Nicklas Sørensen: Solo 2

Nicklas Sørensen’s second solo effort away from his main stint as guitar player in Papir is a more placid, blissful listen than his first solo venture from 2016. On this set Nicklas digs deep into his love for vintage new age music, Brazilian bossa nova and the electronic side of kosmische, while still paying homage to the guitar heroes that has shaped his playing throughout the years, such as Vini Reilly, Manuel Göttsching and Michael Rother.

Produced in collaboration with Causa Sui- and El Paraiso in-house maestro Jonas Munk in his Odense studio, the pair have conjured a set of tracks that are blistering and euphoric, yet relaxed and solemn. Sørensen’s unique guitar sound, in combination with warm blankets of analog synths, vibrating filters and the occasional drum machine, paints colourful soundscapes that mediates the soul with both the ethos of new age and hints of classical minimalism and modern composition. Experimentation is at the heart of Sørensen’s modus operandi, but he never forgets to keep his melodic guitar leads central to the proceedings.

In these times – with the world’s absurdity reaching new levels daily – no one should feel ashamed about leaving the world behind, slowing down for a while, and seek a state where one can emancipate oneself from reality. Chilling out simply cannot be reduced to the guilty pleasure it once was, and the album’s B-side is unashamedly immersive – with Munk wrapping bubbly analog synths sequences around Sørensen’s guitar loop patterns and panoramic slide guitars. The album ends on Sørensen’s most inward-travelling note yet, bathing expressive guitar lines in a tender ocean of processing and reverb. Get that incense burning! 

Nicklas Sørensen is one of those artists who manages to filter ideas from the past through a modern, personal vision. ”Solo 2” is a piece of music for the present.