Naïve Magic: A Dungeon Synth Digest #18 —Roundup
Urulókë (plural Urulóki) is the Quenya name of the fire-drakes, meaning "fire-serpent” or "fire-dragon".
-Taken from Tolkien Gateway
I have talked at length about the releases of Spanish artist Frostgard. Most of the coverage has been a way not only to celebrate a fantastic artist in the community but also to talk about Tolkien as Frostgard’s entire career has been built on the lore of Middle Earth. Here is another chance! One of my favorite hobbies is listening to the new record and spending time on Tolkien Gateway looking at song and album titles. Urulókë, aside from being cool since it talks about dragons, is another chapter in this artist’s career paying tribute to old school dungeon synth not only in sound but also deep in spirit. Frostgard continues to be a person of interest in the scope of dungeon synth who make songs about cool things like dragons.
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The year 2020 felt like it was a century ago, and May 2020 was a time fraught with anxiety and tension. This might have felt like an odd time to revel in a blanket of medieval melodies, but Swedish artist Treasure Seeker released Quests for the Secrets Beyond Time in the spring of 2020 and has since been a moment of golden sunshine in an otherwise dark time. Secret of Aiun breaks a three-year silence with music that would fill smokey taverns bursting with bustling patrons. Treasure Seeker, much like its name, is a gem that seems to only operate irregularly, and for this moment I am content with music that will play for the next few years.
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“Wands of the Minor Arcana is the solo ambient project of Harman Burns. Her work is inspired by nature, folklore, the occult, and bodily transfiguration.”
Along with the ambient focused work of Burns, her work in Plasticine Cowboy also touches on electroacoustic and prepared instrument work which is both bizarre and delightful. Into the Gloaming Ilse is Burns' foray into dungeon synth adjacent ambient and debut as the artist Wands of the Minor Arcana. <i>Into the Gloaming Ilse</i> is a delightful pastiche of environmental ambient and VGM sounding melodies as if Hiroshi Yoshimura made the Stardew Valley soundtrack.
Wands of The Minor Arcana is dedicated to a story, as Into the Gloaming Isle comes with a lengthy description about a place which could be a dream landscape or a campaign setting for future adventures. For an idea, a story, and a sound, Burns has exceeded the bar for intrigue, as this release is more than adequate for an opening introduction.
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Valen is the work of an artist who some know as Seregost. Along with this act who performed at the 2023 North East Dungeon Siege, Seregost is also behind acts such as The Night Keep, Throne of Anguish, and the operations of Obsidian Relic Records. Of Kings And Destiny was originally released in 2021 and presented a martial dungeon synth combined with bleak atmospheres which presented battlefields covered in horror and darkness. Gondolin Records reintroduces the world to this record along with Side A of a 2022 demo which was limited in its editions to six lathe cuts records. Gondolin continues to be one of the biggest archivists for dungeon synth, presenting tapes as if they were museum exhibits for the public to hear.
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“Hypnotic lo-fi techno. Esoteric electronics and magical realism.” Musician Evergreen Rupe continues to experiment on their private label Windkey Tapes and release things without advance notice. I have always enjoyed things which stray into new territory, and the world of lofi ambient techno is certainly a new direction. Though there are more percussive elements and a tribute to the ‘80’s and ‘90’s sounds which filled parties and clubs, the hazy ambience which has been a hallmark of Evergreens music is still present just adding a new wing onto an already elaborate mansion.
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HDK (Heimat der Katastrophe) has a long history with tabletop RPGs blurring the line between music and games and creating a hybrid between. The Lost City is the newest release by the entity GNOLL and dedicates itself to the classic module of the same name by famous creator Tom Moldvay. GNOLL’s release serves as an unofficial soundtrack to the module but realistically would be an official soundtrack if made in 1982. Both GNOLL and HDK continue to be dungeon synth’s most astute scholars when it comes to the subject of old school RPG material.
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There are many releases I could talk about regarding Weregnome Records. One could be the Shibuya-kei / power pop alchemy of Flower Ranger, the minimal stillness of Rhosgobel, or even the raw black ferocity of The Pale Stillness. Those are all wonderful as well as the cover with the Goblin and the title which mimics a very late installment on the Friday the 13th series. Retrogoblin are a party, and through their releases, they very much are on the side that are always laughing. Over this laughter, though, is an immersive landscape of chiptune which could be the soundtrack to a horror side scroller where ninjas pop out of manholes.
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You have probably seen a Coniferous Myst release on Bandcamp/in someone's collection. It was probably monochrome artwork that looked like a tape cover just folded out and hastily cropped along with an unlabeled dubbed tape. Since 2022, Myst and the label Lost Armor have served as staging areas for various projects by the creator. Knight of The Wyvern Covenant IV is the newest offering from Lost Armor and continues to be a delightful mix of old-school dungeon synth with an emphasis on imperfections and decay. This is raw dungeon synth from a creator who is championing the sound.
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Genres: medieval ambient pop adventure synth comfy synth dungeon synth medieval music medieval synth neo medieval Helsinki. There are, of course, commas in there, but it is more fun without. I was sent this by the editors with a line saying “This is sure something.” It certainly is and I’m here for it. I do not know if the genre of avant-pop with a bedroom medieval tone to it is an aesthetic yet, but I sure hope it becomes one since this is intoxicating and delightful.
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