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4. bela - 변주 1 Variation 1
4. bela - 변주 1 Variation 1
Description
Éditions Appærent is immensely proud to present Guidelines, an EP by South Korean musician bela. Over seven incisive tracks, Guidelines is bela’s investigation of Nongak, a traditional form of Korean folk music. Through a process of meticulously uncovering sheet music from government archives and ensemble performances on YouTube, bela has crafted an astonishing album of pulsing, splitting, time-warping music, rooted in a traditional past and yet entirely distinct from it. bela is a unique voice in electronic music. From their first release, their music has been suffused at every level with a narrative intensity and craftperson’s attention to detail; a conceptual throughline that extends from their life directly to the musical elements of their work. In Guidelines this unique focus is found in the concept of “Jangdans” -- discrete rhythmic patterns that make up Nongak, of which tempo changes are an essential aspect. This disciplined practice makes each bela record feel like a discrete object; a unified gestalt that is larger than the sum of its parts. Born out of the dual impulses of painstaking researching and boredom with the sound of the club music around them, Guidelines is a unique experience. Tempo shifts, so essential to Jangdans, are responsible for some of the most striking musical moments here.