Söm Sâptâlahn by itchy-O

A kind of darkness that gives you goosebumps—not merely because it is gloomy or somber music, but because it is unknown. It is too different from anything you’ve heard before, and the result creates a feeling of fear—a fear of the unknown. Söm Sâptâlahn, A Sonic Ritual by itchy-O

Söm Sâptâlahn by itchy-O

When Igor Stravinsky was commissioned to write The Rite of Spring, he sought to create a new kind of harmony that would convey the rawness of primitive music, something unfamiliar to contemporary audiences. The result was the birth of bitonal music, where two different keys are played simultaneously. He layered this with polyrhythmic patterns, creating a sense of the unknown. After all, a story set thousands of years ago shouldn’t sound like a conventional classical piece.

When itchy-O set out to create a sound representing the time of yore—a time when humans had a stronger connection with nature—they didn’t just tweak harmonies or rhythms. They started from scratch. They built their own instruments, tuned them to a different scale than the Western standard, and composed rhythmic patterns so complex that keeping up with them feels like chasing a storm. Itchy-O, a 50+ member ensemble, approaches music not as a structured system of predefined melodies but as raw sound in its purest form.

In their new album, Söm Sâptâlahn, itchy-O has crafted a soundscape like no other. Their experimental approach allows them to break free from traditional musical constraints, creating something that feels more like an immersive sonic ritual than a mere collection of tracks.

The album’s title, Söm Sâptâlahn, is an enigmatic phrase that appears to be an invented linguistic fusion, drawing from various mystical and linguistic traditions. "Söm" is described by the band as meaning “to conjure spirits,” while "Sâptâlahn" is seemingly derived from the Sanskrit "Saptā" (सप्त), meaning "seven"—a number deeply embedded in numerology, mythology, and ancient tuning systems. This aligns perfectly with itchy-O’s septatonic scale, a seven-note tuning system that defines the album’s tonal structure. The name itself reflects the album’s purpose: an auditory ritual designed to invoke, transform, and transcend.

Track-by-Track Journey

The album begins with "Chontaré - Original", a dark and tense piece where strings weave eerie harmonies over an ostinato pattern, accompanied by distant screaming noises. It feels like the entrance to a vast, uncharted world—a world drenched in darkness and mystery.

"Entangled - Unbinding" follows, a piece with astonishing rhythmic complexity. A deep, brooding cello line intertwines with shadowy string harmonies, adding a melancholic beauty to the chaos.

The rhythmic intensity continues with "Phenex", reinforcing the hypnotic pulse of the album.

"Dues Auditor Gemituum" shifts the focus towards strings, creating a unique, suspended atmosphere. Unlike the earlier tracks, this piece feels closer to contemporary classical music, but due to its unconventional harmonic progressions, it remains strikingly different. The use of augmented seconds momentarily evokes an oriental quality. For the first time on the album, percussion fades into the background, leaving the listener floating in an abyss.

"The Expansive Intelligence" returns to the patterns established in the first three pieces, with driving rhythms and dense sonic layers.

A major turning point arrives with "Ptothing - Söktú Õbū", where a voice emerges, guiding the listener on how to experience the music—as if leading a ritualistic meditation. The voice hovers between human and artificial, adding to the album’s uncanny atmosphere. This nearly 20-minute piece unfolds as an auditory experiment, blending guided narration with surreal, evolving textures.

"At the Edge of Endings" serves as a short but jarring intermission, a wake-up call of clashing rhythmic patterns that collide in a chaotic, overlapping cacophony.

Finally, the journey closes with "The Last Echo", a track that drifts into the realm of ambient drone music. Slowly dissolving, it gently brings the listener back to reality after an overwhelming voyage into the unknown.

A Monumental Undertaking – The Making of the Instruments

What sets Söm Sâptâlahn apart is not just its composition but its very foundation—the instruments themselves. In collaboration with the Colorado School of Mines, itchy-O undertook an ambitious project to create custom-built gongs and metallophones from over 600 pounds (almost 272Kg) of reclaimed bronze. Sourced from donated cymbals, this bronze was melted down and reforged into instruments of immense sonic depth, bringing to life a soundscape that is as much a spiritual conduit as it is a musical experience. This process transforms the album into something more than just a collection of songs; it is a ritualistic act of sonic alchemy, where old materials are reborn to create new dimensions of sound.

A Journey Through the Exocosm and Endocosm

Thematically, the album is a journey through two realms: the Exocosm (a mystical, otherworldly dimension) and the Endocosm (the rational, physical world). The music serves as a portal between these states, guiding the listener through an ever-shifting landscape of pulsating rhythms, celestial drones, and thunderous percussive forces.

Final Thought

With Söm Sâptâlahn, itchy-O doesn’t just present an album; they present an experience, an intricate ritual that demands full immersion. Every element—from handcrafted instruments to non-Western scales and complex rhythmic structures—reinforces the band’s vision of exploring something beyond conventional music. This is an album to be felt, absorbed, and surrendered to.

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