Miktek – Elsewhere

English / Polish version

Miktek - Elsewhere
    ULTIMAE RECORDS
    Miktek
    Elsewhere
    2013

      1. False Dawn
      2. Elephants
      3. Incompressible Flow
      4. Ominous Ride (album edit)
      5. Human Theory
      6. Abismo 2.0
      7. Song of the Burning Mountain
      8. Purity
      9. Elsewhere (The Fade edit)
      10. Magnificient Desolation
      11. Nascency
      12. Time or Place

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Quite recently, it has occurred to me that the heart of Ultimae beats even harder in… Greece. I am very happy, because this country is especially close to my heart and evokes some pleasant memories not only from several Greek expeditions, Aurora Festival, but also from the time when I studied ancient Greek language and culture. You might be wondering what the French label has in common with Greece – immediately I dispel any doubts, on 30th of May 2013 thanks to Ultimae Records has emerged the most recent album, ELSEWHERE by Miktek project that consists of a Greek, Mihalis Aikaterinis. Furthermore it can be added that Ultimae becomes a multicultural team, which includes artists from many geographical locations, which have a different climate, but as you can see, you can find in them a common denominator – in addition to the strongest, French group of musicians, the label is supplied by the citizens of Sweden, England, Norway, Russia, Malta, and even Japan.

The new recruit in the label, Miktek, a native of Mytilene (from Lesvos island), the city of ancient Greek poets – Sappho and Alcaeus, has just released the second album in his achievements, consisting of twelve tracks (the first one, ANISOTROPY came to light in 2011 by an Argentine netlabel, Abstrakt Reflections). However, Miktek has not started his adventure with Ultimae in 2013, but he undertook the collaboration work in 2011 (offering his two tracks in the compilation AMBROSIA) and in 2012 (giving one of his tracks to the compilation GREENOSOPHY). While reviewing ELSEWHERE, I just have to mention the artwork of the album – as usual in the case of Ultimae, everything is completed, matched, the graphics does not only correspond to what we can find in the tracks of Miktek, but also it fits perfectly to the climate of the records from Lyon. Once again, we have some subdued colours, dim, hazy images that form a coherent whole with other covers of albums of completely different artists. If someone just gave me a couple of pictures, photos without any captions, hints I would guess that it was a work from Ultimae – I like them a lot for it. Some might view this as a flaw, and a kind of predictability – while I think it is a huge advantage, I really appreciate some thoughtful, mature ideas and consistency.

What can I say about the music of Miktek? In one word it is: subtle. The carefully designed, ethereal, deep, almost heavenly music of Mihalis, is full of affection. I have found the annotation in the booklet included in the disc, in which Miktek dedicates his latest album to his grandparents. In addition, I have read a short sentence, actually a statement in Greek, which I would translate as: 'I love you verymuch’. To me, this one, brief statement explains and summarizes the material contained in ELSEWHERE… FALSE DOWN, ELEPHANTS, INCOMPRESSIBLE FLOW, OMINOUS RIDE, HUMAN THEORY, ABISMO, SONG OF THE BURNING MOUNTAIN, PURITY, ELSEWHERE, MAGNIFICIENT DESOLATION, NASCENCY, TIME OR PLACE – in simple words, these twelve tracks are filled with Greek agape, the true, undying, empathic, selfless love, the gratitude that we have for our loved ones. This is why it is so enjoyable to listen to the proposals of Miktek – you can feel in them the truth, emotions. No matter how we specify the music – as downtempo, ambient, IDM or we include it in a completely different framework, it is important that the music comes from the heart and pure feelings.

I am glad that Vincent Villuis has done the mastering of the tracks of Mihalis Aikaterinis and has helped to come out of the shadows to the artist who over the years developed his musical talent and prepared a feast for us. Just as I love the Greek aura, warming sun, beautiful beaches, sea breeze, delicious fruits, vegetables, herbs, scents, the Greek culture and I appreciate its impact on the entire European culture, just as I am full of admiration for the new album of Miktek. For various reasons, now I cannot get on a plane and fly for a few days to Greece, but I can once again insert the ELSEWHERE disc into my player and move in my thoughts to the land flowing with oil. I highly recommend this tour to you all!
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8 / 10
Kasia