Journeys in the dark

Today we are happy to see the first release of 2022 with two collaborative efforts. On Bhogavati three label veterans - Silentwave, Havdis and Indo - help us navigate the mysterious remnants of the Naga Kingdoms that are hidden away in the depths of the world's oceans. On The Seer, Mathias Grassow and Rüdiger Gleisberg have once agan teamed up for a really otherworldly experience. Special thanks from the label for the little froggy bonus adventure at the end. :)




In many ways this has been a long, dark year for many people and we light a candle for those who no longer journey with us.

The albums can be sampled in full at the gterma bandcamp site.

The beating heart of winter

Winter is showing off its darkest of moods but we always find ways to embrace it. Released today are the following two titles, click on each respecitve photo to be taken to their Bandcamp pages for a sample. And stay warm, we are halfway to Spring.

Rustling among the autumn leaves

October is here and we huddle together under the heavy skies and the constant drizzle of cold rain. The dark season is upon us and many a travel will now be started within our own minds. With Mathias' guidance we can undertake this journey without further angst.

[gterma054] : Mathias Grassow - Divinations (Out now)

Divinations is a new chapter in the Alchemy Suite, inspired by man's quest for higher knowledge and his taking to mysticism and obscure practices to find it. The album is sourced from Mathias' archival recordings and has been compiled and mixed by 121. Anders has once again done the mastering and Nina also returns with some more of her thoughtful images. Comes in jewel case with 8-page booklet.

End of Year adventures

Darkness is closing in on us in November so it is the high season for another type of darker ambient. I must prefer I do prefer the open skies of summer nights but cannot argue the fact that the heavy overcast is also a pleasant backdrop (as long as you stay indoors that is...).

[gterma051] : Silentwave - Daiyuzan (out now)

The temple complex at Daiyuzan Saijoji is but one of many shrines in Japan hidden away among trees and hills. These places offer a welcome change of pace from the busy cities and a chance to experience a very special type of quiet and tranquility. Composer Noguchi Yoshinori paints a minimalistic path along the winding steps that lead through the Daiyuzan grounds. An introspective walk along the remote path that leads to past, present and future. Album in jewel case with 8-page booklet.

[gterma052] : Mathias Grassow - The Nightquest Sessions (out now)

Cold and darkness once again descends upon Northern Europe and we huddle within the walls of our confines, creep up to fireplaces and hide under thick blankets. Those who brave the foreboding climate and venture outside into the blackness find a nocturnal world under heavy clouds, or perhaps find themselves under the scrutinizing gaze of the coldest of piercing starlight. "The Nightquest Sessions", an enigmatic dream by itself, is a trusty partner under these circumstances. Comes in jewel case with 8-page booklet.

Summer highlights

After a rather wet July the recent week has finally seen a return of the heat, and with it the damp grey clouds floated away to the east. We are once again blessed with a nightsky that is filled with both colours and stars. It is nights like these you never want to be turned into day. Dreams and thoughts collide on a smell of wild flowers and the calls from the young Grebes nearby. We celebrate summer with two new albums.

[gterma047] : Mathias Grassow - The Darklight Quest (out now)

One of the strangest and most fascinating aspects of ambient music is the way it can sometimes morph from sonic wallpaper -where it basically functions as a soundtrack- into an agent of transformation, allowing the reshaping of the perceived world around the listener. Some of Mathias' albums have had this effect on me before, and the Darklight Quest definitely falls into this territory. gterma is happy to shine a light on this now mostly forgotten treasure, originally released as a DIY CDr in 1998.
 

[gterma049] : Sergey Gabbasov & SiJ - Perseides (out now)

Welcome along on another trip into the forgotten hinterlands of the Eurasian plateau. Sergey and Vladimir once again skillfully guide us through the dusty backwater trails of the Mongol steppe, along the winding mountain roads that slither through the steep valleys of the Central Asian mountain ranges past crumbling old villages where hardship and beauty go hand in hand. No manmade light disturbs the eternal slumber of the starry nightsky and every cave, every hill, seems under the influence of some forgotten deity or spirit being.

Santa Sangre yearly review - Interview with Mathias Grassow

The always excellent webzine Santa Sangre continues with its ambitious and interesting year through my eyes review series, checking in with many of the household names in the ambient/industrial scene, feeling the pulse of individual artists. Follow this link to learn more about what Mathias has been up to during 2015.

