Tag Archives: minimal

Ø – Sysivalo (Sahko Recordings)

Posted by John Lithium on

Label Description:

label: Sähkö Recordings
Cat No: SAHKO-037
format: 2lp+cd in one package, download & stream
release date: 15.9.2025
Barcode: 5050580857285

Mika Vainio started making a new Ø album in 2014. He almost finalized the record before his too early passing in 2017. The album Sysivalo is the 9th out of 8 full scale albums, released under the Ø alias by Vainio. Ø was his longest running project from 1993 to 2017. Sysivalo was recorded during 2014-2017 and is 60 min long album with 20 tracks, produced by Vainio. He described the record as a distinct Ø album that was going to include several shorter tracks, etudes. The title, Sysivalo, is invented by Vainio by combining the Finnish words sysi (dark or sinister) and valo (light).

Like life itself, the album carries a quiet darkness – honest and full of hidden light. The many of the tracks are beatless subtle soundtracks of eclipsed emotions. Like an incapacitated creature waiting for something to happen.

The closing track Loputon (Endless) is maybe the most beautiful tracks Vainio has ever written, Vainio’s last word.
credits
released September 15, 2025

Written, produced and performaed by Mika Vainio (1963-2017)
in Berlin and Oslo in 2014-2017

Compiled post mortem by Rikke Lundgreen
and Tommi Grönlund according to Mika Vainio’s notes
Digital mastering by Denis Blackham
Vinyl mastering by Rashad Becker

Front photo and print by Mika Vainio
Sleeve by Tommi Grönlund

øjeRum – A Juxtaposition Of Distant Realities (Cyclic Law)

Posted by John Lithium on

Label Description: The Poetic Abyss of Collage and Vision

Paw Grabowski, known artistically as øjeRum, is a Danish visionary whose work exists in the evocative realms between memory, dreams, and the passage of time. Renowned for his intricate and meditative collages and musical output, øjeRum transforms fragments of vintage materials into timeless compositions that resonate with haunting beauty. His art invites viewers to engage with a dialogue of silence—one that whispers of loss, transformation, and the fragility of existence.

Following the success of Stigma, a powerful synthesis of visual and auditory art that melded øjeRum’s distinct collages with his ambient musical compositions, this second book from Cyclic Press continues to explore his deeply introspective practice. Each piece is a window into a world of layered emotions, where the ephemeral becomes eternal and where simplicity reveals profound complexity.

øjeRum’s approach to art is deeply intuitive, driven by a fascination with decay and renewal. His work often reflects a process of deconstruction and reconstruction, echoing the cycles of nature and life itself. Themes of detachment, transience, and emotional depth permeate his pieces, encouraging viewers to pause and contemplate their own experiences of time and space.

This new collection not only builds upon the foundations laid by Stigma but also ventures into uncharted territories of øjeRum’s creative vision. It is an exploration of the void and the plenitude within; an invitation to lose oneself in the layers of meaning and texture he meticulously crafts. Through these works, øjeRum continues his quest to illuminate the unseen and to honor the stillness at the heart of existence.

Let this book be your guide into the quiet, powerful world of øjeRum—a space where art transcends form and becomes a mirror to the soul.

Hardcover book, thread-sewn binding. 170mmm x 240mm. 104 pages. Matte laminate cover. Includes CD in paper sleeve. 2 Tracks. Running time 60:22min. Limited Edition of 300 copies. ISBN: 9782957938230