The collaboration by the two drone/ambient artists rsn and N deals with slow shifts to create an aesthetic depth of sound on the one hand and to build up a long arc of tension on the other. Their live performance is a musical colossus – sound, structure and length create an immersive sound experience. Quiet, rather contemplative sounds gradually develop into an alert sound construct. Sometimes, however, it remains calm and inward-looking, meditative and floating. What is special here are the drones that are consistently thought through to the end, which manifest themselves over the course of longform compositions. Initially ambient surfaces are overlaid piece by piece to change from calm and silence to dissonance – but this happens almost imperceptibly.
Discography: shift #1 (2024, CD, Midira Records, Germany),
shift #2 (2025, Tape, Error Prone Records, USA)
Independent of previous planning and considerations, this results in music that is very personal, very „inside“ and very expressive. Since 2001, recordings have been released regularly on various European labels with conceptual artwork that builds on each other and illustrates the mood of the musical content.
For live performances, N uses two amplifier setups with a chain of effect devices as a connecting element, creating music based on warm depth – sometimes loop-like, restrained and fragile, sometimes overrunning the listener like a thunderstorm.
rsn mainly uses a bass and a series of effect pedals, but supplements the spectrum here and there with field recordings, synthesizers and the like.