Dutch composer/ producer Andert Tysma’s uniquely crafted blend of post-classical, electro-acoustic and electronic music has always seemed fascinated with how and who we are. His soundscapes come peopled with stories and their places rather than loosely shrouded moods. ‘Children Of Trinoom’, his 2022 debut for Apollo Records, found inspiration from the life journey of wartime musician, doctor and resistance hero Boy Edgar. The follow up ‘Hana’ became folkier, echoing welcomes and meetings with an everyday honesty. Now, with new album ‘Parallels’ Tysma has swivelled the lens more directly on himself to deliver his most personal sonic statement to date.
Opener Untitled is certainly a confident stride out. Maarten Hogenhuis’s breathy sax flutters into ear-space, agile, alert and anticipating the bassy gamelan synth pulse which anchors the tune. From here the tide turns, building momentum with a flow of sparkling arpeggios and post-rock guitar patterns before the final Cortini-esque orchestral swoon. It’s an expansive, bold overture to an album which Tysma says stands as a “personal snapshot of where I am now, shaped by everything that came before”.
The music on ‘Parallels’ reflects his fascination with the trail of past choices and experiences which we all carry into the present. The tunes here shift subtly as they grow but never lose echoes of previous phrases. There are gentle interconnections within each piece and also between tracks, sonic themes which drift in like memories. On the album’s title track the wistful opening, all rippling piano, twin clarinets and delicate strings, drifts back into view then mingles with a locomotive synth loop.
Such intricate weaving of the electronic and acoustic is a real strength here. The glistening Costa, Costa blends scurrying synth arpeggios with a soulful downtempo low end, swirling soundtrack strings and the lightest of piano trickles. Things get heated when a buzz-saw techno pattern muscles in but the transition seems natural, a confluence rather than a jarring contrast.
Characterisation is also central to Tysma’s music and ‘Parallels’ is no different. The human sounds of music-making, the clattering keys, creaking hinges and deep breaths add to the intimacy of the darkly Gothic Moyl and the emotive Savoy, for Rajshri. Here the soft piano and pillowy clarinet yearn and pull at feelings with a Frahm-like intensity.
You could say that ‘Parallels’ follows Tysma’s evolving soundscaping approach but this album is more than a consolidation of what’s gone before. There’s a maturity and cohesion here that highlights an artist who is not trying to overthink or innovate simply for effect. That said ‘Parallels’ closes with two related tracks, Simeon 3 and Simeon 5, which show he is willing to take other dynamic risks. Composed during a residency at legendary minimalist composer Simeon ten Holt’s home, both pieces feature Nicky Hustinx on drums and hone in on repetition, small shifts and gradual impact. Simeon 3 starts glitchy then pumps rhythmically with a thrust which echoes early Battles tunes whereas Simeon 5 transforms a calming chamber-jazz sway into an orchestrated widescreen scenario.
Tysma is a doctor who switched to medicine after studying music but who has grown to allow these two worlds to co-exist. ‘Parallels’ with its carefully considered, inspirational fusion reflects such resolution and harmony. It’s music with gently persuasive, restorative powers.
Get your copy of ‘Parallels‘ by Andert Tysma direct from Apollo Records HERE
