Audiopile Review – Regular readers will know we’re big fans of the minimalist composer Phill Niblock. He could achieve more with a single note than most artists achieve in a lifetime. All those shimmering, mind-bending overtones! Old Phill could do so much with so little, and we cannot get enough. ‘Zound Delta 2’ was composed a couple of years before his recent passing, in collaboration with vocalist Anna Clementi and guitarist Thomas Stern. Rather than another monolithic drone piece, it’s a richly textured electro-acoustic epic. In fact, it’s the closest we’ve heard Niblock get to ambient music. The spirit of that other late great minimalist Pauline Oliveros is clearly present here and ‘Zound Delta 2’ certainly rewards deep listening. Clementi’s multitracked, wordless vocals weave and loop over subtly processed field recordings. Gradually, they build into a recognizably Niblock-composed drone. Finally, Stern’s guitar and bass start to enter the fray. And my goodness if the whole thing does not start to sound a little bit like Sunn O))) jamming with My Bloody Valentine. We came into this one craving more of the same and got so much more than we bargained for. This is an absolute must not only for Phill fans but also for lovers of all things heavy, droney, and atmospheric. Worth noting that it comes courtesy of Karlrecords, so you can assume the pressing and packaging will be exceptional.

A new piece by minimalist / experimental composer Phill Niblock (1933 – 2024), co-composed and performed by Anna Clementi & Thomas Stern. Intense, menacing layers of thick drones and alien sounds.

In summer 2022, within just a few weeks and by pure coincidence, 2 proposals regarding Phill Niblock albums arrived: one suggesting an overdue vinyl reissue of a CD release (more on that when the time has come for it), the other email was from Anna Clementi saying she and Thomas Stern were working on new pieces that Phill Niblock has written for her … when “Zound Delta 2” was complete, Phill sent photographs for the two artworks, we met twice to discuss details, but unfortunately he died unexpectedly early january this year so the album now is, sad as it is, a posthumous release … an intense goodbye from one of 20thcentury most iconic composers.