MP3: Pacta - Sketch
Of all the various artists I've worked with through my netlabel, Pacta (nee Sunt Servanda) has been the sleeper. His "A trap it is" EP is a fantastic example of elegant ambient/experimental music and his more recent work continues solidly along the same path, whether or not you decide to pay attention. What I like best about it is that it's never noise for noise's sake -- there's always a faint melody or at least some sort of melodic component that gives the music weight and balance. And the ingredients are often simple, too, the layers don't go too deep as to overwhelm. "Sketch" from his latest 3" CD "Fragments" inherits the qualities of both titles: small bursts of sound are set upon the landscape and made to dance, flutter and spin. They overlap and swirl around, but never collide. Eventually a singsong tune emerges, but it's easy to miss if you don't follow as it gets passed from tone to tone, or from player to player in an orchestral sense. I can almost imagine it being performed on more traditional instruments actually - now that would be something to hear.
Pacta - Sketch