Swiss composer and sound artist Rolf Gisler returns to Hallow Ground with his second album as DarkSonicTales. Released four years after his debut album, »UnKnown« is as diverse as its predecessor, but richer in contrast. The five pieces emphasise that Gisler is comfortable and competent with both small and big gestures, combining rigorous drone minimalism with feverish post-rock throughout an album that works with field recordings and acoustic as well as electronic instruments. »UnKnown« is the result of life changes that it reflects through ever-changing sounds and atmospheres. This DarkSonicTales album is once more a masterful exercise in open-ended musical storytelling—an ode to venturing into the unknown.

Once more, Gisler worked with a wide array of instruments and made use of unconventional techniques. »Ellipsis (Origin)« combines kalimba melodies and alphorn drones, the title track is based on the sounds of shower water dropping onto his glass shower door that he recorded with a piezo pick-up. Some of the pieces, like »TrainStation,« employ conventional set-ups including guitar, bass, and drums in unusual ways, and most of them draw on field recordings. Throughout the album, you’ll hear a door creak, car wheels on wet asphalt, the soundscape of Lucerne’s main train station on a busy Saturday evening, and much more. The last piece, »Drain,« is even entirely based on recordings made inside a manhole after heavy rainfall.

This is emblematic of how »UnKnown« finds new wonders in the banality of everyday life. By transforming his sound material through digital manipulation and enriching it with acoustic sounds such as the piano parts on »SomeCallItRunning,« contributed by Iwan Gasser, Gisler strays even further away from tried and tested formulas than on »DarkSonicTales.« You might call it an act of willful esotericism. »At a time when information is flowing around the world at lightning speed, available anytime, anywhere, and AI challenges our ability to think and create, I find it important to revel in ›ignorance‹, « he says. »Everyone can get involved, take some time out, and start the journey into the unknown.«

This album is about the beauty of getting lost on the way.