New record from Eric Angelo Bessel

Portland-based American-German artist Eric Angelo Bessel has crafts an artistic world where image and sound dissolve into one immersive experience. Coming from a background in fine art and photography, his work has always revolved around atmosphere and abstraction, creating spaces that invite reflection and awe. Before his move into music, his visual art was already gaining recognition for its haunting tone and impact.

After completing a BFA in Art Photography at Syracuse University in 2004, followed by graduate studies at New York’s School of Visual Arts, his photography appeared in the Collector’s Guide to New Art Photography Vol. 2 from the Humble Arts Foundation, before his first monograph, Archive {2005–2010}, was published by Conveyor in 2011. That early phase of his career established his preoccupation with memory, perception and transformation, themes that would later flow naturally into his music.

His transition from visual art to sound design was an organic and seemingly inevitable progression; where his photographs once explored light and silence, his compositions now distil the same stillness through tone and texture. His debut album Visitation, released in April 2023 via the Lore City Music imprint, first brought listeners into his cinematic and meditative sonic world and established Eric as a musician able to translate his visual outlook into sound through ambient works that hover between dream and document.

Now, he returns with the follow up, bringing us his brand new sophomore album titled Mirror at Night, a twelve-track instrumental record that builds on his vision. It’s a project that drifts through the spheres of the subconscious, layering delicate synths and soft melodies to create what feels like an ambient reflection on time itself. Throughout the album, he reimagines the nostalgic warmth of vintage instruments, drawing on the shimmering tones of the Mellotron and the multi-textured charm of early-2000s Alesis synths.

Setting up the record with “Tendons,” gentle metallic textures calmly drift in and out of focus to form an immersive soundscape that captures an intricate balance between dreamy aesthetic and subtly unnerving tone. “Snow Globe” swells with stacks of washing synth timbres, stitched with brightness as the arrangement glides with sweeping, reverb-drenched tones to cast a spellbinding slice of engrossing instrumental music.

On “Scavengers,” the chimes of airy notes land like water drops, rippling through a spacious scene of bubbling textures in a piece that deftly balances light and shadow. “Recombinant” leans further into the blurry space between uplifting melodic flickers and dissonance as brushed sounds pepper the hazy atmosphere.

Other memorable moments on the record include songs like “Hesitation” with its glistening instrumentation floating through a brief but transportive soundscape. “Coming Around” builds a misty listening experience where subtly inspiriting notes drift through the mesmeric waves of the arrangement. With “Buoy,” Eric creates an enveloping sound that gradually progresses with shifting instrumental tones, resulting in a minimal and thoroughly original listening experience.

Closing the record with “Aphotic Zone,” a subtly ominous atmosphere forms to completely wrap around the listener while echoes of lighter elements shine through the foggy textures, offering hypnotic finale to the album. Building on the acclaim his debut received, with Mirror at Night, Eric Angelo Bessel delivers a spectacular work of ambient instrumental music that sees him go from strength to strength on his compelling musical adventure.

Listen to Mirror at Night below