“Azur” by Mount Hibiki
When Cesar Alexandre died in April 2021 as a result of COVID, he left behind one of most respected catalogs in modern dark ambient. Recording under the Mount Shrine moniker, he released four albums on the Cryo Chamber label as well as collaborations, compilations, and several self-released titles. Mount Shrine’s music eschewed the usual dark ambient tropes for layers upon layers of delicate, melancholy drifts and drones, making for a very evocative listening experience.
Alexandre was highly prolific, and delved into other genres besides dark ambient. He recorded IDM as Agonidaeline, ambient dub as Iminazole, and vaporwave and future funk as Lindsheaven Virtual Plaza and Noir FM — to name just a few of his projects. But of all of Alexandre’s projects, the one that arguably hewed closest to Mount Shrine was Mount Hibiki.
Alexandre released three Mount Hibiki albums — 2017’s La Brume Azur and Winter Pathways, and 2018’s Sun Praising Through — and Cryo Chamber is reissuing all three of them in a single collection. “Azur” (which originally appeared on La Brume Azur) contains the sort of expertly crafted drone-work that you’d expect from Alexandre. Each one of the song’s eight minutes is carefully composed for maximum sonic and emotional effect, with field recordings of rain heightening its otherworldly feel.
The Mount Hibiki Tapes will be released by Cryo Chamber on July 30, 2024.