Lau Nau normally divides her activity between recordings in a remote corner of Finland and performances in towns across the globe. Her music draws on the influences of the wind through the pines and the flow of high-voltage power lines. It combines the overwhelming drama of isolation and the sensitivity of crowded cities. From these tensions emerge works of delicacy and beauty, which grow like crystals or float on the wind like dandelion seeds.
5×4 finds Lau Nau engaged with that great West Coast synthesiser, the Buchla 200. Installed at EMS in Stockholm, Lau Nau added an AKG BX20 spring reverb to frame the distinctive sound of the vintage equipment. The title refers to the Buchla’s sequencer, which has five steps and four tracks, but what emerges is an organic, drifting series of pieces based on different moods. The Buchla’s flexible patching parameters have been shaped to generate songs that respond to the flow of current with emotional resonances.
This is an album that took years to create, as Lau Nau left her island home to visit the EMS and explore the creative possibilities of the Buchla. It’s safe to say that it will stay with the listener even longer.