Fabio Keiner - Nishimura

 Released: January 22

The sheer magnitude of the universe has always been that I find myself meditating upon once in a while. The whole of existence is spread out so far that it is practically impossible to comprehend how much there really is. But within this vastness, there are particular stories, cases, and occurrences that are far more concrete and easily grasped. And this is the basis for Austrian artist Fabio Keiner's latest release Nishimura - a self-contained story of the journey of a singular and spectacular comet's though humanity's small slice of the universe, if only for a brief moment. He wonderfully captures this journey over the course of three pieces, with each piece representing the comet's journey in relation to perspective of the Earth. 

The first piece is a densely packed drone that represents the density of the Oorth Cloud that surrounds our solar system, effectively walling our small neighborhood from the rest of the galaxy. The drones are deep, rumbling, and claustrophobic - emulating the comet's passing through until the latter part of the track in which Nishimura exits the cloud and nears Earth. The second track is the actual pass by Earth, punctuated sonic sparkles as if the comet tears small rips in the space around it, shimmering as it goes along. Lastly, it leaves the area of our planet as it comes almost dangerously close to our Sun. The tension in the last half of this final track is palpable until the end, in which the comet has finished its pass through the solar system and proceeds to make its looping path once more. The story told is beautiful and otherworldly. And the manner in which it is executed is equally beautiful in its sonic retelling, especially from the limited perspective we have from our home.