Immerse yourself and get lost in a world of rumination with Karl Willebrant and Ken Murray and their new EP of ambient music EP titled Take Flight. Featuring four instrumental tracks inspired by the natural wonder of birdlife, Karl and Ken deliver an engrossing work, one that’s best digested on loop for maximum effect. While the duo playfully describe themselves as an “Ambient/Elevator/Jam duo”, Take Flight is far from a ‘muzak’ experience. The quality and thought instilled in these melodies showcases two accomplished musicians, utilising all manner of instrumentation to achieve their goals. With Ken providing nylon string acoustic guitar, electric guitar w/ebow, ukelele, plus percussion and Karl offering fretted and fretless basses, synths, harmonica and monotron, there’s always something of interest to be found within this soothing soundscape.
Karl Willebrant found himself travelling down the ambient road when the pandemic stopped him from gigging, which he did on a regular basis with some of Melbourne’s finest musicians. “I’ve produced a bunch of ambient/drone releases as Willebrant since the beginning of the pandemic,” Karl says. “Once the gigs stopped, I had to stay creative, so it was a good time to do my own thing.” The beauty of the music is complimented perfectly by the wonderful cover art by by Amaya Iturri, which is available via Karl’s Bandcamp page. Karl is a respected bass player who has played with a wide array of acclaimed Australian artists and is also PAC Performance and Technical Manager at Monash University.
Ken Murray has developed a singular path as a guitarist combining performance, composition, teaching and research. He has championed and recorded Spanish music from the early twentieth century, worked extensively with contemporary composers and has been active as a performer of Brazilian and South American musical styles. As a composer he has written a variety of works for guitar in solo and ensemble settings. Murray graduated PhD from the University of Melbourne, where he is Associate Professor and Head of Guitar at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.
https://www.kenmurrayguitar.com/
Take Flight can be purchased from: https://willebrant.bandcamp.com/album/take-flight