Better known as keyboardist for groove-driven electronic instrumental rockers Pivot and pianist/keyboardist for groundbreaking Leaf Label post-jazz outfit Triosk, Adrian Klumpes recently compiled an album of exclusively solo piano sounds. Without listening to the album itself, it would be easy to dismiss it as a mere playful side project to the two important musical projects he lends his talents to. However, Be Still is undoubtedly something new and something special, hardly comparable to much that has gone before it. Bassless, drumless, and timeless, the medium of solo piano is yet to be explored so far in this direction, using electronics and minimalistic principles to create a collection of pieces that challenge the listener to think, while encouraging them to gauge with the highly emotional musical content.

From the subtly beautiful growing and blooming of the highly manipulated “Weave In And Out” and “Give In” to the largely organic improvisations of “Unrest”, “Passing Pain”, and the single tracked title piece, Be Still puts forward sounds that have not been heard before, a startlingly profound and exciting new movement in music, following lineage from fellow Sydneysiders The Necks. However, while the piano of Chris Abrahams in The Necks had the spontaneity and minimalism that Adrian Klumpes presents in this release, Klumpes presents the piano through windows of electronic manipulation that presents a new, achingly emotional angle on not only solo piano, but on the process of manipulating acoustic instruments.

The offset of the acoustic piano with electronic manipulation, of intellectual construction with emotional output is part of the reason that Be Still manages to achieve groundbreaking beauty, an Earthly otherworldliness and a whole host of other oxymoronic polarities. This is best demonstrated in the choice of “Weave In And Out” and “Be Still” as consecutive tracks – the most and least manipulated pieces respectively. Whilst the construction and density of both pieces is vastly different, the atmosphere and mood created by both is very similar: the slowly progressing musical ideas, the discreet introduction of the new, performed with a crushingly beautiful touch and emotional intensity.

While the album goes to extremes of both organic and inorganic creativity, every piece on the album goes far to capturing a moment in a manner that can be likened to poetry or even photography. The visual nature of Adrian Klumpes’ performance on this release is unrivalled. The images created from each musical motif that is introduced and gradually developed present an atmosphere that engulfs the room, engaging the listener and the space in ways that have rarely been approached. Strangely, this release presents itself in a way that lends itself to live performance, free and intuitive improvisation, but the logistics surrounding the manipulations in many of the pieces make it seemingly impossible for them to be presented in such a context. However, it only reveals the genius of Adrian Klumpes in harnessing the ability to engage a listener on record in a fashion that is only ever otherwise achieved in live performance. It is here, that Be Still achieves its commonality with jazz, the intuitive nature of improvisation, and its ability to create an atmosphere that engages the listener.

Past intellectual discussion, one of the main foundations of Be Still is the pursuit of the creation of beautiful music. It is undeniable that every moment on this album not only works towards, but achieves this goal. Every note, every manipulation of them is treated with an integrity and sensitivity that connects and fits with every principle surrounding the construction of beautiful music. Be Still moves far away from the over-intellectual in the resulting sounds, and shares emotions and journeys with the listener. The listener is drawn inward by both warmth and intensity. Most simply, Be Still is a beautiful experience.

And thus, this release cannot be ignored. Be Still is the start of something revolutionary at the cusp of new music, popular music and jazz. As the world of music progresses into the future, this is a vein that must be and will be explored. These are the remarkably beautiful new sounds of intuition music, the sliced and diced to the untouched treatment of one piano and one player.

-Marcus Whale