Carlos Dengler releases Parallel Streams

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Parallel Streams is composer Carlos Dengler’s fifth solo release since his enthusiastic debut on the global ambient electronic and New Age music scenes in 2022.

Dengler’s foray into New Age and Ambient Music represents a fascinating evolution in his musical journey. Known for his influential role as the original bassist and keyboardist of the band Interpol during the post-punk revivalist scene, Dengler’s exploration of new genres showcases his versatility and artistic growth in multiple fields.

Since departing the rock scene in 2010, Carlos has gone back to school earning an MFA in Acting and established a writing career as a personal essayist. While 2022’s Aqueduct was his first proper music project in twelve years, the period 2010-2022 brought an essential new focus to Dengler’s artistic life and his music compositions.

Sample the album and find it on your favorite streaming service:

Tidal link
 

Fans of Dengler’s new music experience the intricate blending of his Gothic 1990s roots (especially the neoclassical variety popularized by Dead Can Dance), with his passion for the ambient works of “spiritual minimalists” like Arvo Pärt and Henryk Gorecki, and his love of music by more “active” sounding new age artists like Patrick O’Hearn, David Darling, Alio Die, and David Parsons. The influence of these masters can be heard in Dengler’s albums, empowering Dengler to explore the infinite possibilities of organic textures and electro acoustic soundscapes.

With his latest album Parallel Streams, Dengler’s approach was to compose outlines of tracks through basic synthesizer drones and then rehearse live over them with collaborator flutist Keith Bonner. Then over two days in the studio the duo performed the compositions straight through, later enhancing the performances within the drones. Carlos states “Two exceptions to this technique are ‘The Triangle,’ which was a fully composed track which I simply had Keith improvise over, and ‘Hidden Story,’ which actually came about through a spontaneous jam session between Keith and me all on its own”. Dengler expands “this approach was to capture a live feel with respect to the flute, the guitar and the piano, so that it was clear that whenever you hear those instruments on the record you are hearing an improvised live performance (with the only exception being the guitar part of ‘The Triangle’). The goal to create a point of tension between synthetic, organized and composed textures serving as an aural backdrop and extemporary, acoustic and live performances of the flute, the acoustic guitar and the piano.”

BT Fasmer’s comment: “The interplay between meticulous planning and in-the-moment creativity, results in a dynamic and engaging listening experience. The album offers a rich tapestry of sound, where the boundaries between composition and improvisation are beautifully blurred. A fantastic album that deserves to be listened to (or should I say streamed) again and again.”

For more information and music samples, visit carlosdengler.com/music

Press release by Greg Vegas

 

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