Toninato & Thiessen - Dream Of Heat [Ambiances Magnetiques 285 Promo]

Put out on the circuit via the Canadian Ambiances Magnetiques label on February 13th, 2k26 is "Dream Of Heat", the latest collaborational album affair cooked up and conceived by Ida Toninato and Jennifer Thiessen. Over the course of six pieces and almost 40 minutes of total playing time the two artists combine their skills in composition, lyricism, vocal performance and the skillful execution of their ideas on their respective instruments, saxophone and viola, later enhanced with overdubs and treated via electronic measures. Opening with the emotional and rather elegic, at times even ethereal sonic backdrop of "I Need Warmth" which is nicely contrasted by the absolute urgency of the Spoken Word passage in its intro as well as a deep, almost earth shaking ebb and flow of low end bass waves the artistic duo sets a tone and pace for things to come like the subsequently following nocturnal ambience of "Bear", its specific spatiality and ever building intertwined melodic spirals which see viola and sax in a continuous, fever'ish and ever intensifying dialogue whereas "Hot Blood Flow" brings forth an almost mythical and certainly sacred feel hovering above and beyond the ordinary humans perception of three dimensional space and time whereas "I Am Suffocating" caters carefully layered vocals alongside wind swept minimalisms of probably electro-acoustic origin as well as deeply hidden quasi-rhythms of rather eerie and ritualistic nature just to name a few. An extremely intricate and beautifully intimate album. Recommended. Go check. Especially if Björk's most ethereal and stripped down tunes from around the mid-90s struck a chord with you for a reason even though there is no direct parallels or specific connections to be drawn out here.