Agora

Agora is Christian Fennesz’s first solo album since ‘Mahler Remixed’ [Touch, 2014] and ‘Bécs’ [Editions Mego, 2014]. Fennesz writes: “Its a simple story. i had temporarily lost a proper studio workspace and had to move all my gear back to a small bedroom in my flat where I recorded this album. It was all done on headphones, which was rather a frustrating situation at first but later on it felt like back in the day when I produced my first records in the 1990s. In the end it was inspiring. I used very minimal equipment; I didn't even have the courage to plug in all the gear and instruments which were at my disposal. I just used what was to hand.”

The experimental musician’s sweeping, ambient album works in small, fascinating ways from moment to moment but has a cumulative force that is unlike anything he’s done in years.

The ambient producer both encapsulates and transcends his environment on latest release

Christian Fennesz made Agora in his flat after losing access to his proper studio.

Ambient recordings are seldom referred to as powerful. Impactful, sure, perhaps even emotional, but more often than not, what makes the genr...

Fennesz - Agora review: I can only wish that future releases will reach for an integration of his musical bona fides, a return to melodic luxuries that coexist with an assortment of jagged defects.