The Séance of Sleep, a dreamcraft, indeed.
- Johno Wells
- Apr 7
- 3 min read
David Wunder Brägger
Released April 4, 2025
Sometimes it's hard to even describe a piece of music. The first part of this recording is easy to describe...the physical release. I haven't held something like this in my hands in YEARS. It's remarkable how every inch of this release seems to be so delicately crafted. We're talking CARE here, my friends. Colored heavy vinyl, heavy cardboard, art print insert..this is the real deal. And he's already sold out of the first run of vinyl. Don't fret, he's planning another run, so you can wait for that, or grab the digital download on BandCamp RIGHT NOW.
The project is described on the BandCamp release page as an "Ultra Deluxe 12" vinyl version of Séance of Sleep I. Pressed on multi-colored dreamy vinyl with different color patterns on each side of the record, the album comes with a limited edition, double-sided collage art print from underground folk artist Howard Rains.
'Séance of Sleep' is released on Tiki Parlour Recordings, David's own imprint, founded with Rick Hocutt, Tiki Parlour specializes in CDs, Videos and Folk Art showcasing the underground folk music of America, aka old-time music. But Séance of Sleep I is not old-time music...or is it?
Is it a look into the dreamtime future? A dystopian future? A dystopian past? Ok, I'll stop. It's timeless. That's it. Timeless.
Séance of Sleep I: The Saraswati Dreamcraft starts off with a little SOMA Labs tribute, including the elusive 'Terra' instrument as well as the stringed 'Dvina'. SOMA instruments will always set the stage for oddities, and it seems Mr. Bragger is preparing some serious acrobatics in this first piece, "Terra Dvina Ground Control," 8min of meditational bliss.
As the tracks ooze out, you can just imagine how something like this is created. He lists "modular synths, violin, harmonium, tape manipulations, drones" as some of the instruments used in this masterpiece. Dreamcraft, indeed, it's a fantastic journey, jam-packed with compositions only a lifelong multi-instrumentalist could produce.
From the BandCamp page of the release:
Drawing on decades of musical studies (Indian classical music, archaic Appalachian fiddle music, microtonality, and early electronic experimentation), David Wunder Brägger has woven together a minimalist and analog-driven “séance” of sounds through his uniquely assembled electronic devices and acoustic drone makers. The results are epic, strange, calming, and wondrous.
This ambient recording also features the tape-manipulated and mutated vocals of Appalachian fiddler and classical vocalist Susan Platz. In addition to the mesmerizing multi-colored vinyl, the album features the collage work of outlier folk artist Howard Rains whose work has graced countless album covers. Each physical album also comes with a double-sided print of Rains’ surreal art.
Credits:
David Wunder Brägger - modular synths, violin, harmonium, tape manipulations, drones
Susan Platz - experimental vocal stylings
Produced and Recorded by David Wunder Brägger at the Tiki Parlour Tardis Chamber in Los Angeles, CA, 2023-24.
Mixed by David Wunder Brägger and mastered by Joseph Dejarnette.
Stay tuned for part two of Séance of Sleep, to be in the fall of 2025.
And, you might want to be ready, because Séance of Sleep 1 (vinyl) sold out in two days.
Run, my friends. Run and listen to this today.
Thank you for such a beautiful review Johno!