- The Norwegian flautist channels classic trance and New Age music.
- Bergen-born musician Vilde Tuv was nominated for a Norwegian Grammy for an album of subtle electronic pop in 2016. Not quite satisfied with that trajectory, the multi-instrumentalist, lyricist and now DJ has put down fresh roots in Copenhagen and started making folk-tinged trance. The result is Melting Songs, an album with a mythical touch that centres around one instrument: the wooden recorder.
Woodwinds have a deeply rooted history in popular electronic music. From Chicago house dons like Kerri Chandler or Larry Heard deploying flute house hooks on their extended club tools, to the fanning panpipes of the New Age music of yesteryear, it's clear the acoustic instrument provides a novel, attractive counterpoint to electronic elements. At its best, it can sound like a sunburst breaking through a rift in the clouds.
The flute, specifically the recorder, is also one of the first musical instruments children learn in schools, and there's a strong feeling of youth throughout Melting Songs. Putting it on is like opening a portal to elementary school days, tin whistle lessons and the joy of procrastinating on homework in favour of late-afternoon cartoons. "Tenk At Det Fins" features a whimsical flute melody that flutters atop a faint synth, beckoning for a hardstyle thump that never appears (somebody, please, stick a donk on it). "Grotten" delivers in the drumming department—almost like a marching band—but still feels poised and regal. Vilde Tuv never fully lets go, but she gets close on "Take My Handle," which boasts an emotional synthesiser hook reminiscent of German producer ATB's millennial dance classic, "9PM (Till I Come)."
Tracks like "Bending Over" and "Melting Song" wash over you like a cleansing mist. The latter features a string section alongside the flute, drawing to mind all the faceless New Age compilations I once saw advertised on television in the '00s, forever etched into my temporal lobe. With gleeful echoes of Enya, Mike Oldfield's Voyager and Y2K Eurodance, Melting Songs is almost comforting, a welcome slice of Celtic-tinged escapism.
Tracklist01. Little Crack
02. Melting Song
03. Tenk At Det Fins
04. Change The Weather
05. Grotten
06. Jeg kommer hjem na!
08. Take my Handle
08. Flute navigation
09. Skredderdalen 2
10. Bending Over