Description
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Carsten Nicolai’s soundtrack to Marc Weise’s award-winning documentary about the Ecuadorian opposition to Chinese investment is a captivating and solemn affair. Nicolai skillfully crafts a sonic landscape using grumbly, manicured drones, booming subs, and his trademark glassy sonic illusions. Instead of drawing from the region’s folk canon, Nicolai relies on his own unique set of sounds to mirror the emotional arc of the film.
In the opening track, ‘Ritual’, Nicolai creates a subtle yet cinematic ambiance that features gassy and orchestral elements, reminiscent of his beloved ‘Xerrox’ series. As the narrative delves into the troubled mountain village, Nicolai expertly blends minimized, insectoid drones with breathy synthesized flutes and electronic gurgles, creating a sonic representation of the environment. Tracks like ‘Sarayaku Hidding’ introduce acoustic elements with delicate strings fading into whirrs and buzzes, accompanied by minimalist piano tones, reminiscent of Sakamoto’s work.
As the soundtrack progresses, it becomes more abstract, with ‘Sicario’ featuring radio static and thumping low-end, ‘Storming Camp’ painting a psychedelic nightmare with anxious synths and foreboding orchestrals, and ‘Legal Process’ consisting of skeletal electronic clips and rushing noise. However, Nicolai brings a glimmer of hope with ‘Ritual Reprise’, featuring fluttering reversed piano and celestial woodwind blasts, hinting at a brighter future on the horizon. Fans of artists like Sakamoto and others in the experimental and cinematic music realms will find Carsten Nicolai’s soundtrack a compelling auditory experience that perfectly complements Weise’s important documentary.
