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«'Wanderweg' is german for 'Hiking Trail' or 'Hiking Path'. Brad Mitchell recently lived and worked in Switzerland - before moving back to his Springfield, Missouri home, so it's no surprise that the lower Alps, the Black Forest and other typical surroundings inspired him with their nature magic. 'Wanderweg' is also the title of Brad's latest drone album, before putting his Kikapu netlabel to rest. This marvellous collection of guitar-based ambient drones sends us into deep nostalgia-mode right from the opening piece 'Burg' - german for Castle, while guiding us through the autumnal-afternoon, lower light-brimful landscapes of some far away medieval germany. If we close our eyes, we can be and feel there for a fraction of a second.
The whole album feels like a hiking day trip, and the song titles emulate familiar themes: 'Felsen' (Rock), 'Bäume' (Trees), 'Weg' (Trail or Path) and 'Fluss' (River). All of them built up from guitar dones, some heavier/darker than others, but generally pointing to an 'upping' or 'rising' feel, like 'Bäume' which starts at the ground with a short paced loop only to flatten itself after a while, and rising to the skies until the end. 'Fluss' is probably my favorite piece - and the longest one with more than 20 minutes, and it really sounds like the flow of a river. The highest frequency sounds actually resemble water, liquid movement, while a massive drone throbs over them. There are pitch variations in the drone throughout the piece, the best part of it being somewhere along the middle, where the riverflow seems to gain strenght - perhaps because a waterfall is approaching.
'Wanderweg' is a dense, emotive, and beautiful drone collection, ripped from the guts of mother earth somewhere near the Black Forest.
Thank you very much for this, Brad.» - Pedro Leitão