Lancelots Delusions

Vital Weekly 1314: "Also four pieces can be found on the CD by Zenial, the music project of Lukasz Szaankiewicz. he is also no stranger to these pages. His work is more in the field of electronic music, coupled with a few field recordings. In 'Orion+', these field recordings are heard best, rain and fire sound embedded in slow-moving washes of synthesizer music. Throughout the music of Zenial connects more to the world of ambient music, the synthesizer variation. Say, Tangerine Dream without the bouncing arpeggio, or Brian Eno. Well, or tons of others in this field. Zenial likes the long and slow form of music, with slowly repeating tones, intertwining closely and drifting apart. Changes take place on an equally minimal level and seem to deal with mostly altering the colour of the sounds. This music doesn't have that gritty darkness of all things lo-fi. There are no hissy and scratchy tapes or small synthesizers; Zenial deals in good quality music production. With its dense, cold and clouded days, the time of the year forms the perfect setting for this kind of music. Do nothing, stare outside your window and play this as the soundtrack for such a day. If it wasn't as cold, I would dig out my CD walkman and take a sixty-six-minute walk, playing this music. Well, perhaps if I wasn't as lazy either. (FdW)" _____ "It's like being exhausted and waiting for the train. It's around the time you try to sleep in a crowded place, such as an airport. As you enter a hypnotic state, reality begins to circle you... " This is how Lukasz Szalankiewicz aka Zenial describes the notion behind the track "Lancelot Delusion," which inspired the title and theme of his new album. The Doppler effect used in the composition contributes to the psychedelic, surreal ambience. In this track, dreams and journeys are intertwined and pervade the entire release. The title is a metaphor for a mythical, medieval knight who becomes bewildered and lost over his many quests. These patterns are wrapped in unique, minimalistic soundscapes that use field recordings. Lukasz tries to take on new challenges after years of experimenting with various forms of electronic sounds and unconventional music. He's become more fascinated with minimal ambient and micro-sounds in the last two years. Why? Because, according to Lukasz, doing something worthwhile in that area is difficult. It's the next hermetic genre, according to Zenial. The oneiric nature is also present in the first track, "How Can I Be There," which deals with forgetting, drifting away, observing, waiting, and dreaming... Orion+ follows the notion of a journey but is loaded with awe and dread, as it was written during the early stages of the epidemic. Lukasz has something to say about it: "In fact, the constellation of Orion conceals a lot of information. It's an excellent place to start looking for the Pleiades, for example." "I can only see what my unarmed eye lets me see as I raise my head into the sky. I wonder where we are and where we are headed. Wandering around my neighbourhood and my city, I ask the same questions, but with new instruments in my eyes and ears - uncertainty, worry, and the want to see and hear more in order to feel more and understand better." The track was originally self-released as digital-only but has now been specially edited and remastered for "Lancelot's Delusions" as well as the closing piece "Urban Legends". A Muse en Circuit – National Center of Musical Creation (Alfortville, France) in cooperation with Art Zoyd Studios commissioned the latter, and it has been fortunately allowed to be featured on this CD as well