Conrad Clipper is something of an enigma: it’s a pseudonym for an anonymous composer and multi-instrumentalist who specialises in prepared, programmed, and prepared piano, and who lives and records in Berlin. ‘Heron’s Book of Dreams’ follows ‘Cycle Liminal Rites’ (2016).
The eight instrumental compositions on ‘Heron’s Book of Dreams’ are tranquil, soothing, as soft, string-like notes wash slowly across delicate piano. Gentle waves of sound ebb and flow, and while each piece is self-contained, they segue into one another to form one continuous work. There is little sense of linear movement or trajectory here, and as such, the experience is rather more like staring up at the sky and watching the clouds floating past, gradually changing shape, stretching, disappearing, while new formations gradually appear in your field of vision.
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While largely ambient in its leaning, there are moments on ‘Heron’s Book of Dreams’ that are almost easy listening, with hints of jazz in the blend as Clipper turns to conventional piano, played conventionally, and it’s pleasant. Clipper’s versatility, and also his audible lightness of touch, makes for an album that’s not unduly demanding, and all the more enjoyable for it.
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