Mare

Mare is his second studio album and follows in a similar vein to his self released debut, 2012's A Forest. However a key difference is that while his first album was heavily sample-based, Mare is much more organic, in which nearly every sound and every instrument is self-recorded. Many of the album's ideas are based on field-recordings taken from the surroundings. On top of this, several microphones were set up in the room ad left to run on for whole sessions. The microphones collected everything, from tapping, singing, playing, footsteps, as well as percussive elements added on the fly such as bottles, sticks, a set of keys, or basically anything that was lying around. Sometimes he would open the sliding patio doors, where sounds from outside would blend into the mix. Among the instruments placed around the table were an old marimba, a mandolin zither, some self modified synthesizers, and various other sound tools accumulated from his travels. There are also four tracks that feature the vocals of previous collaborator Mohna (Haul, Mare, Vind, Wilderness). For Loeffler, another interesting aspect of the album is that it's the first time he himself sings on a record (Lid, Pacific, Nil). The instrumentation, the setting, and the process, make Mare a highly individual body of work that sees him expanding the limits of his set-up. The LP features the highly emotive sound that Loeffler's become known for, using deep house as a stylistic framework with which to base his tracks. Exploring spaces of emotional and physical loss, getting lost, as well as arriving, he blends wistful melodies, drum machines, and found sound into a wandering, melancholic melange.