Track listing: F2007, S141521 (feat. Szymon Mika, Koshiro Hino and Krzysztof Hanukas), C12152004 (feat. Jakub Zytecki), D201819, I0305 (feat. Szymon Mika), A1808 (feat. Cinar Timur), R010914, S19050113, A40 LIGHT (feat. Jakub Zytecki)
t dot est's 2020 release entitled A40 is a wondrous exploration in sound and sonic textures. The foundation is laid with 80s-era synthesizers including the Roland D-50 and Yamaha DX7. But A40 is not simply an electronica album. Featured artists abound on the album bringing in an array of stringed instruments including electric guitar, ronroco, octave guitar, and the Turkish bağlama. The result is a 40-minute lush soundscape of emotion-rich composition.
A40 has received some attention from BBC radio. And if it's not already found a home in yoga studios, meditation spaces, and spas, then owners of these spaces need to change that. What you have in this record is a collection of composition that dabbles on the fringes of Radiohead's experimental phases. Certain moments might drop seamlessly into a Stranger Things episode. No drums, no defined rhythm--simply roaming chord progressions conveying sentiments, rolling waves of sound adorned with bright string improvisation. Haunting. Introspective. Perhaps even motivating.
t dot est brings a literal world of experience to these arrangements. The project began in Norway and is now based in Austria. Along the way it was anchored in Canada and then Poland. There is a wealth of culture and music filling the creative minds behind t dot est. Even within the album's title, A40 is (tentatively) the last installment of "the Anton Saga" which currently includes Project Anton, PA2, Anton, and A40. The album art is no exception, either, with the gray-on-white image reflecting what remains in a post-apocalyptic earth. Then the song titles--various alphanumeric combinations (e.g. "C12152004")--represent codes for parts of water, dust, ash, and other remnants of armageddon.
What we do know is that A40 takes us on a journey through spheres of tone, layers of strings dancing atop billowing synth clouds. It's gorgeous. A40 exists as one release among many by t dot est. Venture through tdotest.com and see what other mysteries you may unfold throughout their discography.