seven

this 40-minute recording is an account of vladislav delay's live set from ars electronica klangpark 2001 festival that takes place in austria, on the bank of danube, downtown linz. this impressive live performance was set in the open air, with towering speakers playing music for several days. "naima" is a compressed logbook of that experience - I guess this is why it seems a bit de-composed at times, more minimal, not possessing rich, flowing ambience of "anima".

one would instantly recognize vladislav delay from first moments of this cd - familiar atonal warm ambient washes with splashes of clicks & cuts, occasional abrasive elements, tweaked vibrating noises - all of this mixing into flowing textures, seamlessly changing and mutating as you listen to this single-track cd. there is female vocals present in the form of random spoken phrases. I still enjoy its atmosphere, its fragile, quiet charm, its hypnotic warmth, non-linear spontaneity of narrative and music, mechanized precision communicated with acupuncture of cold cut-up percussion.

imagining the whole atmosphere and set up of this performance really changes this disk for you, enhances it, opens it up, gives it depth and force that would be so effective in open, natural surroundings. this is a release that would be a good companion to "anima", since most of the material here came from that album. if you are just starting with vladislav delay, I would recommend getting "anima" first, so that you have an idea where "naima" is coming from.