Art takes its form freely as it sees fits. There’s no set rules or genres in term of Das Wortspiel, the project by sound producer and composer Max Smogol and singer Maryana Golovko. In their debut LP Chapter 1, they travel across genres. Fusion and exploration journeys through poems written by Ukrainian artists from different eras, tackling themes such as war, struggle, resistance and dislocation. Das Wortspiel takes a free form approach with form and experimentation, effectively and dramatically crafting inner and outer experiences through music.

Every track in Chapter I is a unique work of art. They evoke different emotional responses that are at times thought provoking and deeply stirring. With spoken words that poetically articulate the complex experience of emigration, being in a foreign country, unable to go back home with precision and artistry, their music feels like a sonic documentary that uncovers the multitude of truth through unconventional presentation.

Ethnic singing traces the roots of ritualistic practices, self expression, meditation and folkloric storytelling. Layered with theatrical performance, field recordings and minimalistic instruments. Like an immersive, eye-opening sound installation, Chapter I invites you to a highly sensuous odyssey, where you’ll be reunited with a piece of your lost soul. Wes Wortspiel’s music is both hypnotic and evocative. At times, it feels like a gaze into the fire, feeling yourself recharging and reawakening, and at times, they gets under your skin with grounding soundscapes and singing from ancient cultures. “Rummy Rum” is atmospheric and meditative. Filled with haunting vocals and soaring expressions, they tap into a raw, emotive experience, stripping away all the contemporary noises.

Whether it is through the mending of field recording and instrumental, vocal music, they manage to change your perception of reality and puts you in a different world while engaging you with a glimpse into one’s most sacred heart space and inner world. “The Different Country” leaves its heart open to all experiences and adventures. Highly sensitive and vulnerable. The track gives you goosebumps.

The last songs from the album venture into more abstract spaces. A nostalgic recall of an earlier time. There’s so much life in the throbbing, dance rhythm, swirling soundscapes that fill your eyes with wonder, before going back to that deeply emotive heart space again. Chapter I is a translucent and transcending experience.