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'The Spirit of the Young Poets' – D-Fried (SBA #046)

Following the experimental and improvisational nature of the previous release on See Blue Audio, ‘I the Storm’ by Simon McCorry, the label continues its exploration of sonic landscapes with ‘The Spirit of the Young Poets’. Taking the form of a longform track, Barcelona's D-Fried has created a multi-textured composition free from constraints of form or duration, while still maintaining a bold narrative that flows through many twists and turns. As the forty-sixth release on See Blue Audio, it also marks the first contribution to the label by an artist from Catalonia.

D-Fried is Jordi Saludes, a producer, musician and DJ from Barcelona, who has been releasing music since 2006 on a wide variety of labels in Europe, the USA and Japan. This is complemented by his work for short films, documentaries, performance, audiovisual installations, websites and commercials, all of which have constructed an eclectic career within electronic music that goes from intricate IDM to evocative ambience, or as Jordi himself defines it: “digital soundtracks for urban travellers”. Both as a live act and a DJ, he has also performed at major electronic festivals like Sónar, Mutek, MIRA and others.

His most recent release prior to ‘The Spirit of the Young Poets’ was ‘Butō [part 1]’ for the French label Kalamine Records with ‘Butō [part 2]’ to follow. Jordi has also recently remixed tracks from the new album by antennasia from Japan, one half of whom, NRV, released ambient music on See Blue Audio with ‘Blue Roofs’. Returning to ‘The Spirit of the Young Poets’, its freestyle nature doesn’t tell the full story; in fact, it’s inspired by real events and real people where serendipity played a crucial role.

The concept behind ‘The Spirit of the Young Poets’ arose after Jordi met up with an old friend who he made music with as teenagers. With a perspective drawn from the intervening years, a yearning for artistic expression filled them, drawing on moments of rich intensity, feelings of deep fascination, and above all, innocence, which provided both infinite and unfathomable motivation.

A few days later, serendipity revealed itself: after reading one of her books, Jordi found himself watching an interview with the poet and writer Sylvia Plath. Suddenly, she was talking about the same ideas that he and his friend had been talking about just days before. At that moment, the ideas for ‘The Spirit of the Young Poets’ crystallised; of making a piece without defined format, neither in shape nor duration, and in which all those mixed feelings could be captured. Something that would reflect all the multitude of contradictions, achievements, losses, fears and pleasures of the artists during the creative process, and also in the trajectories of their lives that followed. Parts of the interview ended up being incorporated into the music, and they can also be heard towards the end of ‘The Spirit of the Young Poets’.

Another element in the creative process behind this 22-minute piece is that as critics consider Plath to be a ‘landscape poet’, so Jordi thought this composition should have the qualities of ‘landscape music’. This quest to evoke the sensation of landscapes in the form of sound is something that he has achieved with startling results.

As the title suggests, the artistry of the poet inhabits the meandering musical river of ‘The Spirit of the Young Poets’. From beatless textures to wistful melodies, and from deep ambient pools to gentle swathes of sound that raise the spirits, this is a sensitive and emotional listening experience that borders on the devotional. Embrace and be reminded of the power of words and imagination.

Mastered by Simon McCorry.

Photography: R.Cleveland Aaron.