Dalot – Ancestors EP
This five track EP marks the third solo release for Greek artist Dalot. Whilst Ancestors cannot be said to be a departure for the experimental composer, she is certainly doing something different this time around. The Press pack tells us that Maria has involved a lot of up-coming musicians to help out on this release. I do not believe that it is this collective approach which has nuanced this release. The tracks themselves seem to be born out of different influences, a different creative process perhaps? Or to put it much more simply, these are new, additional pieces which augment the Dalot canon rather than mere continuation.
The title track, of course, is the pivotal piece with its mantra like lyric, “peace in the mind, peace in my soul”. Is Maria discovering that peace, or yearning for it? That’s the question. There are certainly no answers to be found on ‘Staircase’, a winding, meandering dronescape reminiscent of David Sylvian’s more meditative works. This staircase is spiralling inwards but we will emerge in a more comfortable place. ‘Night Owl’ is a real delight – a piece that is both sombre and playful. It took me a moment before the penny dropped that the gorgeous electronic ‘callout’ is the titular Night Owl. A clever touch but importantly the track works in its own right, transcending gimmick. A possible highlight for me.
Ancestors is a reflective, existential and at times puzzling record. A concrete example is found on closing track ‘That Was Now ‘ which feels ominous and unknowable. Even in heaven it seems we can still blunder into the wrong room. Time to make good our exit. We do not belong here and something stirs.
Bundled with the limited edition physical release are three remixes of the track ‘Ancestors’. These are well worth having, not least because all three interpretations are by terrific artists. You have Brock Van Wey (bvdub) , Dryft and Northcape all of whom hving been no strangers to the [sic] review pages. The epic orchestration trying to break through in Van Wey’s ‘Ancient Love Fades At the Ages’ mix is powerfully moving. As are the added vocals pushing the effect closer to a modern day This Mortal Coil. ‘Ancient Love Fades At the Ages’ is Filigree And Shadow rebooted for 2013 and it is marvellous.