Gravity, by Italian composer, musician, and producer Ed Carlsen, is centered on a straightforward concept: what home means to each of us individually. Having found his way back home, Carlsen’s trip is effectively over with the release of Gravity. As always, the music maintains its interesting, avant-garde edge and unusual textures.
There are clear beats, hazy synth washes, and serene, reflective pauses. Piano chords that are thoughtful and reflective meander throughout the song, with glimpses of electronics flitting in and out of the mix. But before fading into the distance, it develops into a more powerful, dynamic crescendo, swelling in intensity and emotion.
Carlsen is at his most upbeat and leaning toward his electronic side in “Vola,” where pulsating arpeggios accompany the consistent piano and aural flow that builds to a pleasant release.
I grew up taking health and peace for granted, and now that I can’t anymore, I’ve found my ‘center’. This push-pull situation of finding balance during times of most uncertainty was definitely the best thing that ever happened to me. – Ed Carlsen
And as Carlsen puts it, letting go of people, habits, and aspects of oneself that aren’t beneficial to our development is just as vital as returning to actual locations or one’s roots.
Ed Carlsen’s Gravity EP mixes a mixture of deep beats, dynamic harmonies, and intense emotions.
And that music, as ever, keeps its odd textures and intriguing, inventive edge. There are clear beats, hazy synth washes, and serene, reflective pauses. A prime example is the album’s lead song, “On Eloquence,” which features meditative piano chords that meander throughout and oblique electronica suggestions. But before fading into the distance, it develops into a more powerful, dynamic crescendo, swelling in intensity and emotion.
On “Hjvande,” a joyful, uplifting piece laced with sophisticated electronics and twinkling synths, that sense of amazement and elation is repeated. The most elegant piece on this album is “Dissolution,” the second single. It is a serene exploration of soft piano and celestial synths that represents peace—of mind and body. And Carlsen isn’t only a master of the beatific; “Mooring,” the opening tune on Gravity, has a moodier, more defiant tone, complete with foreboding clicks and a shuffling, twitchy beat.
Overall, Gravity is a fitting conclusion to both his own quest for “home” and the trilogy. Carlsen has always been a nomad, going far and wide in search of novel experiences and stretching the limits of his musical ability. Returning to his roots and the comfortable has strengthened and affirmed his writing, providing an anchor for perilous times.
Finding ‘home’ is not the end of a process, rather the beginning of a new one. And it’s thanks to this endless learning process that Gravity poured out of me within a very short time. – Ed Carlsen
The majority of Carlsen’s earlier works have been influenced by this longing for home, both literally and figuratively. In fact, the Gravity EP wraps up a loose trilogy of three pieces centered on this idea. While Grains Of Gold, his 2021 album, was more contemplative and a realistic representation of home, Morning Hour, his 2019 album, was meant to be a meditation on what home is.
About the artist: Ed Carlsen
Ed Carlsen has constantly been on the go. even a dreamer. a world to be discovered, with far-off lands and people. Carlsen worked as a pilot before making a name for himself as a musician. It was sort of the ideal profession for someone with his restlessness and yearning for new experiences—itinerant, a little romantic.
He eventually drifted away from flying though, traveling all throughout Europe. Back to music as well, which he had adored as a child, and that once again came into sharp focus. His early influences ranged widely and eclectically, and he played both the guitar and the piano.
He pursued a degree in Music Technology at the London College of Music out of a passion for production, where sound design and composition for film and visual media further sparked his artistic side.
His unique playing style gave his new work a fascinating edge that was inventive, adventurous, and bold. The prior releases by Carlsen were all written and recorded in various places as a result of “shifting circumstances and perceptions,” he claims. When I need to write, I travel.
Early in 2020, Carlsen relocated to Hamburg. His disposition was influenced not only by the feeling of starting over in a foreign location but also by the uneasiness of lockdown and the sense of impending doom.
His journeys are a search for something, and Grains Of Gold is a magnificent musical representation of both the search and what is found along the way. about yourself and life.
