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Jarguna — The Truth Lies Beyond
(Projekt no#, 2025, DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2025-04-29

The Truth Lies Beyond Cover art

Jarguna is the nom-de-plume of Italian composer, sound sculptor and multi-instrumentalist Marco Billi, who since his debut, Introspective Course in 2006, has released somewhere between 50 and 60 albums. With that, one may be asking the question “Where do I begin?” A couple years ago Jarguna released a 50-track collection as his then-50th release titled Retrospective of Deep Days, containing one song from each of those, with many of those clocking in at ten minutes or longer, only a few of which are excerpts. It’s a full eight hours long, and one may want to start there. But he hasn’t stopped at 50, and continues producing outstanding recordings of immersive ambient, minimalist instrumental music, with each one seemingly building on the strengths of all those before it. Take for example, his latest album, The Truth Lies Beyond, released in April 2025 on Projekt Archive, which is much like a descent into a warm water pool of kaleidoscopic colors, with the listener slowly absorbing every star in the night sky. The sounds ripple and shimmer, shadows and lights grow, fade and erase, at times one may hear a cadence created by drums or other instruments, other times magnificent sounds just float in a pure heavenly cosmic wave. Touches of world sounds, like zither, santoor, woodwinds, bowed strings, and Tibetan bells often intertwine with sounds presumably made by synthesizers, captivating the listener as each piece progresses along a seasoned tranquil path, never harsh or abrasive, but  never pretty and new-agey either, instead filled with ever-evolving textures that reflect iridescent colors and fill listener with a strong sense of well being, a ubiquitous life force that opens the mind and spirit. There are seven tracks here, and the opener “Illumination Ganglia” seems to rise from the depths and introduce a spectrum of curious sounds all at once; don’t even try and figure out how they were made, just adjust the headphone levels to your comfort and enjoy what’s there. The title track is even more mysterious and subtle, like a midnight walk in the forest. “The Smell of Twilight” stretches the imagination in many directions, where gentle melodic ribbons of color and angelic voices all come together in a calm diffusion. Every moment herein is like a dream to be savored and experienced in full.

Filed under: New releases, 2025 releases

Related artist(s): Jarguna (Marco Billi)

More info
http://projektrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-truth-lies-beyond

 

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