Midwinter Century

It seems we have survived deep into what may well be the darkest and rainiest winter for quite some time. As we have arrived at the very longed for winter solstice, it seemed fitting to mark the occasion. It is still a bit early to look for signs of spring (although I did see a rat chase a rolling apple down the street last night...) so gterma will sink deep into the dark season with this selection of tracks from the Grassow back catalogue. Apart from the classic droneworks we also immerse ourselves into the shamanic period of Mathias' more recent works. Thanks to everyone who have journeyed with gterma during 2015 and hope to see you back in 2016.

Report: Mathias releases Bandcamp exclusive album Wisdoom

Heads up, Mathias has just released the first Bandcamp exclusive album, and a massive work at that. Wisdoom contains ten loooong tracks with over five and a half hours of dronesworks, collected from the archives if unreleased material from the more recent years. This album is available as a digital release only.

Report: Mathias' Short Stories out on Cosmic Winnetou

Mathias Grassow reenters the tape scene with a new cassette titled "Short Stories" just released on the small German cassette label Cosmic Winnetou.

Follow this link to learn more about this release and how to order it.

Report: Mathias now present on Bandcamp

Mathias has begun releasing some works through Bandcamp. Available now are a couple of the multi-disc albums that were originally available as CDr:s through the old KW-website. Expect more releases to come online over the coming weeks.

Report: New interview with Mathias Grassow

A new interview has been published, where Mathias speaks with the curator of the Pied Paper music blog. The text is available in Russian and English. Find the full interview here.

The long summernights just got a bit darker...

We're halfway through summer here in the northern hemisphere, the city bathes in the golden colours of yet another tranquil evening. Yet somehow we all know the shift has taken place, the days are again doomed to grow shorter and shorter as we once again begin the slow rush toward the dark season. Illustrating this point finely are the brand new albums we have available tonight. Music on the edge between light and darkness, between fantasy and reality, between madness and sanity. The journey continues.

[gterma036] : Urenga - Mu (The Lost Continent) (out now)

The world's oceans still jealously guard their many secrets from the prying eyes of our fledgling 21st century civilization. Brave minds remain convinced that unseen lands dwell in the cold depths of the deep waters. A few claim to have visited these places in their dreams. We were amazed to discover a portion of a dusty traveller's journal, telling of one travellers tireless pursuit in heeding the ocean's calling. We invite you to follow in the wake of this dreamlike journey.

[gterma040] : V/A - Phra Rahu (out now)

A long time coming, we have worked zealously to present this offering to the dark entity known as Rahu. A vast demigod with a strong worldly influence, Rahu's might is perhaps best illustrated in his devouring of the sun, causing the Earth to sit in his dark shadow. We have assembled this dark mantra from material both new and old, creating a deep tribute featuring several of the profile artists of gterma. Massive double album in a jewel case with 16-page booklet.

[gterma041] : Gleisberg & Grassow - Ad Lucem (out now)

Veterans Rüdiger Gleisberg and Mathias Grassow, who have previously worked together in constellations such as KarmaCosmic and Nostalgia (together with Carsten Agthe), have come together again to create Ad Lucem, an album dedicated to the light and the hope for a better tomorrow. Six deep pieces carefully balancing on a slight penumbra between light and darkness. Comes in a jewel case with 16-page booklet.

Report: "First Gift of Life" released on Databloem

Some listeners may remember the "Second Gift of Life" released in 2012 on the Dutch Databloem label. Here, in perfect inverted sequential order comes the follow up to that album, which the label describes as a one hour drifting drone piece. No soundclips are up at present, but curious minds would do well to keep an eye on the album by following this link.

Report: Mathias Grassow returns to Gut Saunstorf

Mathias Grassow is once again scheduled to appear at the Gut Saunstorf retreat in Northern Germany, for a garden performance on Saturday May the 24th. A special light installation will also be created by a crew of students from the University of Wismar.

If you are in the area or feel like you may want to pack up a bag you can find more information about the event on the official page. The text is in German but parse it through the Google Translator or send the Saunstorf crew an email for further inquiries.

Pushing the shroud of darkness away

As a seemingly impenetrable mass of liquid clouds have descended upon Scandinavia for the past couple of days we're letting off a defiant scream and stubbornly attempt to lift the heavy skies at least a bit, in an effort to catch the fading light at the horizon. I know I am not the only one who has patiently awaited these albums and I hope that they will assist in lifting the seemingly endless darkness of autumn.


