svovel | salt | kvikksølv
by SØLVE
On this day, exactly ten years ago, I inaugurated my SØLVE project with the release of a three song EP, svovel | salt | kvikksølv, featuring a mix of dark ambient compositions, lush instrumentation, occult and alchemical ritualism, and an unabashed love for long, textural soundscapes. It was initially expected to be solely for my own interest, as an outlet for very self-absorbed ideas and intentions, but over the course of the past ten years the project has developed into a primary focus, one of great importance to me and a necessary form of expression that has aided me through some very difficult times. Recently though, I’ve found myself enjoying the sounds and themes that originally conceived the project, as directly evident in my most recent EP, The Dark & The Wicked.
With this being the tenth anniversary of SØLVE, I decided to reflect on the project’s earliest formations and give svovel | salt | kvikksølv a proper Digital and CD release. Included are the remastered mixes of the original compositions, augmented with an updated mix of Hans Bål (originally released on a Solstice compilation curated by PALE NOIR Records) and supported by remixes from a few select artists who’s work I greatly appreciate and felt would best connect and reflect the aesthetic of the release.
If you’ve come this far with me, thanks for an amazing ten years, and if you’re new to my works, I hope you enjoy this opportunity to explore their humble beginnings. Thank you!
Thanks to the amazing artists who contributed remixes to this release, I am incredibly grateful for the work and energy they all put into this. Please show them your support:
- HARSH R: harshr.bandcamp.com
- RATIO STRAIN: rati0strain.bandcamp.com
- RED MEAT: redmeatforeveryone.bandcamp.com
- HER NOISE IS VIOLENCE: hniv.bandcamp.com
- CENOTYPE: cenotype.bandcamp.com
THIS MUSIC HAS BEEN MIXED TO BE PLAYED LOUD
released September 2, 2023
The Dark & The Wicked
by SØLVE
End of year traditions always bring a complex mess of blues and insecurities, and while 2022 was filled with huge life changes and accomplishments, I still have a hard time avoiding the pitfall of anxieties that come with a mountain of doubt and negative self-beliefs. So as the days became colder and shorter in late Midwest November, I found myself inspired to write a few pieces to reflect and ruminate on the growing darkness of the season and the unknown that the new year brings.
This EP came together in just a matter of weeks and isn’t the release I had planned as a follow-up to EARTH INFERNO (that EP is still in the works), but it is the release I needed now and so I indulged in it and let it take over. I hope you find some beauty in it as I do.
Thank you.
released February 3, 2023
all music written and recorded by SØLVE