Amon Akh

Amon is the alias of Andrea Marutti, practitioner of elemental ambient and tape music since the early
1990s. Among his decades of work, his self-titled 1996 album, here retitled as ‘Akh’, stands out for his
almost mystical grasp of reverberant acoustics that hark back to prehistoric caves and spaces. Amon really
gets inside his thing with literal, non musical inspiration from the mysteries and rites of ancient Egypt,
factored by the esoteric writings of Peter Kolosimo and a movement of so-called “pseudo-archaeology” that
guides and elevates his work in the imagination. It’s frankly terrifying gear, tempered by a slow-burning,
introspective quality that invites the listener to succumb to its meditative formations.
Best consumed in the depths of night, the album takes on a vividly transportive nature. Over 90 minutes, it
arcs from the Thomas Köner-esque tonalities of Regula #1’, to the subharmonic shadows of ‘Hiram Roi’, via the
glowering ‘Darkside Return’ and into the chasmic phasing of ‘Wasted’. There’s little in the way of light creeping
through, but Marutti’s occasional use of harmony is startling ‘Uhura Photons’ dense and suffocating noise
eventually splits into a near choral synthscape, and on ‘Mopula’ you can just about pick up on the irregular
harmony of each central note. On ‘She Touched The Stone’, we end with beautiful, chiming pads and bells
echoing from deep below, an experience not unlike hearing Bohren and Der Club of Gore’s billowing melodies
seep through a dense cloud of smoke.