Scott Scholz - Whip Sigils
Having love for musicians playing the oud, Hamza El Din was the first followed later by Munir Bashir, a modern composition with oud and saz in the mix is exciting. This enthusiasm is augmented by two familiar persons, both Scott Scholz the artist/composer and Arvo Zylo the curator of the label No Part Of It. With this incredibly hard working and thoroughly thoughtful duo behind a composition, the sounds, fit and finish are absolutely guaranteed to be of highest caliber. Whip Sigils is exactly that, a beautifully mesmerizing composition filled with middle eastern bones and transcendental effects. These sounds grace a glass mastered compact disc and hold a plethora of colorfully done informational components. And before moving on to witting an unrefined description of a composition with so much thought, love and involvement, there are only five remaining from the original edition of one hundred. Quickly secure a physical copy from No Part of It, Whip Sigils was officially released a few weeks ago and is almost gone.
From the first notes in the swirling electronic micro cyclone of the opening track, Scott Scholz quickly transitions to quiet string playing with an accompanying grandiose fervor. This is the prelude, an inoculation of the dualism present throughout the following selections. A balance of hypnotizing string work of medieval and middle eastern lineage with a solar eclipse of electronic innovativeness. Selections are patient and comfortably heavy, aural meditative passages allowing thoughts to expand from present to past and future. With composition time just under an hour, selections vary in length. Scott Scholz explores medieval music, the Geisslerlieder, song from the wandering flagellants spanning over a century through the beginning of the Black Death in 1349. The lauda spirituale or sacred song from Italy in the late 13th through 14th centuries. The luada also connects with flagellants being spread through Europe as part of the Geisslerlieder, each country incorporating its own vernacular. Also song from the Cathars, a Gnostic movement between the 12th and 14th centuries. This is short butchering of history and the lengthy study Scott has spent time on, but hopefully gets the idea of the influence of Whip Sigils sounds. The most important thing to remember, Scott Scholz is not recreating medieval/middle eastern music as it was assumed to sound back then. Scott's approach involves an embodiment of feelings from the times of despair, plague and suffering. A project initiated during the most recent feelings society experienced with the global spread of Covid-19. This makes Whip Sigils so much more, allowing centuries old instrumentation to help paint a sonic description of similar times we experienced through the pandemic.
An excellent body of work deserving all the time to listen. Please secure one of the few remaining copies and let these sounds fill your heart.
Links
Scott Scholz - instagram
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