Carl Abrahamsson

TELECULT POWERS ALBUM OUT NOW!

July 16, 2014

I am very proud to have written the liner notes for the new album by Telecult Powers. It has just been released and should be acquired by every serious and dedicated psychonaut. You can order the album straight from EXPERIMEDIA. Telecult Powers, the candle burning duo of Witchbeam & Mr. Matthews, known for their ritualistic live shows and previous releases on Baked Tapes, Draft, Pizza Night and more, bestow upon us their new album “Black Meditations”, a six part sonic meditation on the connections between man, myth & magic. “Black Meditations” taps into the world of folk magic, reaching out to the spirit world through sonic practice, with the duo praying at an altar of bizarre electronic instruments handcrafted by Mr. Matthews. Through this “Hoodootronix” music Telecult Powers taps into the current in which the spirits of Atlantis, Rexino Mondo, In Search Of…, Dionysus cults, old witchy Hollywood, Mort Garson, Louise Huebner, Nik Raicevic...

AN ART APART

July 11, 2014

Beware: In my presence, you will be documented! Photo by Åsa Ersmark. Over the years, I’ve more and more realized that what I do is basically the same thing over and over, yet in new forms. That is: meeting interesting people, listening to what they have to say, and then filter that for others. Whether it’s been materialized in writing or photography, it’s a documentation mania I can’t seem to shake. And don’t want to either. In the spring of 2013, I initiated a new form in this filtering endeavor. What would happen if I added a video camera or two into the equation? And made films instead of articles or exhibitions? It didn’t take long to whet not only my appetite but also my already overflowing desk. AN ART APART was thus born as a project, conceptualized together with my good friend and master editor Henrik Møll. Once the seed was sown and the flower blooming, I didn’t need much further convincing. The initial work turned out fantastic. All...

Psych-out: A fallen friend

June 15, 2014

Patrick “the Lama” Lundborg died recently at age 47 of hitherto unknown causes. Patrick, or “Doz” as he was also known, was a dear friend since the mid 1980s, when we were both part of the same neo-garage scene in Stockholm. The years that followed were multicolored, bold and exploring, and became very formative for all of us active in what Patrick would later term “The Lumber Island Acid Crew.” Life progressed and we all delved into family situations and attempts at professional outlooks. Many friends slowly drifted more or less apart. Some years ago though, an active friendship and collaboration between us began anew. I started publishing The Fenris Wolf again in 2011, and I immediately wanted Doz to be onboard. Not only because he was by this time an internationally established author(ity) and renowned expert on psych music and psychedelic culture and history in general. But also because he was simply such a great and innovative writer. He...

Swans: Progress makes perfect

June 6, 2014

A new Swans album is always a great and welcome thing. Michael Gira’s creative mind is relentlessly productive, with new twists and turns, ideas and developments around every musical corner. How he finds the time and energy in between seemingly endless tours and ultra-cathartic performances is a mystery. To Be Kind, the most recent offering, is a very different album compared to the previous two: The Seer and My father will guide me up a rope to the sky. It contains a wider range of musical styles but still grabs hold of you instantly. It’s an over-used term, I know, but this album really is… Magical. Hypnotic. Although unmistakably Swansy, To be kind is a major step forward stylistically. References are stacked in a dynamic rainbow and made coherent through Swans’ highly energetic aural filter. How this translates into a live situation I look forward to seeing and hearing. Anyone who’s ever been to a Swans concert knows the intensity...