Process is the debut album from Tobias Karlehag, a Gothenburg-based ambient and electronic artist. Revolving around field recordings and improvisation, Tobias creates airy, free-floating ambient music via a wide array of synths and effects.
The improvised aspect of Process gives it a bountiful, open feel, and an element of the pastoral is present within his ambient music, where breeze-blown blades of grass lie in yawning fields. Karlehag’s ambient soundscapes are wide-stretching panoramas with stunning views, going on for as far as the eye can see. On top of that, his music also comes across as being something incredibly personal, and this gives the music plenty of heart. Improvisation is the music of the soul, and the approach is just right – it keeps within its quiet field and then pulls back when it feels the need to, feeling very much like an open letter rather than one-way dialogue.
Improvisation is a balancing act, and it requires a sensitive approach. There can be an internal or external pressure to cover up space and silence with a limitless fountain of notes. However, Karlehag knows when to reel the notes in and when to push the music onward, often timing the reverb-wet notes to rise up with an accompanying background swell. The hazy, processed background helps to smudge the overall atmosphere, dampening any bladed edges, making it gentle and softer.
Process will be released January 15 on Past Inside the Present.