Forest drives, coastal cliffs, lost loves, aged memories like light gleaming through the trees.

California-based r beny appeared on my radar late last year, with his beautifully crafted opus fashioned from modular and hardware synthesizers entitled cascade symmetry. Kicking of 2018, now on Dauw label from Ghent (Belgium), this mysterious composer returns with a cassette (and digital) album, titled saudade, which is now available for pre-order. The sparkling synth bits are back, shimmering in a sunlight of the San Jose beaches, bathed in light winds of tape hiss and lo-fi textural treatments. “Saudade” is a Portuguese word, referencing to a melancholic state of mind, and its loose translation perfectly captures the mood of longing for someone with a repressed knowledge that they may never return. The opening track, “fernwood”, which we are proud to premiere for you today, is a beautiful and fragile prelude to an emotional journey.

Saudade is now available for pre-order via dauw.bandcamp.com