Unfolding

Erik Dahl Ensemble’s new single, "Unfolding", out August 17th, 2023, stretches across 9 minutes and 36 minutes.

"Unfolding" starts with a swirling mass. A tranquil melody is met by electronic soundscapes that is shifting in layer upon layer. The 1st part is a searching intro. Then all of a sudden it opens up and finds an anchorpoint in a riff played by double bass and bass clarinet. From then on the fragments can evolve into a melody. The piano enters with the softest possible sound and elaborates gently. But the serenity doesn’t last and the noisy synthesizers return. The melody reenters and is combined with a countermelody and swelling synths.

Erik Dahl Ensemble make music in a dreamland between genres. Based in Gothenburg and led by composer Erik Dahl, the group started it’s journey with "Gethenian Suite" (2020) inspired by Ursula K Le Guins science fiction classic "The Left Hand Of Darkness". The members of the group are accomplished performers on the Swedish jazz and folk music scene. The music balances melodic simplicity with experimental impulses and is both bleak and hopeful.