A couple of years ago daily rituals appeared on my radar with an accomplished sophomore LP and arguably 2022's best album title, "a few stories, one where we all die", although perhaps that says more about my fondness for occasional unhappy endings. Since then he's recorded a series of excellent releases on some of my favourite ambient labels.
A couple of weeks ago he cropped up on another reliable ambient imprint - Lontano Series with my favourite release yet, mainly due to its supine sax thread which adds fuel to my desire to see an ambient jazz section in all real world and online records stores. daily rituals has never given much personal information away, remaining something of an enigma. The ever thoughtful track titles are fleeting thoughts or moments in time; whilst LPs are sometimes framed by meer sentences, others by short, melancholic poetry, or here by refreshingly honest, conceptual pragmatism that allows for failure & frailty as much as grand ideas & fanciful concepts.
It's not that daily rituals doesn't offer a reality escape route. I always lose myself in his ambient earthiness, where electronics, minimal keys and guitar are augmented by mundane field recordings made made magical by his thoughtful sound design. John Peel when he was told that CDs were better than vinyl because of the absence of surface noise replied, "Listen, mate, life has surface noise." Well daily rituals is a master of incorporating that supermarket cooler hum, far away traffic noise, the sounds of buttons being pressed, boxes placed on counter tops & distant playground exuberance into his recordings. Let's face it life isn't all woodland birdsong and waves lapping against white sandy beaches, and that's alright too.
Playlist Companion:
Daily Rituals is a regular, and in good company in the Slow Ambient Playlist.
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