radiance - it was a fine august day in the year 1913

1. which, remarkably enough, does not get any one anywhere.

there was a depression over the atlantic. it was travelling eastwards, towards an area of high pressure  over  russia,  and  still  showed  no  tendency  to  move  northwards  around  it.  the isotherms  and  isotheres  were  fulfilling  their  functions.  the  atmospheric  temperature  was  in proper relation to the average annual temperature, the temperature of the coldest as well as of the hottest month, and the a-periodic monthly variation in temperature. the rising and setting of the sun and of the moon, the phases of the moon, venus and saturn’s rings, and many other important phenomena, were in accordance with the forecasts in the astronomical yearbooks. the vapour in the air was at its highest tension, and the moisture in the air was at its lowest. in short,  to  use  an  expression  that  describes  the  facts  pretty  satisfactorily,  even  though  it  is somewhat old-fashioned: it was a fine august day in the year 1913.

listening to the new stephan mathieu album i thought back to the opening paragraph of robert musil's the man without qualities. sublime intricacies of jouissance obscured beautifully by fog and phenomena

selected works by stephan mathieu :

    - frequencylib - ritornell - 2001
    - sad mac studies - en/of/schwebung - 2001/2012
    - die entdeckung des wetters - lucky kitchen - 2002
    - on tape - häpna - 2004
    - the sad mac - headz - 2004
    - with janek schaefer - hidden name - cronica - 2006
    - with akira rabelais - quien era aquella - conv - 2006
    - radioland - die schachtel - 2008
    - the key to the kingdom - dekorder - 2009
    - with taylor deupree - transcriptions - spekk - 2009
    - remain - line - 2011
    - a static place - 12k - 2011
    - with caro mikalef - radioland (panorámica) - line - 2012
    - with sylvain chauveau - palimpsest - schwebung - 2012 (lp)
    - coda (for wk) - 12k - 2012
    - with david sylvian - wandermüde - samadhisound - 2013
    - the falling rocket - schwebung - 2013
    - sacred ground - schwebung - 2014
    - nachtstücke - schwebung - 2015
    - before nostromo - schwebung - 2015
    - with kassel jaeger & akira rabelais - zauberberg - shelter press - 2016
    - radiance series - schwebung - 2016

(design by caro mikalef for cabina )

before the descent of complete darkness (invisible birds)

törless was still gazing out into the garden. he thought he could hear the rustling of the withered leaves being blown into drifts by the wind. then came the moment of utter stillness which always occurs a little before the descent of complete darkness. the shape of things, which had been sinking ever more deeply into the dusk, and the blurring, dissolving colours of things--for an instant it all seemed to pause, to hover, as it were with a holding of the breath....

from the deserted garden a leaf now and then fluttered up against the lit window, tearing a streak of brightness into the darkness behind it. then the darkness seemed to shrink and withdraw, only in the next instant to advance again and stand motionless as a wall outside the window. this darkness was a world apart.

(taking photographic advise from robert musil. and, as always, inspired by woolgathersome)