The press release from Orange Milk for Velf’s debut EP Pernicious Serenity called it “the kind of electronic album that cleverly interacts with various musical disciplines without settling for one overarching sound.” This could be an encapsulation of the curation for Orange Milk itself: a clever interaction with a variety of musical disciplines that never rests upon a single overarching oeuvre. Of course, this is high praise. We wouldn’t have it any other way – both for Orange Milk and for the music of Velf (a.k.a., Valeria Zaklinskaya).
In a Sense also arrives via the Orange Milk messenger service, complete with stunning visuals from label co-boss Keith Rankin. It picks up where its predecessor left off, expanding on themes hinted at previously while also heading in new directions. In an interview with the Echoes and Dust site, the artist listed the influences that most affected her while creating this minor masterpiece. She cites the powerful electronic song-craft of Daughter, Nicolas Jaar’s unconventional sound design, and the organic electro-acoustic compositions of Francis Dhomont as being prime motivators for the expansive mutant electronics that pervade the album. While seemingly disparate, in Velf’s hands, these influential elements are transformed into something entirely whole and beautiful.
There are abundant vaporous melodies to be found, weaving in and out of synapse-straining explosions, the frazzled sizzling of electricity arcing, and elegiac pads that whirl in cyclones of orchestral maneuvering. Digital fauna rubs up against electric guitar chords. Crystalline shards assemble themselves into gorgeous constructions while other, darker figures dissolve into a primordial ooze. Velf has created a world – no, a universe – of her own, into which she invites us to revel and relax. It is a wonderful place to be.
In a Sense can be experienced both physically and digitally via the Orange Milk Bandcamp, so point your browser in the correct orientation and click away!