About

Preslav Literary School is an experimental ambient artist originally from the UK, now based in rural Germany. Known for his evocative live tape collages, he combines found sounds, treated guitars, delicate synths, and spoken word to create immersive sonic landscapes. His music has been featured on Spotify playlists such as Ambient Essentials, Ambient X, and The Listening Room. He has gained critical acclaim for his unique ability to transform mundane, everyday moments into deeply personal, otherworldly compositions.

Preslav Literary School emerged in the mid-2000s as part of Berlin’s hauntology tape scene, performing with a collection of twelve Walkmans and a broken mixer. He quickly gained attention for his live performances, where he used loops of found cassette recordings and physically manipulated tape to craft cinematic, hypnotic drones. In 2010, he released the live LP Echolalia on NO-FI, a collaboration with Machinefabriek, Jazzfinger, and others.

The album, recorded at a tape-loop orchestra performance in Newcastle, was praised as “one of the craziest things I’ve heard in ages and yet completely compelling” (Norman Records) and for taking “tape manipulation to places I never thought of… ambient doom, grooved psych, gauzy pink bliss” (Anti-Gravity Bunny). Geiger described it as “a very exciting release for anyone with a penchant for tape aesthetics,” Cows Are Just Food reviewed it as being “intellectually and emotionally engaging in a way that no other record has for me this year,” and Second Layer called it a “f**king amazing tape loop record.” The album led to a live performance on The Wire’s Resonance FM show, as well as repeat plays on WFMU’s Radio Boredcast and zovietfrance’s* A Duck in a Tree.

In 2013, Preslav Literary School teamed up with New Zealand-based artist Will Gresson to release Analepsis/The Last Tram on the label Hell is Now Love. The 10” lathe-cut single, recorded in Berlin, delved deep into the realms of noise, blending haunting cassette hiss, distorted loops, and atmospheric drones, recalling the sounds of Throbbing Gristle and Popol Vuh.

After relocating to Dublin, a catastrophic loss of his entire tape archive during a move caused Preslav Literary School to retreat from the music scene for nearly a decade. During this hiatus, he focused on learning guitar, releasing no new material. However, in 2019, he self-released Mycelium, which saw him release guitar and synthesiser work for the first time. The album gathered half a million streams on Spotify in just a year, introducing him to a new generation of listeners.

Critics have often highlighted the emotional depth and haunting nature of Preslav Literary School’s work. Music blog Pied Paper described his music as “truly deep… for those who are not in a hurry.” Weed Temple praised him for “distorting the lines between the haunting and the beatific… making music to get lost in,” while MuhMur called his long-form compositions “deep and beautiful.” Ampersand Etcetera described his body of work as “fascinating, intriguing, seductive, and musical.” While classic ambient influences such as Brian Eno’s Ambient 1: Music for Airports and William Basinski’s The Disintegration Loops are present, Preslav Literary School’s sound also incorporates elements from a wide range of genres, including black metal, Studio One dub, and Éthiopiques jazz.

In addition to his studio work, Preslav Literary School has shared stages with experimental luminaries such as Aki Onda, Machinefabriek, and Schneider TM, and has performed at notable festivals including transmediale, Flux/s, and Shift Festival. His ability to merge lo-fi tape loops with meticulous overdubbing and live manipulation has cemented his place as a unique voice in the experimental music world.

With his new album (entitled “Sunset, Detective”) set for release in December 2024, Preslav Literary School invites listeners to explore a soundtrack to a film that doesn’t exist—an imagined narrative built from fragments of memory, sound, and atmosphere, offering a deeply personal and ever-evolving listening experience.

Links

Buy at Bandcamp.