danny scrilla returns to cosmic bridge records with a full-length project inspired by a desire to experiment outside of club conventions. while cosmic bridge has become known for forward-thinking, dubwise dancefloor mutations, label founder om unit has long been a fan of ambient and synthesizer music and ancient musical box offers a current take on the format, with 16 tracks of lush electronic compositions and meditations. fittingly, ancient musical box also marks the label s first cassette release.
ancient musical box was written over the past year as a direct reaction to danny s frustration with club music and the inevitable cynicism that can sometimes arise from prolonged contact with scenes, styles, and genres. i wanted to create something without any ulterior motives, he explains. as the tracks accumulated, the project took on a personal dimension and therapeutic qualities. intent on not over-thinking or polishing his ideas, danny created something that is less album and more a collection of emotions in their rawest form.
despite not being intended for the dancefloor, the music on ancient musical box still bears clear relations to danny s catalogue in its minimalist approach and use of melodic motifs. you can hear it in the hazy crescendo of night sweats , the wobbly funk of pangalactic gargleblaster , and the gentle keys of talisman . alongside these are more experimental moments, seemingly fragile in their simplicity but hiding a depth that reveals itself in context: the delicate loops of the title track, the vibrations of cryopod , the melancholy progressions of too little too late .
ancient musical box is the sound of a producer remembering that the best ideas are the simplest, in the process pointing to new directions.
