zakè : Caelum

zakè, aka Zach Frizzell, is a musical explorer. This is something he’s proven time and time again over the course of the last several years as a solo artist; as well as collaborator, label runner, and all around thoughtful creative. He never seems to take for granted the time he spends composing blissful, long form ambient pieces. He follows in the footsteps of greats like William Basinski, Brian Eno, Steve Reich; as well as pivotal artists in the ambient community like Windy & Carl, Auburn Lull, and Stars of the Lid.

zakè’s latest solo release is Caelum. Caelum works in loping, mysterious orchestral loops. Repetitive motifs that feel like ghosts fluttering out from one existence to the other. 4 long form pieces that transcend from looping melodies into crackling drones, expanding into a meditative experience.

Caelum as a whole is an experiential listen. There’s less a need to “understand” what is happening as this album is a visceral listen. Dropping into the hazy mirth of “Caelum (No. 2)” and it’s wavering french horns accompanied by an undercurrent of drones, there’s a dream-like quality. As if in a dream, and the wavering sounds of an orchestral piece begins to melt into your subconscious. Horns and white noise begin to become one. “Caelum (No. 4)” is light and airy, feeling weightless and celestial as if in the dead hours of the earliest of dawn. Purple and orange hues greet your eyesight as the east catches fire while the west still sleeps in charcoal night. Kévin Séry (aka From Overseas) accompanies the proceedings with his ethereal guitar tones.

There’s a heaviness to “Caelum (No. 3)” as mournful brass breaks the surface in a sea of hazy drones. There’s a very cinematic feel to this one, with wavering emotional heft keeps the piece buoyed in a sense of gray resignation. “Caelum( No. 1)” is spectral; haunted drones spin and float in tempered melody. It’s the sound of a portal opening to some other dimension. It’s the closest zakè has gotten to dark ambient. Haunted and eerie in scope, almost going into Haxan Cloak territory.

Once again, zakè makes a lush and dense listening experience in Caelum. Dream-like and hazy, it touches us in both airy ambivalence and hauntological expression. Looping melody covered in a mist of unease. Caelum is haunted, but not all ghosts are necessarily scary.