Paul Riedl : Quintessence

Quintessence quite simply means “the purest form of something”. It’s the essence that gives something its magic. The essential center that holds those secrets that only the universe whispers when you need to hear them the most. It’s that hum in your head that calms the static when it encroaches too close to your being. Quintessence is the ingredient that makes anything meaningful, singular, and vital.

Quintessence is also the name of Paul Riedl’s latest release.

The origin of this new 60 minute excursion into aural bliss starts as a commission for an installation at the Rocky Mountain Record Show in Denver, CO back in early 2023. Riedl explains further:

“Quintessence” contains two ultra-minimalist, ultra-deep tracks of sprawling & meditative New Age/Ambient/Drone immersion, which played on an endless loop inside the “Cosmic Cave” – a private room in which attendees could seek respite from the noisy chaos of a bustling warehouse full of hundreds of people among multiple sound systems. Surrounded by salt lamps, incense and comfortable seating, listeners were invited on their own personal journey through the “Dawn of Cosmos” and inwards towards their own personal “Inner Sanctum“.

With this cassette release, you can experience your own journey at home. Basking in Riedl’s emanating musical warmth, finding a kind of effervescent peace can be as easy as hitting play and letting that hum take you in.

As a standalone release, Quintessence locks into that “Universal Hum”; that low frequency signal that seems to emanate from inside all of us. Our last connection to the beginning of it all that will follow us to the end, while continuing on long after we’ve left for that next plane. Like Riedl’s previous releases, such as his Ambient Mixtape series as well as last year’s Ocean Of Peace, Riedl goes for a micro approach to achieve a macro reach. Calming, sparse tomes that act as a portal to somewhere deeper and more meaningful.

Side one is “Dawn Of Cosmos”, a nearly 30-minute journey into subtle, meditative beauty. It’s the sound of the beginning of it all; the blackness of space lighting up with stars, planets, and life existing in-between the unknown. This is a sonic portal to something greater than ourselves, encased in analog signal and human interaction.

Side two brings us to “Inner Sanctum”, a dark and mysterious sound journey that feels like discovery. A world within a world that promises knowledge beyond our comprehension. A moment in existence where we see answers to long held questions. Where “Dawn Of Cosmos” feels like seeing the sunrise in the blackness of space, “Inner Sanctum” is finding answers on the dark side of the moon.

Quintessence is a soundtrack to wandering in the echo of our minds, searching for answers that have eluded us for centuries. Paul Riedl has plugged into that universal hum and is interpreting those transmissions via analog instruments. These are field recordings from the astral plane, where the spiritual and intellectual converse.