AMN Reviews: Virus2020 ( فيروس ٢٠٢٠ ) – Khushue (2023; Unexplained Sounds Group)

In the many volumes of experimental ambient music produced over the last decade or so, there are a number of tropes that tend to reappear. But every so often an artist puts out an album that employs these techniques in a new way or uses a different set of techniques altogether. On the recently released Khushue, we have such a case.

Virus2020 ( فيروس ٢٠٢٠ ) is Tunisian sound artist Rami Harrabi. He focuses on musical instruments of Northern Africa and the Middle East that are typically played microtonally. Whether those instruments are used as source material on this album is indeterminate from its amalgam of processed noises. Across ten tracks, mostly in the 4-5 minute range, Harrabi incorporates drones, loops, echoes, and field recordings in a refreshingly singular manner.

Rather than focusing on slowly evolving chords, the drones move back and forth across channels and are accentuated with windswept distortion. In addition, the main structures of most of these pieces are based on layers of repeating themes. None are terribly complex alone, but they build into sophisticated multidimensional patterns that have a post-industrial feel. Different lines contribute percussion and melody, while occasional recordings of indiscernable voices provide a haunting atmosphere. Indeed, there is a strong sense of minimalism once you peel back the covers of Khushue, yet Harrabi offers this up with a fresh and modern overall sound.

This album is another example of genre-pushing from the Unexplained Sounds Group. It is notably idiosyncratic and manages to be immediately likable despite (or perhaps because of) this characteristic and well as its dark tones.