Philip Samartzis & Eugene Ughetti - Polar Force [Room40 Promo]

Released via Australia's ever active Room40 imprint on October 22nd, 2k21 is "Polar Force", the latest collaborational album effort created by Field Recording specialist Philip Samartzis and percussionist Eugene Ughetti. Drawing artistic inspiration from Samartzis' experience of actually two Australian Antarctic Division residencies which are paired with an extended experimental take on what percussion actually is and can be in 2k21 the ten tracks stretched over roughly 61 minutes to make up "Polar Force" are as captivating as they are minimal at the same time, starting off from a point of calmly flowing water accompanied by occasionally colliding pieces of wood, progressing forward into crackly Clicks'n'Cuts, later adding various renditions of flowing air as well as tender, ever present bass drones alongside bleeping whistles and chirps to the mix whilst sequentially raising to alarming air raid intensity and even presenting complex, yet hyper minimal rhythm signatures in pieces like "Metal Fatigue" which, partly due to its ever increasing polyrhythmicity, is our personal favorite cut on this intriguing, well recommended longplayer alongside the cold, brittle and crackling Ambient movements of the "Frozen Lake" and the raw electroacoustic hollow wooden clonks presented by "Blizzard". Check.