Lucifer Drowning in a Sea of Light

Summary

Flight of the Spheres

The driving pulse of a modular synthesizer, crystal clear guitar runs and the melancholic sound of a baroque cello - an exceptionally orchestrated album, recorded in a high-quality live production. Without editing, in the now, in the flow. With "Lucifer Drowning in a Sea of Light" guitarist Max Clouth makes the renowned Bauer Studios the starting point of a musical flight of spheres.

This recording location and its tradition perfectly fit Clouth's aim of bringing an album of the highest quality to vinyl. As analog as possible, authentic and high end. He invited two musicians to join him: cellist Sophie-Justine Herr and Frankfurt drum'n bass legend Kabuki. The latter also composed the first track of the album, which otherwise bears Clouth's signature.

Consciousness Trip

"The Eternal Now" begins the journey into other dimensions. A duo of Clouth on guitar and Kabuki on synthesizer, an acoustic-electronic dialogue that slowly increases its intensity. Psychedelic, but never hectic or confused. Not a drug trip, but a consciousness trip, awake and dreamy at the same time. Max Clouth plays a double-neck guitar built especially for him, which has become his trademark instrument. It combines western guitar, Indian sitar, and the Arab stringed instrument oud. Clouth uses quarter tones from Arabic maqam music and quotes John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" in the solo of the first track.

Gently, "The Eternal Now" morphs into the title track "Lucifer Drowning in a Sea of Light". Sophie-Justine Herr enters with the sustained tones of her baroque cello. Complemented by her high melodic quality, the duo becomes a trio. Flight altitude is reached, and a gliding through cosmic worlds begins. Wide spaces open up. Again and again other perspectives appear, new discoveries flash up, caused by sonic moments of surprise. The electronic textures of the synthesizer blends with the cello's warm sound and the clear accents of the guitar, creating a mysterious soundscape. A cosmic kaleidoscope that seems to spin endlessly.

"Swan and Lotus", now a duo between guitar and cello, is like a return from a world far away. The return to Mother Earth, gentle, almost loving. The vibrant planetary spectacle is replaced by quiet, earthly magic. A quiet, comforting piece.

Meditation in 432 Hz

Max Clouth wrote the album, recorded in a tuning of 432 Hz, for the vinyl medium. The flipping of the LP sides also brings with it a musical change. On the second side Clouth presents himself as a soloist, improvising on four moods: Sunrise, Noon, Sunset, Midnight. He deliberately avoids complexity and stylistic mannerism. Instead of a display of virtuosity, he focuses on staying in the mood of the piece. Minimalistic, clear and gentle, peaceful and mystical. Clouth turns the four pieces into a meditation on a liturgical text that has long accompanied him, translated intuitively into music. The sentences can be read on the back of the cover. The words come from the artist, philosopher and reformer Rudolf Steiner, whose sculptural group "The Representative of Humanity'', more than eight meters high, strongly inspired the musician. It depicts the human being maintaining balance in the tension between extremes. The figure of Lucifer depicted there gave the album its name.

Taking stock and building bridges

It is the most personal work of the 35-year-old guitarist from Frankfurt so far. For the first time in ten years, Clouth decides not to develop an album in collaboration with a band, taking over the musical direction alone and letting what moves him internally flow in a more direct way. "It's an inventory of who I am right now," he says. While his previous album "Kamaloka" (2018) was a sensory road trip through India, "Lucifer Drowning in a Sea of Light" is an inner journey, a spiritual expedition. The “Weltenvereiner (unifier of worlds)” (FAZ) Max Clouth not only connects continents, but also builds bridges between visible and invisible worlds.