Af Ursin - Trois Mémoires Discrètes LP

Three introspective instrumental (English horn, flute, percussion, double bass, Hammond organ) compositions performed, recorded and mixed by Timo van Luijk during 2010-2012 at Kulta Saha.

In memory of Hugo Billens, Anja Hiilesmaa, Dirk de Hollander, Ger Boeske, Ourgon and Tosca.

Reviews: 

Another fantastic Af Ursin release. Af Ursin is Timo van Luijk’s solo project. The first piece, Sylphide, is a side-long wonder. Long drawn out brass tones with some other accompaniment. I could listen to this music all day. The closest parallel I can think of is Davide Mosconi’s divine LP of foghorn recordings. But Sylphide has a bit more of a musical element. This will be my go-to last side of the night for my (rare these days) late night Salons. The second side features two tracks: the first, Taciturne, has low end whooshes and flute. The flute is one of my least favourite instruments, although it is in the second tier of LFI, along with the acoustic guitar, far behind the supreme instruments of torture: the harmonica and banjo. At any rate, the flute works well with this one and it perfectly sets up the last piece. Elegie is an aptly titled track that sort of fumbles its way. This fumbling only makes the music sadder and more profound. Trois Memoires Discrètes is a superb LP. Fans of IFCO and Andrew Chalk cannot possibly not enjoy this. Beautiful cover and funny 3″ labels. Ho-Ho! Excellent! (Scott Foust, Swill Radio)

Beautifully packaged new work from long-term Andrew Chalk and Christoph Heemann collaborator Timo Van Luijk aka Af Ursin in a self-released edition of 400 copies: like Mirror and Andrew Chalk, Af Ursin’s music is filmic and possessed of ghostly narrative strains. Here Timo uses English horn, flute, percussion, double bass and Hammond organ to animate spectral landscapes that feel like the revenant spirit of old mist-shrouded Europa. English horn rises from a drifting drone, plotting great, melancholy arcs through the air, echoed in the distance by calls further in, suggesting aspects of Ingram Marshall’s scores for San Francisco fog horns and even the kind of hallucinatory Alpine jazz/psych of Miles Davis circa Big Fun. Indeed, the avant classical/jazz stylings also give the nod to John Tchicai’s Cadentia Nova Danica big band work and even Arvo Part. This is striking, hallucinatory improvised soundtrack work with alla the majestic power of the most transportive widescreen psych. Highly recommended. (David Keenan, Volcanic Tongue)