Petra Hermanova (cz) + Mats Erlandsson (se) + Ana Fosca (dk)

Ana Fosca (dk)

Ana Fosca has emerged as a presence to be reckoned with. Here stands a woman raging, wrestling, communing, and deeply preoccupied with humanity's propensity for tragedy and blight. It is through a particular strain of noise—dour, miserable, frightening—that she channels these themes.

Ana Fosca (born Linn Hvid) honed her craft by performing constantly throughout Denmark, Sweden, and Germany, particularly within the dynamic community of Mayhem in her native Copenhagen. The feral expressionism she developed in performance is informed by numerous existential and conceptual antecedents. Kierkegaard. Plath. Tarkovsky. Hannah Arendt. Vienna Aktionism. Eliane Radigue’s approach to listening. The films of Kurt Kren. The thoughts and writings of Simone de Beauvoir.

"Poised at the Edge of Structure" marks Fosca’s debut for The Helen Scarsdale Agency. On this recording, she presents her gesamtkunstwerk as Ana Fosca in all its harrowing portent. She composes in cyclonic patterns of oppositional forces, searing noise, and ominous drones. "The mathematics of grief" is a phrase Fosca uses to describe the album, which amplifies her personal experiences with loss to explore the human condition on a larger scale. This album never settles into the familiar tropes of power electronics, dark ambient, death industrial, or strict electro-acoustic practices, but instead absorbs the most impactful elements of all these aesthetics. Emerging from the Danish underground scene, her work finds common ground with the early, savage sounds of Posh Isolation, while leaning into the violent miasma of Maeror Tri/Troum at their most industrial.

https://anafosca.bandcamp.com/album/poised-at-the-edge-of-structure

Petra Hermanova (cz)

Petra Hermanova is a singer, composer and musician working primarily with the autoharp. The Berlin-based artist released her solo debut, In Death’s Eyes, in October of 2023 on the record label Unguarded. Over nine tracks, which drift between song and heavy distorted drones, Hermanova utilises autoharp, voice, and pipe organ in techniques from both folk and sacred traditions to grapple with the spiritual and earthly dimensions of devastating loss and bereavement.

In a disciplined display of beauty, pain, and astute musicianship, Hermanova brings forth a notable accomplishment of an album, which features the acclaimed organist Denny Wilke playing the Ladegast organ of the Merseburg Cathedral. The album, nominated for three different awards, including the Czech Grammy, is currently being presented at contemporary music festivals (Lunchmeat, CTM, Elevate) and also as part of the SHAPE+ platform for innovative music.

She has toured internationally with previous projects, including extensive sound and visual collaborations with Jon Eirik Boska as well as with her critically acclaimed band Fiordmoss.

https://www.petrahermanova.com/

Mats Erlandsson (se)

As a composer, musician, and sound artist, Mats Erlandsson is part of the vibrantly reemerging field of drone music in Stockholm, Sweden, and is associated with practices characterized by the extensive use of sustained sound.

Erlandsson has undergone studies in composition in Stockholm, where he received a Master’s degree in Composition of Electronic Music. In addition to his own artistic practice, Erlandsson holds a position as studio assistant at the world-renowned Elektronmusikstudion (EMS) in Stockholm.

Erlandsson presents his work both as a solo artist and in collaborations, most notably together with Yair Elazar Glotman. In 2018 the artist and choreographer Erik Berg commissioned Erlandsson to score his most recent work, Unfortunate Desires, which premiered in the spring of 2019.

Recent releases include Minnesmärke on Hallow Ground (2020), the collaboration Emmanate made with Yair Elazar Glotman on 130701 (2020), Hypodermic Letters on Portals Editions (2018), 4-track guitar music on XKatedral (2018), Selective Miracles and Valentina Tereshkova on Posh Isolation (2016), and again together with Glotman, Negative Chambers on Miasmah (2017). Erlandsson has performed his work extensively, most recently at Présences Électronique hosted by the GRM in Paris, CTM 2019 and The Long Now in Berlin, Norbergfestival in Norberg, Sonica Festival in Ljubljana and in various music and arts venues around the world.

https://matserlandsson.bandcamp.com/
https://matserlandsson.com/

Read more at finaldescent.org

Dansk

Ana Fosca (dk)

Ana Fosca er hurtigt blevet en markant skikkelse på scenen for eksperimentel støjmusik. Her står en kunstner, der raser, kæmper og søger forbindelse, mens hun udforsker menneskehedens trang til tragedie og ødelæggelse. Hun kanaliserer disse dystre temaer gennem en særegen form for støj—dyster, tung og skræmmende.

