The artistry of Johann Wlight

I first discovered the sound explorations and artistry of my friend Johann Wlight, aka itdreamedtome, through my research into underground experimental music. One of my passions is finding the most interesting music made by artists who cannot be neatly categorized into any specific genre. I came across Johann’s latest work, “A.Y.”, recorded under his current alias, “itdreamedtome” on Trome Records out of England. Trome is an independent label who releases music by artists working in the area of drones and minimalistic soundscapes. They specialize in high quality, limited edition releases of underground artists, which is what I search for and really appreciate.
I listened to the A.Y. album, and immediately realized I was dealing with a work of the highest level of experimental music and exploratory sound. I was instantly drawn to the frequency of the music and how it made me feel. The depth and subtlety of the music was evident, and far beyond the majority of most ambient/drone/experimental music I explore. Obviously this was a piece of art that was made with the utmost care and sophistication. The soundscapes brought me to a state of mind that I am always searching for through this type of music, yet rarely achieve. I felt myself stretched out, entering deeper areas of myself, relaxed yet alert, with feelings of both emptiness and fullness, mystery, and moments of sublime beauty. I was instantly hooked, and I wanted more.
Luckily I ordered the physical copy of A.Y. before it sold out; a limited edition of 50 CDr copies in a hand made Fluxus-style assemblage box, with 12 page booklet with art by Johann and matchbox containing iron pyrite! The presentation was a work of art itself, even without the music. I learned that this release was the first in a decade from Johann, and I knew I needed to explore as much of his work I could get my hands on.

Johann was very active and well ahead of his time in the UK underground tape/CDr scene in the late 90’s and 2000’s. His recordings began as a series of obscure, beautifully crafted CDr’s mailed to friends and correspondences. He also curated his own label, “Nidnod”, releasing music that he liked from kindred spirits. As I attempted to track these artifacts down, I discovered they were nearly impossible to find.
Not to be dismayed, I attempted to contact Johann himself, to see if I could get the music directly from the source. Months later to my surprise I received a reply, and began a friendship and correspondence that continues to this day. Johann lives in a stone cottage in the Welsh countryside, on ancient land with bronze age burial sites nearby. This landscape is reflected in his music…it’s soaked with deep, ancient feeling, and it’s easy to feel that there is true magic in what he does. Johann did not have any of his own CDs left (!) but offered to make me a cassette of selections from throughout his career. I was grateful for the offer, and excited to hear more of his work.
When the cassette arrived, and I opened it, I held in my hands an assemblage art piece so wonderful I didn’t want to open it! Wrapped in shimmering gold paper and sealed with twine and a local “hag stone” Johann found on the land, the cassette itself painted shimmering gold, I held in my hands the Grail of my experimental music collection! After several days I forced myself to open and listen to it, and I’m glad I did, as it offered me a window into the mind and work of one of the most enigmatic and special sound artists of his generation, and was packed with beautiful music.

Since then, through some hard work and treasure hunting, I have been able to track down several of his CDr’s, and am building my collection, but my search will undoubtedly continue for years to come.
His music, for me, continues to reveal layer after layer of subtlety, beauty and depth. Our correspondence has revealed similar interests and lively conversation, and I am lucky and happy to consider Johann a friend.

Johann is now working on new music, including a recent collaboration with Blodeuedd, and will be making a rare live appearance at the “Listen to the Voice of Fire” experimental music festival in England, at the Ceredigion Museum, Terrace Road, SY23 2 Aberystwyth, on March 15th and 16th.

The link to the facebook page to the event is below:

https://www.facebook.com/events/208490420024444/

Anyone reading this who is anywhere near the area should absolutely not miss it!

If you’re interested in exploring Johann’s music, which i highly recommend, you can get the digital version of the A.Y. album, which is the perfect place to start, here:

https://store.tromerecords.com/album/a-y