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The first and/OAR 3" CDR release, of which is by Swedish sound
artist Ronnie Sundin. Seismo is supposed to be a full length version
of the piece entitled "seismo_1" which appears on the lowercase
sound 2002 compilation, but in fact, barely resembles it. Both
versions are mostly quiet, slowly evolving, minimal pieces that build
to a poignant inconclusive resolve, but both are distinctly different
from one another. Packaged in a mini-dvd case.

EAR / RATIONAL (APRIL 2004)
I wasn't sure I had actually hit play on this till I noticed that after about
3 minutes, that suddenly the room had grown quieter. Over this time,
a low quiet rumble had started so slowly I didn't even notice it till it
was gone. But it didn't leave, it abated and added a metal door
closing in the building next door. Seismic activity indeed! This is
sound of the earth moving when you really try to listen to it. Over 20
minutes, a delicate snowflake of a tune develops.
A nice thought piece! (Don Poe)

% ARRAY | F.0015.0011 (2003)
Ronnie Sundin's minimal soundscapes have been insinuating
themselves into my consciousness more and more of late as I revisit
several works that seem to be scattered near-permanently across my
desk.

Following 2002's 'Morphei' on Hapna comes this gentle excursion on
US label and/OAR; twenty minutes of typically restrained minimal
soundscapes characterised by a now familiar array of locations
including, "...that beach in Santa Monica once again".

Sundin has an ear for detail and a distinctive feel for phrasing which
is seldom matched. Contrasting elongated near-silences with
moments of elegant sustained activity, 'Seismo', despite its brevity, is
the perfect balance of quiet coupled with quivering counterpoint.
(Christopher Murphy)

ABSURD - absurdities #9 (DECEMBER 2003)
Rsundin's "seismo" 3" cdr is a recording that, to tell you the truth, so
far must be one of my favest of his work (or at least the few examples
I've heard by now). A recording whose lowercase atmosphere often
brought in mind the later works of Phauss (well actually, before
listening to his 3" cdr I was listening to "Nothing But The Truth", so...).
A well crafted atmosphere based on various textures he has used for
this little diamond. I must admit that it was a release that made me
curious to check some of his recent stuff, this one shows a great
progress in his work and is worth to be checked, especially if you are
into nice obscure atmospheres. (Nicolas Malevitsis)

VITAL WEEKLY number 361 week 9 (2003)
Sundin's sound explorations are getting more subtle with every
release. This disc contains one track of twenty one and a half
minutes, most of which is at very low volume and could slide by
without being noticed. But of course, once attention is focused, a
world appears, a world of microscopic events that defies description.
Hence the release. This is sheer listening material. Sit down, take
your time and just listen and enjoy. That's really all there is to it; and
that's basically all I can say, except maybe that the effort will certainly
be rewarding! (Roel Meelkop)

CISZA #02 (2003) *translated from Polish
Not many romances of music with nature have such a delicate and
minimalistic finale. Rsundin (aka Ronnie Sundin, whose recent
album released on the Hapna label we already reviewed in
Cisza.art.pl) gives it (i.e. the romance - KA) a completely new form,
forcing us to maximize our attention. Such a state is well known
among the lovers of nature.

The time in which geological phenomena lives, is counted in millions
of years - far too much for us to observe growing mountains or the
forming of meandering rivers, but even when we follow everyday
"banal" events which are easier to observe than the ones which
nature has to offer, they require a completely different perception -
slowing down the rhythm of our everyday living, even stopping it via
concentration.

Among sound sources used by Rsundin are anthills and ocean
waves breaking at the shore. Here they were presented in a very
reductionist way; we can hardly recognize hums of insects' legs or
that which is often abused by many field recorders, the sea's hum.
Associations automatically lead to Francisco Lopez, Bernhard Gunter
or Toy Bizarre - musicians who transform the sound of the
surrounding environment until it's completely unrecognizable.

The listener might feel like he's the butt of the artist's joke (not
everybody will stay concentrated in front of the speakers when the
amount of sound oozing out of the speakers is reduced to a
minimum), but listening to this album will satisfy more than the
die-hard connoisseurs of modern minimalism located in a spectrum
between -100 to -50 db. Ronnie Sundin has more to offer. It's much
more than just a nice concept-art project. The 20 something minutes,
despite being severe and lacking of musical events, will appear
beautiful to everyone who's holding their breath while waiting for a
fish to appear under the surface of the water, or those patient enough
to wait until a spider catches a fly in it's net. (Kamil Antosiewicz)