“Duchy Rogowca”, last year’s debut album by Janusz Jurga, has not gone unnoticed in polish independent and techno/ambient music environment. The flagship Opus Elefantum release, promoted along with Trzy Szóstki netlabel (a single, “Duch Trzeci”, was released under this label), has been reviewed by a large group of Polish music critics. Natalia Gawrońska-Kuntić from “Kawa i Awangarda” stated that "Duchy Rogowca is a world class album". Bartek Chaciński, in turn, stressed that "in Poland, Jurga brothers are like Voigt brothers in Cologne" (one of them is founder of the GAS project). Hence, an analogy has been established between Janusz Jurga and GAS. And although the artist himself mentions that German project is his great inspiration, his new material - Hypnowald - is a fully conscious and independent work.
On April 11, 2019, the next release from Janusz Jurga will see the light of day. The album, which lasts nearly 40 minutes, is both a continuation of the direction taken on Duchy Rogowca, that is narcotic ambient techno, and the new direction taken on Hypnowald - giving voice to melodies, to the nature and to deep ambient drones. This time, Jurga resigned from intertextuality, so the emphasis was put on the vision of narcotic, unpredictable and hypnotic forest, instead of folk mythology and rural folklore. The title Hypnowald is a dreamy, mystery forest, preparing for dusk. It can be said that Jurga returns to concept which was developed on the album “Liście na Księżycu”, realeased under the name “Vysoké Čelo ” - Janusz and Maciej Jurga (Blokowisko, Skroń) mother project. Onirism, psychedelia and narcotic aura, coming along with nature and forest in the background.
This time, Janusz Jurga does not want to scare us with rural demons, but tries to hypnotize with the forest fairytale instead. “Hypnowald” resembles Gas and Wanderwelle's achievements, however, artists like Robert Rich and Klaus Schulze also have taken their toll on this record. Don’t be surprised if you will not be able to find a way out of this forest. After all, not without a reason it’s hypnotic...
Hindustani music and glitchy ambient co-mingle on the San Francisco-based, New Delhi-raised composer’s lush new album. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 4, 2019