Photo | Helena Majewska

Wacław Zimpel will release his second album, Massive Oscillations, via Amsterdam-based label Ongehoord.

Massive Oscillations is the result of a nine-day residency at the Willem Twee studio in Den Bosch, the Netherlands. The album is not only a consolidation of Zimpel’s previous experiments, but is also driven by his curiosity and desire to explore new avenues and possibilities, and it’s inspired as much by jazz as electronics, minimalism, and roots music from across the world. All tracks are mixed by James Holden, who according to Zimpel “added his magic touch.”

Zimpel was quick to jettison previous ideas and set about using the studio’s array of oscillators, generators, sequencers, tape recorders, and filters, alongside his beloved clarinet, to capitalize on opportunities the facility offered him.

“I was looking for new kinds of sounds and had an idea of where I wanted Massive Oscillations to go,” he says, “but that all changed the moment I started playing with the studio’s collection of vintage synthesizers and electronic equipment.”

We’re told to expect a “hypnotic and beguiling work given to moments of subtle euphoria.” Gently rhythmic, repetitive but morphing grooves are decorated with elegant musical flourishes. “An exquisite vertical listening experience, tracks rev like ignition on a motor,” the label adds. “They swell, undulate, and breathe in a non linear motion, hovering more than moving, or steadily levitating heavenwards.”

The album follows Zimpel’s debut solo album, Lines, and collaborative releases with Saagara and Kuba Ziołek. Future collaborations with Shackleton and Rabih Beaini are also in the pipeline.

Tracklisting

01. Massive Oscillations
02. Sine Tapes
03. Random Odds
04. Release

Massive Oscillations LP is out January 31, with pre-order here. Meanwhile, you can stream “Sine Tapes” here.