Kryshe
In Between
Hidden Shoal Recordings

Here is one of Germany's finest: the post-ambient artist Kryshe, a.k.a. Christian Grothe. To quote the Hidden Shoal label, 'Kryshe's exquisitely subtle and detailed ambient work resonates with chilly grandeur. Across spacious vistas reminiscent of the collaborative work of Eno and Budd, delicate yet assured melodies unfurl before being subjected to delicate manipulation. This is enveloping, minimal music with a fragility that belies its emotional potency.' Let us dive into In Between, shall we?

This five-song EP came some three months ago, on September 25th. Let us (me) just say that we are (I am) sorry for not recommending it earlier. Moonths ago. Anyway, our motto is: Never too late! Just when the old year faded, and flipped its page to a new year, this means nothing but blank sheets of paper, right? So, why don't you start this year by adding Kryshe's name to that list. Hidden Shoal calls Kryshe's ambient music work 'subtle and detailed', which 'lives and breathes in the spaces around each carefully played note...'. That is a so to-the-point description. It is a perfect ad. Kryshe's compositions swirl and tickle, and make you follow the songs to their respective ends. By plain curiosity. Simple as that. Hidden Shoal further states that Kryshe's music 'resonates with chilly grandeur and heartening warmth.' Yes, they are pinpointing the essence of Grothe's works. Again. The minimal, fragile and extremely elegant music drops, bends, twists and turns in your ears, and inside your head. They - the instrumental songs - make your mind spin, while browsing through exciting, warm and colourful pictures. The track "Iceland", which is like a velvet icicle melting in slow motion, turns out to be one of my favourites from this little album. But, hey, ...then comes another favourite. And another one, and another one, and (finally) yet another one. They are called "Lone", "Lullaby", "Africa", and "In Between". Five aces.

This is the perfect soundtrack for the season, which means: cold winter, freezing, frosty snow. Except that some crappy weather came sneaking up on us. Like an ambush. The snowy winter wonderland has paused and gone missing. Only the perfect soundtrack remains. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. ...and...yes...after a while, the winterland can appear again. To blend its powerful visuals with the highly emotional audio-side. Even though (I must admit) this is music for several, maybe all seasons. An ace (or a royal) for each season. Maybe the tracks represent one each of the standard suits of a playing card deck, with the fifth song being a joker? So, which of the tracks make the rank and the suit of the right card to be? Well, that is for you to find out. I think I prefer the German suits before the French (which are the ones I know, from childhood). I mean... the German suits seem so much more organic (and winter wondland-uesque): Herz (heart), Schellen (bells), Eichel (acorn), and Laub (leaves). So, let the fifth track be a wild card.

Copyright © 2015 Håvard Oppøyen