Maybe you have an idea of what you’re about to hear, but if you don’t,
you’d be well advised look at the cover of this tape and consider its title, Departure, as well as the moniker of the
artist who has recorded the music. A filtered photograph of an autumn tree and
a blue sky here is an icon, one that punctuates memory and immediately causes a
reaction. For me, I inhaled deeply, tasted the frigid air on my tongue and felt
the chill in the back of my throat, and exhaled a warm cloud of breath steaming
into the morning. My atoms, my heat mingled with the atmosphere, and I became
one with my surroundings.
That’s the point of Departure,
I think, to remove yourself from your environs and depart, physically, mentally,
emotionally, into another state. The tranquility of the processed field
recordings and arrangements, coupled with the plaintive tones, stamp the music
with a deep sense of nostalgia and allow the compositions to imprint themselves
deeply onto your psyche. There is hope in removal and ultimate renewal, and
through these songs that hope is grafted to your bones and your organs in ways
that are unforgettable. Well after the tape ends, I’ve found myself longing for
simplicity and peace, and looking toward the natural world for those qualities.
Forest Management is John Daniel, a Cleveland- based minimal/ambient composer.
Matthew Anderson played Schumann
Grand Piano on this recording. The black cassette is limited to 50
hand-numbered copies. The “Hylé”
logo is hand-stamped on the back of the j-card.
--Ryan Masteller
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