Martina Berther, Philipp Schlotter

*120 copies limited edition* Martina Berther and Philipp Schlotter return to Hallow Ground with their second collaborative album since 2023’s stringent exercise in drone minimalism, »Matt.« »Silence Will Never Die« was recorded at the same church in the Canton of Glarus that lent its name to the duo’s debut. Once more the Church of Matt’s organ plays a significant role on these five pieces that navigate between composition and improvisation. However, the two prolific musicians aimed for an even more diverse sonic and stylistic palette. They brought new instruments into the fold to record an album that marries subtlety with complexity, the ephemeral with corporality. These five pieces are »auditive microcosms that carry a calm but concentrated energy within them, that are repetitive and result from our bodies’ movements,« as Schlotter and Berther put it. »Silence Will Never Die« is as ethereal as it is visceral.

The two prolific musicians use their joint project to ask fundamental questions. The conceptual underpinnings of »Silence Will Never Die« emerged from improvisations and conversations between them. »How can we recharge our batteries so that we can contribute to society with as much positive energy as possible?« became their leading question, and the pair utilised more means than before to formulate musical answers to it. Within a more complex recording set-up than on »Matt,« both played the church organ as well as synthesizers, with Berther also working with her electric bass and Schlotter playing the zither. This allowed them to enrich their overall sound both sonically and stylistically while also perfectly complementing the duo’s careful attention to detail and knack for making subtle shifts that feel larger than life.

Opener »Calm for One Day« invites its audience to sit still and follow its subtle microtonal shifts closely. »Gut Feeling« unfolds its physical impact through intertwined harmonies and melodies, interlocking frequencies, and ever-changing organ bass tones. »Suntrap & Light Wind« is far less dense, instead aiming for a three-sided conversation with Schlotter’s zither, Berther’s electric bass, and the church’s acoustic qualities. The only piece that was composed in the strict sense of that word, »Eternal Youth« sees Anuk Schmelcher join the two for an organ piece with dirge-like qualities: slow and sombre music that doesn’t seem to end. »Lookout« picks up on this melancholic thread with improvisational verve: Berther, Schlotter, and recording engineer Flo Götte on zither explore their respective instruments with care and calm for a quiet, nuanced trio performance.