Simina Oprescu - KI (not exactly a) review (2020)
I wouldn't call this post exactly a review. And the reason for that is because I lack the background (in terms of knowledge and "exposure" to the specific genre of music) that would allow me to do this in an acceptable way. However, ever since I came into contact with Simina Oprescu's music after listening one of her tracks in the CD that came together with the latest issue (December 2020) of WIRE Magazine, I felt the urge to write something about it in my blog...
Simina Oprescu describes herself as a composer & visual artist living in Bucharest with a fully attention on sound and composition for the past 3 years. In 2015 she graduated from the Department of Photography and Dynamic Imagery at the National Art University in Bucharest and in the period 2017-2018 she did one year in the acousmatic composition department of the Royal Conservatory in Mons, Belgium. KI is one of the 2 "albums" that she has released within 2020 (one more, released in 2019, is included in her Bandcamp page) and as she notes regarding the title :
...The alleged spiritual energy within all human beings. According to a certain group of Japanese artists, channelling your Ki will allow you to perform normally impossible tasks, such as shooting a Kamehameha wave from your hands.
Basically, Ki is what souls are made of...
The music in KI is principally electronic which despite its experimental character does not sound like a collection of abstract noises. On the contrary, I was able to identify some "underlying" rhythms and I would even tend to claim that some parts are structured to sound nearly as Industrial ! For sure KI is not a "happy" listening. Dark, cold but also atmospheric, the music in it generates a strong, almost claustrophobic feeling. Definitely, this is not the type of music that I (would) usually listen or purchase. However it somehow managed to fascinate me. Kudos to that...