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ventla's usual pop aesthetic is sacrificed for a completely opposite extreme. mummified already is an obsessive meditation on found sounds, tape loops, lo-fi destruction and experimental shit sounds. ventla's sense of self-indulgence dwelling in the humor of the absurd and scatological can perhaps be likened to early noise artists such as Hanatarash or Violent Onsen Geisha. This can possibly be labeled as one of ventla's most important releases, as it truly presents his D.I.Y. aesthetic and ability to dabble in other more experimental genres, and ultimately, prove that he is an artist who is very much doing whatever he pleases. Although some may be turned off by such a release, it is truly a piece of art and integral to the rest of the ventla catalog.
A truly deserving artist of the label, "underrated," and a favorite of many of us on Zoom Lens, I decided to post this here because I know our followers would greatly appreciate something like this. If Ventla wasn't already doing his own thing, I would gladly ask him to be a part of this collective!
Post-Shibuya Kei/Neo-Pop artist Ventla is already nine albums deep. Often proficiency in music is mistaken as having a catalog so vast that one's talents are hidden, rather than exposed. The weight of so much music to sort through can be tiresome. However, with hide, Ventla has yet again proved that he has developed a sound so unique to itself that to hear any of his albums for the first time in any sort of order will open your ears to something worthy of another listen and a curiosity so deep that you want to take the time to hear everything else he has ever produced.
hide is perhaps the most fitting album title for a Ventla release so far, almost contradicting in the isolated expression it represents. Ventla's sound seems to have developed out of this isolation, an isolation that runs so deep that musically, he has cut off all senses to the world. The only music he hears is his own. And in this, we are presented with something endearing and introspective. Originality in music is not expressed by sound, but by emotion. As individuals presenting a self-made piece of work, we are able to express our originality in simply by being ourselves. Ventla seems to either be a culmination of influences so wide spread one could never find the start of it, or a project so self-contained that nothing is allowed to penetrate the creative process. Either way, Ventla's music remains to be something never heard of before for many reasons.
With all of this said, it is not so important to express "musically" what is different with hide, synths have been replaced primarily with guitar, but the compositions still remain as full and melodic as ever.. What’s more important is that it came out when it did. It is with us to hear now, at this moment. It’s representative of a period. Although Ventla is set to release roughly 3 albums per month, nothing ever seems forced. Rather, it seems like 3 months is simply a numeric dictating another moment of change carefully placed within a slot of time, one that Ventla will always be able to reflect on, as well as us, the listeners.