Aleksander Kostopoulos blends grandiose classical melodies with live drumming on his sophisticated fourth album, ‘Klangre’—a widescreen, storytelling soundtrack released on Beatservice Records.
Aleksander Kostopoulos hails from Bodø and is an audiovisual artist, drummer, composer, and producer known for his work with the Sami pop trio ISÁK. He has collaborated with several other prominent Norwegian artists and has released three albums before now, as well as composing works for contemporary dance and theatre, often in tandem with lighting designers. His own falsetto vocals are featured in his work, and ‘Klangre’ is another unique and innovative full-length work by the Scandinavian artist. It explores everything from solitude and introspection to hope and celebration, taking influence from the wintery Scandinavian landscape on an awe-inspiring scale. Says the artist, “Winter holds its own music, a language of its own. In ‘Klangre’, cold and warmth meet in a tribute to the season’s beauty.”
Those gorgeously treated vocals set the scene on opener ‘minGaSi’ as they are smudged and smeared into a heavenly soundscape accompanied only by their own immersive reverb. ‘Akiro’ marks the arrival of Kostopoulos’s live drumming, which brings broken beat movement to a string symphony and lush chords. ‘Hbrae’ is a sensual world lit up with different string sounds, organic beats and celestial pads, then ‘Mendokaa’ keeps things light, airy and emotive with more life-affirming melodies soaring skyward over airy drums.
This lush world of sound and delicate melody continues with the more sombre strings of ‘Schkla’ and the edgier atmosphere of ‘BaraGa’, where crashing hits and thudding kicks underpin more widescreen melodic explorations. ‘Mikre’ fuses orchestral manoeuvres and classical structures with subtle electronic production, and ‘obrAng’ brings this most emotionally stirring album to a close with more angelic vocal sounds and vulnerable chords.
We are presenting the closing track ‘obrAng’.
‘Klangre’ album will be available after the 14th of February HERE.
