Obscure & Terrible is proud to present the debut album from composer and scholar Zeynep Toraman. Having grown up in Istanbul, Toraman currently resides in Berlin and is completing her doctorate in composition at Harvard University. Her compositions have been performed and celebrated internationally, creatively combining acoustic and electronic instrumentation and drawing inspiration from text-based media, including her own library, archive and developing autobiography.
Speaking with Toraman, she describes her work almost as a curator rather than musician. "Full of allusions to 19th century repertoire and imagination, In a Dark House-my work akin to an archivist-brings together synths, field recordings, e-guitar, samples from a fortepiano that is very dear to me, and various perfect and imperfect string samples gleaned over the years. These various acts of gathering and organizing became a method for self-determination in my musical practice, while also a way of entering into untimely and unconscious collaborations with many others."
In a Dark House conjures a uniquely cryptic experience, at times blending in with the listener's surroundings by creating an extension of the organic environment in which it presents itself. However, far from a passive experience, the album’s four tracks weave together drones and synthesis, with found sounds, to envelop the participant in Toraman's own sonic language. Standing alongside her contemporaries in the fields of minimalism and deep listening, Toraman's electroacoustic compositions are equally alluring as they are challenging. In a Dark House will be released July 14th digitally and on limited edition cassette, with an accompanying performance by Toraman in her adopted city of Berlin.
credits
released July 14, 2023
All tracks composed and recorded 2020-2022 in Berlin & Ghent
Viola samples in Chimes performed by Julie Michael
Concept and production by Zeynep Toraman
Mastered by Queer Ear Mastering
Cover art by Andrea Pecatikov
Layout by Kole Galbraith
supported by 12 fans who also own “In a Dark House”
Composition in spite of traditionalism. A sonic abrasion and proof that contemporary classical music is interesting, engaging and intoxicating. jiristepan
supported by 9 fans who also own “In a Dark House”
I loved reading through the complications and spectacular efforts that went into creating these pieces, but even more the works in themselves are masterful structures full of meaning and compelling invention. One of those rare records that leaves you able to imagine vast fields of unexplored musical territory, and assures you that the explorer sent out to them is sure to exceed what you can imagine Giles
The new album from electroacoustic composer Jeremy Young is draped in a sense of mystery, tones flickering gently, like an old home movie. Bandcamp New & Notable May 9, 2021