Location: Rome, Italy
Est: 2006
Potted History: Alessandro Tedeschi’s label formed from a grand and poetic vision. “In my own small way,” he says, “I decided that I wanted to play my part in restoring the primordial link between man and nature through music composition.” That’s an ambition alright. Tedeschi felt he wasn’t hearing enough of the kind of organic, abstract ambient music he was making himself under his Netherworld moniker, and decided to establish a label in order to give a focal point for like-minded artists. His vision is underpinned by a deep reverence for nature, and especially the truly wild and unspoilt places that are disappearing so rapidly.
Mission Statement: As the increasing interest in ambient music shows no sign of abating, Glacial Movements seems well placed to satisfy the appetites of those who wish to go deeper, for Tedeschi’s mission knows no bounds: “My aim is to describe the huge Arctic and Antarctic vastness,” he says. “I try to raise public awareness as much as possible, spreading glacial ambient music in the air… with hymns for the Arctic and Antarctic, and for the flora and fauna that is dying out. Places that man has forgotten; icy landscapes, fields of flowers covered eternally… icebergs colliding among themselves and the boreal dawn that shines upon silent white valleys in the great northern lands.” These are just some of the visions explored – with inspirational depth and fidelity it should be said – by this impressive imprint.
Key Artists & Releases: Already boasting a broad catalogue of more than 40 releases, each artist involved marries the glacial aesthetic of the label with their own compositional individuality. As Netherworld, almost all of Tedeschi’s works are based around field recordings taken from places like glaciers or waterfalls, but he’s also used and manipulated the sound generated by the Aurora Borealis’ movement, heard on ‘Aurora Performs Its Last Show’ from his 2011 album ‘Over The Summit’.
The label also boasts key recordings from an eclectic range of musicians, many of which we’ve covered on these pages. These include Tokyo ambient sound master Chihei Hatakeyama, Scanner, and the Berlin School/holy minimalism-influenced Mexican Fernando Corona, aka Murcof. His 2019 long-player ‘Lost In Time’ built subtle electronic manipulations around the aria from the Goldberg Variations (incanted beautifully by the choir of Quebec’s Saint Joseph’s Oratory, Les Petits Chanteurs Du Mont-Royal), in an exquisite study in incremental ambient progression. It’s all highly recommended listening.
Future Plans: This July will see the release of the much-anticipated ‘Palaoa’, a collaboration between Italian producer Eraldo Bernocchi, Netherworld and veteran avant-jazz trumpet player Toshinori Kondo. Each piece incorporates oceanic recordings from the Antarctic PALAOA (Perennial Acoustic Observatory in the Antarctic Ocean) base and which also means “whale” in ancient Hawaiian. Tedeschi is particularly excited about this one: “It’s a very special album” he says. “The sound of Toshinori’s wonderful trumpet blends with the manipulated oceanic recordings from the base, which is the only hydro-acoustic observatory in the immediate vicinity of the Antarctic continent.” The recordings include the incredible sounds of huge ice sheets colliding and the elemental fury of Antarctic storms.
For more information go to glacialmovements.com
