Establishing the mood with a cosmic frequency and brooding melody, Anne Vanschothorst opens RIFF with a melancholic aura and cinematic intrigue. The opus expands with intertwined astral harp layers to tap into a hypnotic energy before repeated arpeggio motifs guide us further.
We appreciate the intricacy and space within the composition. There is no doubt that RIFF would be perfect as the score of a TV show like Nine Perfect Strangers, which taps into more fantastical and psychedelic themes.
The harp combined with electronica is sublime, and we deeply connect with the haunting and spiritual notions that emerge. We learn that RIFF is a composition that transforms an original acoustic harp recording into an immersive ambient soundscape.
RIFF was created by Dutch artist and harpist Anne Vanschothorst in collaboration with producer and sound designer Thijs de Melker. Through layers of harp, subtle electronic textures, spatial processing and evolving harmonies, the work is designed to explore themes of landscape, memory and transformation. It creates an imagined underwater sonic world that unfolds slowly.
Anne shares that the piece is inspired by Bob Gramsma’s land art monument Riff, PD#18245, located in the reclaimed Dutch polder landscape of Flevoland (pictured here). The sculpture preserves the imprint of an excavated space in the earth – a place suspended between absence and material form.
Needless to say, we are in awe and have added RIFF to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of Anne Vanschothorst, and anticipate future releases.