Australian-born Parisian based artist Karen Vogt (Heligoland) released an exquisite collaboration with Spanish ambient experimental composer Pepo Galán called ‘The Sweet Wait’ back in 2021, and this year sees the release of a series of remixes of that album. We are very honoured to bring you an exclusive look at the video for the remix of the track ‘Above The Aether’, being released as part of a double single along with the track ‘Nothing Is Under Control’, coming from an album entitled ‘All The Time In The World’ which will be released later this year.
‘Above The Aether’ has been remixed by Alpha (Corin Dingley), a producer, composer, sound engineer, and writer from Bristol now based in south west France. Galán says of the mix:
I perfectly remember the day I heard Alpha’s debut album “Come From Heaven” for the first
time in 1997. At that time I was listening to a lot of Trip-Hop, and everything related to it. This
album changed my life forever. After 26 is still one of my favorite albums alongside Craig
Armstrong’s “The Space Between Us”. All my good memories are tied in with these two
albums and I find them to be so inspiring. These are the two albums I would listen to before I
die.
When Karen and I started discussing a remix album for The Sweet Wait, I immediately
wanted to try my luck and contact Corin Dingley (Alpha). I had low expectations and
considered myself lucky if I even received an answer. But Corin was very kind,
communicative and surprised us by agreeing to do the remix of “Above the Aether”. It gives
me goosebumps every time I listen to this remix. Corin worked with us simply because he
liked our music. This was a great gesture from a musician whose work means so much to
me personally.
The video is a simple shot of a self-directed Vogt singing the delicate refrain of the track, her trademark achingly beautiful delivery augmented by the gorgeous harmonies and instrumentation that seemingly floats in another dimension. At a little over two minutes, the song comes and goes in a flash – leaving its haunting refrain echoing in the mind, wanting more. The soft pastel colours and the intimate close up serve to augment the dreamy sonic landscapes of the track:
The second track available in the release, ‘Nothing Is Under Control’ has been remixed by Australian composer and producer Madeleine Cocolas – a reflective elegiac track infused with a certain pastoral melancholy, creating a shimmering universe where Vogt’s vocals are positively angelic.
Vogt says of the remix:
I reached out to Madeleine Cocolas about remixing this track in mid 2021. I had really enjoyed her Ithaca release from 2020. I remember reading some articles or interviews about it and I related to how she explained her experience of living overseas. I also felt a connection with the way she wrote music and the organic feel to it where she included field recordings or sounds from life. I was thrilled when I reached out to her about remixing “Nothing Is Under Control” and discovered that she also was a fan of my music. That was very unexpected! She did a gorgeous remix of the song and I love how she has quite literally included a heartbeat in there. It make sit even more intimate and very human.
P.S. I love that both these remixes are connected by the use of keys. Both Alpha and
Madeleine have added organ and/or piano to the songs.
You can get the two singles though the link below.
GALÁN / VOGT is a collaboration between Spanish ambient/experimental composer
Pepo Galán and Australian dream pop vocalist/musician Karen Vogt. The album The Sweet
Wait is their debut release and was written remotely in 2020/2021 between Paris and
Malaga. Pepo Galán is a composer born in Málaga. Working mostly with piano, guitar,
electronics and field recordings – he creates elegant, textural soundscapes infused with
beauty and sensitivity. He has released ambient, modern-classical and experimental works
and has appeared yearly on Kompakt’s Pop Ambient since 2020.
Karen Vogt is an Australian singer/musician based in Paris, France. She co-founded the
dream pop group Heligoland in Melbourne, Australia in 1999. Her distinctive vocals are a
striking feature of the band’s music, with Robin Guthrie producing Heligoland’s last five
releases.
Alpha (Remixer)
Originally formed in Bristol in the 90’s, Alpha makes downtempo electronica and their debut
album, Come from Heaven, was the first release on Massive Attack’s Melankolic label. Alpha
recruited singers to add vocals to their downtempo, beat-driven compositions of the late
1990s, which led to them being included in the category of “post trip hop”. Founding member
Corin Dingley is now based in France and continues to make music as Alpha from his studio
in the French Pyrenees.
Madeleine Cocolas (Remixer)
Madeleine Cocolas is an Australian composer and producer making post classical and
ambient instrumental music. Her work moves between lush soundscapes to experimental
electronics, field recordings and solo piano.
Her latest album “Spectral”, released on Room40, garnered positive reviews from outlets
including Pitchfork, The Wire, Electronic Sound Magazine as well as being featured as
Bandcamp’s Album of the Day & Bandcamp’s Best Experimental Music: July 2022
