Drawing us in with an ethereal choir and minimalist piano, expanding into subtle, rippling arpeggios, Driek Manders opens his album, Through wind and water, with a celestial allure and a track poignantly titled, Ouverture. Evolving with an astral strings arrangement, the opus manifests as a cohesive and elegant tapestry of sound with hypnotic motifs, culminating in an ascended choral moment.
Next up is the title track of the record, Through wind and weather, which opens with an emotive and almost melancholic strings performance, the choral vocals return to guide us further and establish the overarching sound that we can expect from the record. We appreciate the dynamism of the piece, and the emotional journey that Driek Manders takes us on. There is most certainly a meditative aura that transmutes, and the track feels inclined towards notions of peace. Perfect to enjoy for a healing moment, during a yoga practise, or to invite connection with the universe.
Rain introduces a beautiful harp performance. It feels simple and minimalist before celestial frequencies and repetitive motifs begin to expand the composition. The orchestral energy intensifies gradually with brooding bass moments and delicate pizzicato details bring the feeling of rainfall to life, whilst the ebb and flow creates something increasingly cinematic.
Then comes Breaking the blizzard, which represents a striking switch-up. Electric guitar brings a rockier energy, accompanied by cello and cosmic xylophone. We could easily imagine this accompanying a pivotal moment in a Luca Guadagnino or Pedro Almodóvar film. The choir eventually returns and becomes the main protagonist, pushing the composition towards a euphoric and climactic ascension.
Gray opens with choir and immediately feels poetic and emotive. There is something almost spiritual about the way the voices interact with the orchestration. It reminds us of a scene from Lucy by Luc Besson, where music, humanity and the sheer power of the planet collide. The drama continues to build, creating a remarkably high emotional quotient.
Notes that hold me together kicks off with orchestral strings and immediately feels dramatic. There are shades of Clint Mansell and the Kronos Quartet in the intensity. We could imagine this working beautifully in something as emotionally devastating as Requiem for a Dream. The composition ebbs and flows before the choir returns, adding another layer of emotional weight.
At just over two minutes, Under a sky that forgot the sun feels like a halfway point. It is peaceful in design. High-key piano arpeggios create a delicate atmosphere, yet the emotion underneath feels deep-rooted. It is brief, but it lingers.
When the tide turns transports us somewhere sacred. A choral vocal solo sits alongside strings, creating something epic and spiritually charged. The scale of the arrangement is super impressive. Porcelain dream begins more minimally, before gradually building into another moment of emotional grandeur. The arrangement feels delicate at first, but there is real strength beneath it. This contrast is one of the album’s most compelling qualities.
Then comes Cloud. Here, Driek Manders delivers timeless orchestral elegance with a graceful, almost waltz-like quality. There is something cinematic about it that makes us think of a gothic ballroom sequence in the new Frankenstein movie. The beauty is offset by darker undertones, keeping the piece from becoming overly saccharine.
New horizons feels different again. Hopeful, futuristic and spiritual, it feels like looking towards something that does not yet exist. There is a sense of possibility within the arrangement. A feeling of moving forward. Finally, Sunshine brings everything together. The orchestral grandeur, choir, emotional motifs and atmospheric details all return. It feels optimistic and expansive, aligned with the narrative of the record. Symbolically, it is a fitting conclusion to an album so closely connected to the changing moods of the sky.
What makes Through wind and weather particularly compelling is how deeply personal its concept becomes. Driek Manders explains that the sky mirrors his emotions. Clear skies represent tranquillity. Rain becomes sadness. Storms embody anger and frustration. He created the album independently using a DAW, drawing inspiration from Hans Zimmer, while describing his philosophy simply as “music with colour and passion.”
Speaking on his lived experience, Driek confesses, “The sky is an inspiration to me, just like my emotions. There are beautiful skies with not a cloud in sight, and there are rainy skies, which mean sadness to me. And there are stormy skies, which stand for anger or frustration. When this album, on which this track appears, was released, I was in a psychiatric ward in the hospital. I was suffering from depression. Despite my depression, I continued working on music, and I poured my emotions, my greatest source of inspiration, into my music.”
Needless to say, we are in awe, and have added various tracks to our playlists, including our New Music Spotlight playlist, and TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlist, as we continue to stream Driek Manders‘ previous albums, Thundercloud, Dark & Bright, and Veins of time.