旣 Apeiron by Cheng Daoyuan

「旣」，同「既」
引伸之義為盡也已也。
旣者、終也。終則有始。小食則必盡。盡則復生。

Apeiron, the end is the beginning, death is birth, nothingness is everything.

旣 Apeiron (FPRS008), is the debut album by Taiwanese artist Cheng Daoyuan. Its waves of distortion crash into, and over one another; buried tones are barely visible in a dark sea of fuzz and decay, occasionally drifting towards the surface to groan. This collection should only be purchased with currency issued by the Bank of Hell.

The sheer amount of distortion on Apeiron could draw to mind a description such as “dark ambient.” The second track, “虛見 Hollow in Emptiness,” opens with a repeating note like a blown horn, behind which the other competing noises struggle for attention, perhaps reminiscent of the cultish ritual recordings of Lustmord. In other areas, the distorted bass drums suggest the gabber techno scene, without the frenetic pace.

There are also field recordings here. They open up the background, combining the paranoid digital tones with false reassurances of open spaces and natural tones. Haunted voices, cryptic announcements from tannoys and even bird sounds appear on the track “落芽 Lamella Cries,” before being overwhelmed by sludgy toneclouds, and finally a pattern of telegraph taps that fades over into the next track.

旣 Apeiron is structured into three chapters, each of which have their own independent themes and changes. Track eight, “幽示 Divulging,” is a collaboration between Cheng and the Taiwanese conspiracy psychedelic trio, Mong Tong. The album also includes remixes that feature interpretations by peers - Wa?ste, Yearning Kru and Yun Hao.

Contrasts are what Cheng presents. Throughout this numinous volume, impossible sounds are brought together, like the artificial bleeps meeting somber piano tones on “離界 Eidolon.” These unlikely partners are forced together to compete in an arena of noise – summoned, perhaps, like minor demons. Here sounds burn, like hellish bank notes - consumed by flames and sent to another, darker realm.

Visit: https://chengdaoyuan.com/

M做DE
在N
T台IW灣N
~~~^*~~~
archaeological
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