Ana Fosca, født Linn Hvid, har finpudset sit udtryk ved at optræde intensivt i Danmark, Sverige og Tyskland, især i det kreative miljø omkring det københavnske spillested Mayhem. Tænkere som Kierkegaard, Sylvia Plath og Hannah Arendt, filmskabere som Tarkovskij og Kurt Kren samt bevægelser som Wiener Aktionisme inspirerer hendes arbejde, ligesom Eliane Radigues lyttefilosofi og Simone de Beauvoirs tekster spiller en rolle i Ana Foscas nihilistiske udtryk.

Poised at the Edge of Structure er Ana Foscas debut på The Helen Scarsdale Agency. På dette album udtrykker hun sin kunstneriske vision med stor intensitet. Hun skaber værker præget af cykliske, modsatrettede kræfter, skærende støjflader og truende dronelandskaber. Albummet er formet af, hvad hun selv kalder "sorgens matematik" – et koncept, der trækker på hendes egne oplevelser med tab og ekspanderer det til en større refleksion over menneskets vilkår. Ana Fosca undgår de traditionelle genrebetegnelser som power electronics, dark ambient eller death industrial, men trækker samtidig på elementer fra disse stilarter og forener dem til noget helt eget.

https://anafosca.bandcamp.com/album/poised-at-the-edge-of-structure

Petra Hermanova (cz)

Petra Hermanova er sanger, komponist og musiker, hvis kunstneriske udtryk tager udgangspunkt i det 150 år gamle instrument autoharpe. Den Berlin-baserede kunstner udgav sin solodebut "In Death's Eyes" i oktober 2023 på pladeselskabet Unguarded. Over ni numre, der bevæger sig mellem sang og kraftigt forvrængede droner, bruger Hermanova autoharpe, stemme og pibeorgel med teknikker inspireret af både folkelige og kirkelige traditioner. Hun udforsker de åndelige og jordiske dimensioner af ødelæggende tab og sorg.

I en disciplineret udfoldelse af skønhed, smerte og dyb musikalsk indsigt leverer Hermanova et bemærkelsesværdigt album, der inkluderer en fremragende præstation af den anerkendte organist Denny Wilke, der spiller på Ladegast-orgelet i Merseburg-katedralen. Albummet er blevet nomineret til tre forskellige priser, herunder den tjekkiske Grammy, og præsenteres i øjeblikket på moderne musikfestivaler som Lunchmeat, CTM og Elevate, samt som en del af SHAPE+ platformen for innovativ musik.

Hun har tidligere turneret internationalt med projekter, der inkluderer omfattende lyd- og billedsamarbejder med Jon Eirik Boska, samt med sit anmelderroste band Fiordmoss.

https://www.petrahermanova.com/

Mats Erlandsson (se)

Mats Erlandsson er en komponist og musiker med en stærk tilknytning til elektronisk musik. Han fokuserer primært på at skabe og udføre værker, der udforsker kontrapunktiske processer, intonation, forholdet mellem tekstur og spektral information samt forlængede varigheder.

Erlandsson arbejder hovedsageligt selvstændigt med faste medier, live-elektronik, generativ musik og lydinstallationer, men han samarbejder også med andre kunstnere og forfattere såsom Yair Elazar Glotman, Maria W Horn og Erik Berg, samt institutioner som Ställbergs Gruva i Bergslagen.

Hans musik er blevet opført i Sverige og internationalt på festivaler som Présences Électronique arrangeret af Ina/GRM, CTM/Transmediale, Sonica Festival, Maerzmusik, Norbergfestival, Intonal, Flussi Festival, Eufonics og Sound of Stockholm. Han har også optrådt på scener som Café OTO, GRM, Audiorama, Mayhem, ACUD og Fylkingen.

Hans værker er blevet udgivet af pladeselskaber som Posh Isolation, Miasmah Recordings, Portals Editions, 130701, Vaagner Archives, Hallow Ground og XKatedral.

Udover sine kunstneriske aktiviteter arbejder han som studietekniker hos EMS Elektronmusikstudion i Stockholm og som lydleder for indspilninger og fremførelser af samtidskunstmusik.

https://matserlandsson.bandcamp.com/
https://matserlandsson.com/

Læs mere på finaldescent.org