With his second solo album 'rises & falls' apestaartje co-founder Koen Holtkamp a.k.a. aero moves even further into developing his own style of psychedelic minimalism. Over a year in the making and based predominantly on processed acoustic instrumentation with sympathetic oscillators to further orchestrate the overall sound 'rises & falls' is an extremely dynamic and diverse set of compositions. Endlessly fluttering tones bounce off one another to create an overall body of sound that defies the listeners conception of time and space slowly peeling away layer after layer only to reveal a new direction altogether. A beautiful combination of clean crisp texture and warm modulating melodies each piece effortlessly moves through its ever so gradual changes never quite giving in to the power of suggestion. "A synthetic recreation of something unspecifically organic". For those who take pleasure in listening.

"Buone nuove dal secondo album del co-gestore dell'etichetta Koen Holtkamp. Strumenti acustici processati e oscillatori definiscono una generale atmosfera di pacatezza, gentile minimalismo ambient la cui grana diventa a tratti più ruvida e compatta o acquista caldo sentore di american primitive music laddove si affacciano al proscenio la chitarra e il banjo di Brendon Anderegg. * Nicola Catalano (Blow Up)

pretend engages the listener on various levels, carefully and deliberately unfolding over the course of thirty-five minutes. with a strong focus on composition, each piece stands out, yet retains its own identity within the context of a larger whole. upon closer inspection, minute gestures and single events become apparent. subtle details mark each moment of the album, which slowly reveals itself over multiple listens. taking an aural step back presents the listener with a different perspective; the individual tracks come into focus, while contrasts and larger movements within the album become apparent. with sounds ranging from microtonal clicks and pops to warm organic tones and waves, the juxtaposition and transformation of certain musical elements cause the listener to focus on the individual sounds themselves. playing with ideas of how space and sound interact with the listener, the album directly engages and confronts the audience at certain moments, the physicality of the music forcing one to be aware of themselves as listeners in their own personal environment. (jrz)