This six-piece album is a semi-avant-garde exploration of rhythm
as ritual, tracing trance states between pagan archetypes,
medieval liturgy, and the anarchic energy of rave. Born from
improvisation, the music draws on Baltic folklore, medieval chant, and personal memories of the Lithuanian countryside, weaving field recordings into arrangements that feel both organic and ceremonial.

Half of the tracks are built solely on voice and vocal polyphony chant-like, prayerful, sometimes incantatory — while the other half lean toward repetitive electronic structures, nodding to techno’s physical insistence on the kick. This deliberate contrast asks how different rhythmic logics shape states of consciousness: can the voice alone lead us into trance? Does dance always require a drum?

The inspirations are both intimate and collective: the Sovijus myth, fragile folk songs about rivers and linden trees, a reimagining of Perotin’s Beata Viscera, and the fleeting intensity of illegal raves. At its core, the album reflects a deep ambivalence, the exhilaration of communal resistance alongside the sorrow of seeing bodies and minds pushed to their limits.

Rave emerges here as both activism and purification, a contemporary echo of archaic practices where rhythm, repetition, and trance open a path toward release and renewal. Raw, meditative, and ritualistic, the record marks both an ending and a beginning: a completed chapter in the artist’s search for altered states of listening.

Ugnė Makselytė is a Lithuanian composer, vocalist, and sound artist whose work spans experimental electroacoustic music, vocal improvisation, and immersive soundscape composition. She brings together folk traditions, classical vocal techniques, and contemporary electronics to create music that is both deeply rooted in heritage and forward-looking in its sonic language.

Her practice centers on the expressive possibilities of the human voice, often combined with field recordings and electronic processing to shape ritualistic, meditative, and trance-inducing experiences. Her work explores themes of memory, nature, and altered states of listening, blurring the boundaries between improvisation and structured composition.

She has performed and presented her work internationally, including in Lithuania, Denmark, Greece, and the UK, in contexts ranging from intimate installations to live concert settings. Recent work includes her debut album Freedom Stone, which weaves vocal polyphony with techno-informed rhythmic structures and natural soundscapes.

Her projects often merge experimental music with narrative forms, drawing on Baltic folklore, medieval chant, and contemporary electronic dance culture. She has collaborated with visual artists, filmmakers, and musicians, developing immersive audiovisual performances and installations.

She is currently completing a Master’s degree in Composition at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory (RMC) in Copenhagen, where she has developed her practice across both live performance and studio production.

Credits
Ugnė Makselytė  (voice & electronics, composition)
Lyrics by Philip the Chancellor (tracks 6 & 7)
Cover art by Marija Brusokaitė
Published by Elektramusic Berlin – Paul Clouvel
All rights reserved 2026 © Ugnė Makselytė
2026 ℗ Elektramusic Berlin – Paul Clouvel