OW14 Hitam - Vesturgata Gaze
On ‘Vesturgata Gaze’, Hitam traverses a new biome. Geographically and metaphorically. Through this introductory release on Omen Wapta, a remarkable voice in techno lunges into artistic deliverance.
Here we, the listeners, find ourselves with an EP that harbours immense emotive voltage. A perspective-pivoting trip unmistakably lies at the root of the soundwaves crashing into our eardrums. Tectonic shifts reshuffle subterranean frequencies on ‘Gomlotun Ruins’. On ‘Djedd Pillars’, we humbly stand witness as ceremonial incantations demarcate indigenous land. ‘Kaedaan Aliran’ sweeps us up into century-old rhythmic phrases that strike as if descending from periods of persistent rainfall. The reverb of a cavernous space deregulating your perception of balance, is a sensation that crawls all over ‘Vesturgata Gaze’ and ‘Ningishzida’. In elusive ways, this record assigns a bardic function to mostly nonverbal music. The archives stand tall both as fact and as fiction.
All five tracks consistently bring forward traces of such life-affirming events. Large and small, old and new, funneled into one inertia-transcending project after a thorough exploration of Iceland. Geological features are resculpted into sound in grand fashion, but thanks to creative mixing choices, subtlety and surprise always run the gamut. It allows Hitam to carefully document the many undercurrents of experience and cultivate them through the magical power of peer-to-peer creative dialogue. Showing that commitment and intimate collaboration, taking on bold artistic ventures, touching moss and glaciers – that’s what can break the mould.
Release date: March 4, 2026
Written and produced by Hitam
Mastered by Stephan Mathieu at Schwebung Mastering
Sleeve design by Philip Kylberg
Words by Kos van Erp
Distributed by Clone Records Rotterdam
Vinyl 12" & digital format via Clone and Omen Wapta Bandcamp
© Omen Wapta
Delft, The Netherlands est. 2021
www.omenwapta.com
released March 4, 2026