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HOSOO

Mist

OUT NOVEMBER 29, 2019

Mist (유백색 안개) is composed of excerpts from improvised sessions by Hosoo, recorded in 2018-2019. Small percussions, a bamboo flute, a portable recorder, a radio, and guitars were played, sampled and processed over and over during improvisation. 

As a result, many layers and details were unintentionally added, which often made ambiguous soundscapes clearly ambiguous, like dense fog being visible in itself. The title and concept of the album were loosely inspired by a novel that reflects highly similar imaginary places. 

Influenced by different eras of music from such diverse artists as: Korean court music, Terry Riley, Brian Eno, David Toop, Carl Stone, Throbbing Gristle, Haruomi Hosono, Laurie Spiegel, and Bill Laswell. 

Bandcamp Apple Music TIDAL Reviews
Catalog:
LINE_107
Format:
digital
Edition:
open edition
Release:
November 2019
Tracklist:
  1. p.5 (09:34)
  2. p.12 (03:51)
  3. p.29 (02:45)
  4. p.44 (03:53)
  5. p.103 (03:53)
  6. p.107 (00:28)
  7. p.61 (03:33)
  8. p.64 (08:13)
  9. p.65 (05:04)
  10. p.70 (04:06)

Performed and recorded by Hohyun Baek and Woongsoo Byun.
Mastered by Ian Hawgood.
A special thanks to Richard Chartier and LINE.

Hosoo (호수, means ‘lake’ and ‘room number’ in Korean) is a project started by two sound artists in Seoul, South Korea. They have been searching and waiting for sounds having sense of place, soundscapes to stay in, from different perspectives.

REVIEWS OF
Mist

  • Mist (유백색 안개) is a series of improvisations (as pages) made up of a combination of multiple instruments, samples and processes by South Korean duo Hosoo (Hohyun Baek and Woongsoo Byun). Their name is derived from 호수 which can mean both ‘lake’ and ‘room number’ in their tongue. This has elements of field recordings (croaking and the low-level wisdom of the insect kingdom), as well as gradients of vibrant ambient that slowly twists and churns in time.

    A lot of Mist relies on what is barely heard, the tiny offset grooves, the micro-static, the undermost sensitive side of percussion. In this light thoughts of work by Aube come to mind, as does Maurizio Bianchi, but Hosoo seem to have something less embellished, something stripped to its barest. This makes for a tender listen, likely headphones will be best on this one, and the better the cans the more indulgent I assume the experience will become. Though the tempo and airiness rise quite notably on p.44, where there are traditional flute sounds melded with enticing boom and ding percussive elements, something magical happens. The atmosphere moves from the ambiguous to ceremonial in their curvaceous sonic themes.

    Gurgling waters, vibe-like tones, and a soothing roundness to their sound makes for an atmosphere of graceful requiescence. Though the recording is bolstered by a generous calibration of cryptic passages as well (p.64). This only aids/abets the overall listening experience in that, even if this makes its witnesses drift into a feathery meadow one will likely be gently rocked by the ongoing contemplative proceedings.
    (toneshift.net)