Movement is the first album by Orphax & Kenneth Kirschner. Together they present a beautiful ambient work.

Movement is released as CD mastered by Jos Smolders at EARLabs in artwork by Rutger Zuydervelt & Sietse van Erve

Orphax & Kenneth Kirschner – Movement

The first time I encountered the music of Kenneth Kirschner must have been in 2002 or 2003, when the label 12k had an online series of releases under the name “term.” Since then, I have been following Kenneth’s music and collecting various of his CD releases, as well as downloading many of his works directly from his website or from various netlabels. After doing a couple of remixes of his work, one of which was released as part of “Imperfect Forms: The Music of Kenneth Kirschner,” an expansive multimedia project about his work from Tokafi, the thought of working with him always stayed in the back of my mind. After releasing my 7″ Piano Music in 2019, I decided to email Kenneth to propose a collaboration. And here we are.

“Movement” is a work based on various piano sketches by Kenneth, which I edited, added synthesizer and organ, and mixed. We chose the title “Movement” for this work with the idea that the music is continuously moving and never really stands still. It is also a reference to classical music, where a composition can be built up from different movements. Our work has something similar, and consists of 5 different movements coming from multiple piano sketches (often combined).

– Sietse van Erve / Orphax, March 24, 2024

Reviews

Vital Weekly, Frans de Waard

As much as I heard of Orphax’s music, music by Kenneth Kirschner a lot less. The last time might very well be in Vital Weekly 989, almost ten years ago. In my little (non-existent) book of information, I have Kisrchner down as a composer of ambient music, with the piano as his favourite instrument, among others, such as drinking glasses and electronics. Combining this with the drones produced by Sietse van Erve, also known as Orphax, is a great idea. Combinations of piano and electronics are a tested idea, going back to Harold Budd and Brian Eno. Still, in that case, the electronics coloured the piano playing, whereas here, we have two independent sources playing together. Orphax worked with piano sounds before, and in 2019, he approached Kirschner for collaboration. He received various piano sketches, adding a synthesiser and organ. The movement in the title is a reference to keep the music in motion without ever coming to a grinding halt. It’s also a reference to various movements within the piece, which lasts over 32 minutes, The first 15 minutes sound as one would expect such a collaboration to sound. Delicate shifting electronic sounds, buried piano tones, slow and only occasionally rising to the foreground. Sometimes, one recognises phrases; sometimes, they remain isolated tones. After about minute 16, the piano comes to the foreground, and it becomes clear that we have the sketches untreated and the electronics reduced. This section sounded more like modern classical music, something Orphax enjoys (he recently performed with the Maze Ensemble, much to the enjoyment of mainstream press – good for him!) as a musician and label boss, but I am less impressed. What follows shows more of these phrases, looped and again with the electronic parts a bit covered up; the loop we hear remains too much of a loop, effectively removing the mystery of the music. Some of the magic of the first 15 minutes returns only in the final minutes. Next time, a face-to-face recording? There are some powerful ideas here, and also a few misses, but that’s part of the game, I think of working together. Why not more pieces is another (minor) mystery. (FdW)
— Address: http://movingfurniturerecords.bandcamp.com/

De Subjectivisten, Jan Willem Broek

NNM is a series in which we discuss new music from Dutch artists.

Orphax & Kenneth Kirschner – Movement (CD, Moving Furniture Records)
For more than two decades, Amsterdam-based musician Sietse van Erve has been a supplier of the best minimalist and drone-related music. He mainly does this with his project Orphax, with which he has also collaborated with Martijn Comes, Machinefabriek, Phil Maguire and PONI. But he also releases so much intriguing and innovative music through his prestigious label Moving Furniture Records and sub-label Eliane Tapes, dedicated to the enormous amount of work and influence of Éliane Radigue. This sound artist, who is a trained drummer by the way, usually brings something that falls between drones, field recordings, ambient and abstract electronic sounds. This is often about the atmosphere, a certain feeling or merely the listening adventure and he likes to color outside the lines. It has now resulted in an impressive discography. The latter can also be said of the American electronic artist Kenneth Kirschner, who operates experimentally at the intersection of avant-garde classical and contemporary electronic music and usually contains a mix of acoustic and electronic sounds.

The two are now releasing their joint album Movement. Sietse has previously remixed work by Kenneth, but that is different here. The work is based on several, often combined piano sketches by Kenneth, which Sietse subsequently edited with synthesizers and to which he added an organ. The title has a double meaning, because on the one hand they take it literally, since music is actually always in motion, and on the other hand it refers with a wink to classical music, where a composition can consist of several parts but must be performed as a whole. Although the composition of both gentlemen is presented here as one long piece of over 32 minutes, it does consist of 5 parts. These merge into each other very gradually. You notice that the musical environment has changed at times, more piano or electronics or both, without being able to observe the journey there. That says a lot about what they present here, because they really know how to move you and take you away from reality. Actually just like on the beautiful cover designed by Rutger Zuydervelt (Machinefabriek), where ripples slowly change in density and frequency or merge into each other and yet form a consistent whole. It has become a reflective, compelling and contemplative beautiful album.

Igloo Magazine, Philippe Blanche

For those familiar with adventurous, experimental, and unorthodox experiences in electronic music, the names of Orphax and Kenneth Kirschner will be recognizable. Orphax (aka Sietse van Erve) is an Amsterdam-based sound art project. Sietse van Erve is also the founder of the splendid and key label Moving Furniture Records whose production embraces—in one movement—inspiring works in ambient music, electroacoustic and modern classical.

In itself Orphax delivers a microtonal semi noisy ambient sound ritualism with sometimes melancholic overtones and sustained drone-like vibes. Kenneth Kirschner is a piano-based sound researcher whose music is intimately associated to the identity of labels such as 12k. His sound production admits a mysterious aura with roots in contemporary classical music, melting minimalist paradigms with atonality.

This album represents the perfect combination and natural alliance between the aesthetic defended by two qualified sound artists. Consequently, we are immersed in slow-moving textured ambiances punctuated by aleatoric piano motifs and diverse sources of manipulation. In itself, the music tends to be conceptual and cerebral but beautifully enveloped by absorbing sentient waves. Complex, mysteriously swelling and minimal at once. Somewhere at a cross between Éliane Radigue, Andrew Chalk, Jim Haynes, Tristan Murail, and Tom Johnson. Recommended for those who like drone music, spectralism, and minimalism generated by real instruments. Quietly evolving liquid textures, partly atonal and uplifting soundscapes at best.

Gonzo Circus, Niels Tubbing

‘Movement’ by Orphax (Sietse van Erve) and Kenneth Kirschner is an intriguing journey through the world of experimental electronic music. The duo, known for their ability to combine layering and complexity with minimalist aesthetics, delivers excellent work with ‘Movement’ that is both refined and challenging. The album consists of various piano pieces by Kirschner that have been adapted by Van Erve and supplemented with synthesizer and organ sounds. The result is a piece that lasts more than half an hour and initially sounds open and light-hearted, but reveals more and more intriguing details upon closer listening. The work consists of five movements, but can roughly be considered as two parts, with the piano taking center stage in the first part and more abstract variations being added in the second part. The delicate balance between experimental sounds and minimalist sounds makes for a special listening experience that reveals new layers with every turn. Here and there the comparison with the album ‘Felt’ by Nils Frahm appears.