsh percussion for the albums conclusion.
In the tradition of the work of Bilibin, Wanderwelle commissioned a work from Dutch illustrator Floor van het Nederend. He created a mystical album cover that suits the music in a similar way the illustrations of Billibin suit the bygone tales he was so devoted to.
