SE - Epiphora

The German one-man project SE was founded and operated by Sebastian Ehmke who has already produced several full-length which will probably never see an official release shared only amongst his closest friends and acquaintances. But the one that has been released with the name ‘Epiphora’ is the subject of this review.

‘komplex_a’, the introduction opens ‘Epiphora’ with backward-spinning tones and a considerable amount of noise sprinkles added later before ‘15mg’ with cursive atmospheres sets the stage for a subdued rhythms softly leading us further into the track where the digital pendant of rain waits for us. Then it gets lost for an instant in noise-scapes and returns with a rhythmic pattern leaning towards a more complex approach. ‘Null’ sends out few sequence loops backed by elegant tones atop more obvious drums and percussion for the organic feel. Added to it is what I suspect to be a live cymbal. A few more seconds further into the track Sebastian is roughening the song’s texture by filtering the drums through a distortion field. Again there’s just one little sequence, staring off ‘Hitchhiker’; then mechanical dissonances start popping up and together with the bass drum start forming a cohesive rhythm out of which soon strings are flowing. A classical piano motif is the pivotal element of ‘Aer-’; every sound seems constructed around it. Melodies caress it softly and hard, piercing rhythms try to wreak havoc in its fabric but never can destroy its beauty. ‘No Need for Voices’ then brings a little universe of gentle pads and embedded piano and radiates a sublime serenity that even jumps over to one.