5 x 4 is a new solo collection from Laura Naukkarinen, recorded at Elektronmusikstudion EMS in Stockholm using the historic Buchla 200 modular synthesizer, an AKG BX20 spring reverb, and, on two songs, her voice. The album shows yet another side of her singular musical universe, by turns aquatic and meditative, always pulsing with energy.

Lau Nau’s ninth album, 5 x 4 is being released by her longtime co-conspirators Fonal Records (Finland) and Beacon Sound (US) on vinyl and digital formats, and as a CD by Ektro Records (Finland). Composed and recorded at EMS over a period of five years, the title is a reference to the Buchla’s sequencer, which has five steps and four tracks, thus creating the characteristic five-beat tempo behind the compositions. The eight tracks that comprise 5 x 4 fluctuate between different moods: the contemplative hum of Isopoda; the coral-like tones and lush vocal melodies of lead single Sessilia; and the carbonated radiance of Hyperiidea and Amphipoda. 

The cover art is by an Italian painter Ester Grossi, printed in special fluorescent pantone colors that are especially luminant under UV light. 

Listen here: https://fonal.bandcamp.com/album/5-x-4

I’ve been composing for five years at Elektronmusikstudion’s Buchla. When I started the project, I wanted to compose about the change in the living conditions of plankton in the Baltic Sea and the variation in their biomass, but soon the logic and sound of the instrument took me with it. I started composing music for marine nature, forgetting all the strict boundaries of the subject. The world of crustaceans and zooplankton opens up in the music: darkness and the light filtered by the eutrophicated sea alternate under the surface, the salinity of the sea varies and the turbidity of the water makes the observations soft and without contours.

Track list:

1. Lightiella 01:22
2. Amphipoda II 06:13
3. Pleomothra 04:01
4. Isopoda 08:25
5. Ostracoda 06:07
6. Sessilia 05:45
7. Hyperiidea 05:30
8. Calanticomorpha 04:25

Credits:
Recorded at Elektronmusikstudion EMS Stockholm 2017-2022.
Composed and performed by Laura Naukkarinen with Buchla 200 modular synthesizer, AKG BX20 spring reverb, and voice.
Recording and mixing:  Laura Naukkarinen
Mastering: Alho Audio Mastering
Cover art: Ester Grossi
Layout: Sami Sänpäkkilä

Thank you for your support Elektronmusikstudion Stockholm, Taiteen Edistämiskeskus and Nordic Culture Point.

Album reviews:

“Stunning album of dreamwoven Buchla soundscapes and ethereal vocals from legend of the early-aughts Fonal scene Laura Naukkarinen aka Lau Nau, delivering her most developed and memorable work on an album that sounds something like Popl Vuh producing Enya. Highly recommended listening, especially if yr feeling Caterina Barbieri, Alessandro Cortini or Ana Roxanne. (…) ‘5 x 4’ is sincere music that diverges from the Scandinavian synth/minimal scene significantly by prioritising sublime lightness over stern, knotty concepts. Whether you believe in magic or not, it’s alive in every note here, lifting Naukkarinen’s music to celestial levels of greatness. ” – Boomkat review

“Lau Nau on tehnyt runsaasti erilaista materiaalia eri tarkoituksiin, mutta tässä teoksessa ja näissä kahdeksassa raidassa olen aistivinani poikkeuksellisen paljon tekijän sydäntä. Minimalistisen ilmaisun, äärimmilleen karsitun muodon ja yksittäisiä elementtejä korostavan punoksen avulla meret allamme tai yllämme avautuvat vailla rajoja. Ainoat rajat tuommekin itse mukanamme.” – Mika Roth / Desibeli.net

“On her ninth album, 5 x 4, Lau Nau shows an affinity for the minimalist electronic composers such as Laurie Spiegel, Pauline Anna Strom, and Suzanne Ciani. Recorded on the revered Buchla 200 system at Stockholm’s Elektronmusikstudion, the record may not have the folksy warmth of previous works, but it reveals Lau Nau’s mastery of analog synthesis. “Pleomothra” could serve as the bridge from song-based Lau Nau endeavors to synth-centric composition, as Naukkarinen dreamily coos in a manner that splits the difference between My Bloody Valentine’s Bilinda Butcher and Cocteau Twins’ Liz Fraser over pensive bleeps and morose drones.” – Dave Segal / The Stranger


Lau Naun uutuusalbumin edessä päätyy kokeellisen musiikin arkkihyveiden äärelle. (…) 18 vuotta debyyttinsä jälkeen Lau Nau on edelleen vaiettu aarre. – Oskari Onninen / Image