[gterma028] : Alexander Saykov - Mistral (out now)

One of last year's highlights on the digital scene was the Mistral album, a beautiful and introspective piece which much like its namesake sweeps in like a strong chilling wind from the north. The forceful tempo of the mistral also leaves a strong touch of melancholy and serenity following in its wake. Originally released on Cold Tear Records last autumn the gterma edition has been continuously mixed and expanded upon. Comes in a jewelcase with 16-page booklet.

[gterma033] : Havdis - Nightbreeze (out now)

Havdis and gterma would once again like to welcome all listeners back to the northern hinterlands, to experience the magnificent colours of the long summer nights, the strange shapes of the peculiar rocky landscape and the inward journey into the expansive ocean of the mind. Ten introspective pieces of twilight music. Album in jewelcase with a 16-page booklet.

[gterma034] : Mathias Grassow - Tamanoshima (out now)

Travels on dim ethereal oceans of mystery should be familiar waters to those of you who have been following gterma for some time now. On Tamanoshima, Mathias brings us into unchartered vistas for a slightly mindbending and hypnotic journey into minimal soundworlds. A warm and glowing drift based on material composed in the summer of 2013. Album comes in the regular jewelcase with 16-page booklet.

Report: New album by Mathias Grassow on Practising Nature

And so here is also the latest Practising Nature-album "Tara" by Mathias Grassow, a three part suite running for about 70 minutes. One must say that it has that evergreen minimalistic Mathias Grassow/Klaus Wiese sound with lots of singing bowls. "Tara" is dedicated to the two recently departed ambient community profiles Gianluigi Gasparetti and Nextera label mastermind Kristian Kotarac. The album is obtainable primarily through Practising Nature's distributor Databloem whose shop is currently in holiday mode, orders are planned to be shipped out by mid July.

Welcome summer!

gterma has returned after an expedition into the River Kwaee valley just in time to hail the appearance of the first warming rays of sunshine here in Scandinavia. Rest assured though, order has been restored and the sun is now veiled again in its usual blanket of cold rain and fog. Instead we choose to celebrate the promise of summer with a pair of new releases.

[gterma026] : Ornah-Mental - Excursions (2013-05-20)

Veteran cosmic travellers Dirk Schlömer and Carsten Agthe look back on journeys past and present, in preparing for the excursions of tomorrow. Music made for drifting out of consciousness into the higher understanding based on enlightenment and revelation. Expect a mix of instrumentation from past and present. Album comes in jewelcase with 16-page booklet.

[gterma030] : Mathias Grassow - Sonnenwende (2013-05-20)

Sonnenwende is the spiritual successor to Dämmerung and follows the sun along her passage through the seasons, the seemingly endless journey between darkness and light. Contemplative ambience, ominous droneworks and some dashes of folk. Double album in jewelcase with 16-page booklet.

Report: A call from the wilderness

Inspired by the imposing wilderlands surrounding Mount Telpoz-Is in Ural comes this collaboration between Mathias Grassow and Russian ambient/experimental profile Closing The Eternity. Deep and dark soundscapes yet sparkling like the icy waters of Shelgultan river itself. The album is scheduled for release in mid-March on Aquarellist, visit the label website for more information.

Report: "Second Gift of Life" out on Databloem

After a fruitless first week of searching, we have stopped in port to resupply only to learn that meanwhile in Europe, the excellent Databloem label (which just happens to be the main gterma distributor as well...) has just released a new album by Mathias Grassow called "The Second Gift of Life". No further data is available here at this time, please head over to the label website for more information. Looking forward to hear this album myself when returning from these southern waters.

Four hours until sunrise...

gterma is happy to announce the last titles of 2012, a magnificent four hour crescendo to the activities of 2012. We wish to take this opportunity to thank all the artists, contributors, listeners and supporters around the world who have made this journey so enjoyable.

[gterma023] : Mathias Grassow & Carsten Agthe - Beyond The Silence (out now)

This summer, Mathias and Carsten performed live at the Gut Saunstorf, a retreat in Northern Germany. The concert marked the end of an extended period of silence for the people attending. The recording captures two hours of raw and ritualistic music and also features some new improvisations which were recorded during the night shift at the local hotel. Double album in jewelcase with 16 page booklet.


[gterma024] : As If  - Faraway Trees Standing Still (out now)

Danish musician and artist Kenneth Werner invites us to a journey away from the chaos of today's frenzied cities and into the quiet realm of the distant mountains and serene forests, an escape from ourselves and a home away from home. A vision painted with ambient and dubtechno crayons. Comes in a jewelcase with 16 page booklet.