Circadian

Last year's Parasol Peak release (a Top of the World review in #143) was a milestone in Manu Delago's career. The short film and album project from the hang (hand pans) pioneer captured the expanse of the Alps and sonically reflected Delago's life growing up by the mountainside in Tyrol.

His latest project, Circadian, follows on from touring with four outfits: Björk, Ólafur Arnalds, The Cinematic Orchestra and Anoushka Shankar. It is inspired by the sleep cycle, or circadian rhythms: a consideration that became increasingly important during his hectic touring schedule.

Built on the intricate acoustic instrumentation that underpinned his previous project, Circadian sees a re-articulation of this compositional style, with memorable motifs that blossom throughout his modest ensemble. The delicate woodwind line that colours the lead single ‘The Silent Flight of the Owl’ deftly maps the trajectory of an owl and its wing movements, while the pensive horn meditations from Alois Eberl on ‘Uranus’ draw out the ephemeral moments before sleep.

The album's centrepiece ‘Delta Sleep’, however, fully foregrounds the hang and its timbral potentiality. Recorded in the early hours by candlelight, the 22-minute piece slowly transforms through shifting melodic and rhythmic iterations that readily evoke the sensations of deep slumber. Circadian is conceptually bold, and – like its predecessor – is both alluring and enchanting.