Skander Jaïbi‘s Who has the right to closure? is a re-working of a piece written for choreographer Alicia Verdú Macián’s CLAUSURA in 2023. Clausura loosely means closure or enclosure; a perfect word for a work that explores themes of loss and grief.
It would be churlish to dissect each track as thematically it flows effortlessly, mixing elements of classical music – such as the voices of the Choir Lex et Gaudium – with ambient techniques that manipulate the sound to stretch time, add effects and warp everything into new forms and patterns. It’s like applying dub mixing techniques to choral work but in slow motion.
This album captures the feeling of walking into a huge space, like a cathedral, where the air changes and you can feel the volume of the room. Sound drifts in all directions, off the walls, up to the vaulted ceiling and everything scatters then blends, into a calming set of whispers and murmurs. Anyone who has been to the Vasa Museum in Stockholm will have experienced this in its most heightened sense.
Many of the tracks such as ‘I’ and ‘II’ float around you like mist while others like ‘III’ and ‘IV’ have the judder and shimmer of strings that swell in and out, held in suspension by longtail reverb that adds to the feeling of immense space. Who has the right to closure? inhabits the same world as John Tavener’s ‘Song for Athene’ (which became ubiquitous after being used at Lady Diana’s funeral) and William Basinki’s epic The Disintegration Loops.
This is music that can soothe and occasionally unsettle. It has a meditative quality that allows your mind to drift within its enclosed world. Whether you are feeling the stress of grief, anxiety about the current state of the world, or just need a brief respite from the overstimulation of modern life then Who has the right to closure? will help you block out the world for a few precious moments.
Who has the right to closure? Is available as a digital download, cassette special edition with a booklet by Hans Schuttenbeld (who made the album’s artwork) and limited edition marbled vinyl from Bandcamp.
Skander Jaïbi: Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Mixcloud
Skander Jaïbi is a Tunisian and Dutch composer, audio-visual artist, curator, and science educator. He holds a Masters degree in the philosophy of physics is one of the founders of Uncloud festival.
Review by Paul F Cook
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