Vidna Obmana (stylized vidnaObmana on many album covers) is a pseudonym used by Belgian composer and ambient musician Dirk Serries. The name Vidna Obmana, a phrase in Serbian, literally translates to "optical illusion" and was chosen by Serries because he felt it accurately described the music.[1] Serries created music under the Vidna Obmana pseudonym from 1984 until 2007, when he officially retired the name.[2] Most of his current work is released under the Fear Falls Burning pseudonym.[3]

Vidna Obmana
Dirk Serries (2009)
Dirk Serries (2009)
Background information
Birth nameDirk Serries
Born1968
OriginBelgium
GenresAmbient music
Minimal music
Drone music
Years active1984–2007
LabelsND Records
Hypnos Recordings
Soleilmoon Recordings
Projekt Records
Website[1]

Vidna Obmana's music has often been described as anamorphic and organic. He uses the techniques of looping and shaping harmonies, minimizing the configurations to a few notes.[4]

Vidna Obmana has collaborated on several occasions with artists such as Asmus Tietchens, Brannan Lane, Capriolo Trifoglio, Diego Borotti, and Steve Roach. Some of these collaborations have become entire projects of their own, such as Continuum (collaboration with Bass Communion) and Principle of Silence (collaboration with Joris De Backer).

Vidna Obmana is often cited as one of the more notable dark ambient musicians.[5][6]

Discography

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Solo albums

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  • The Ultimated Sign of Burning Death (1985) Therapie Organisatie
  • Experience Artaud - Soundtrack for Experimental Theatre (1988), Mechanical Orchestration Music
  • Deathchamber - Trancedreamed (1988) Mechanical Orchestration Music
  • Gathering in frozen beauty (1989), The Decade Collection
  • Near the flogging landscape (1990), VioletGlassOracle Tapes
  • Refined on gentle clouds (1991), Direct Music
  • Passage in Beauty (1991), Projekt
  • Shadowing in Sorrow (1991), Projekt
  • Ending Mirage (1992), Projekt
  • Echoing Delight (1993)
  • Revealed by composed nature (1994), Hic Sunt Leones
  • The Spiritual Bonding (1994) Extreme
  • The Transcending Quest (1995), Amplexus
  • The River of Appearance (1996), Projekt
  • Twilight of Perception (1997), Projekt
  • Crossing the Trail (1997), Projekt
  • Landscape in obscurity (1998), Hypnos - with Capriolo Trifoglio and Diego Borotti
  • The Surreal Sanctuary (2000), Hypnos
  • The Contemporary Nocturne (2000), Hypnos
  • Subterranean Collective (2001), Project
  • Soundtrack for the Aquarium (2001), Hypnos
  • Tremor (2001), Relapse/Release
  • Isolation Trip/Path of Distortion (2002), Klanggalerie (7" LP)
  • Spore (2003), Relapse
  • Legacy (2004), Relapse

Opera for Four Fusion Works Series

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  • An Opera for Four Fusion Works
    • Act One: Echoes of Steel with Dreams in Exile (2002), Hypnos
    • Act Two: Phrasing the Air with Bill Fox (2004), Hypnos
    • Act Three: Reflection on Scale with Kenneth Kirchner (2006), Hypnos
    • Act 4 (2007), Hypnos

Collaborations

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  • Vidna Obmana & Big City Orchestra (1989), Mechanical Orchestration Music
  • The Shape of Solitude (1999), Multimood
  • Deep Unknown (2002), Ambient Circle
  • 2-disc re-release of The River of Appearance (1996) with accompanying all-acoustic re-conceptualization of the album by Dreams in Exile
  • Gluttony (2005), Hands
  • Greed (2006), Hands
  • Spirits (1999), High Gate Music

With David Lee Myers

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  • Tracers (2003), Klanggalerie
  • Bleeding Wounds / Only Fear Will Survive (1986), Ladd-Frith
  • Monument of Empty Colours (1988), The Decade Collection
  • Compositions : Depression & Ideal" (1989), Freedom in a Vacuum/PBK Recordings
  • Fragment 3 (1991), N D
  • True Stories (1999), Mirage
  • Well of Souls (1995), Projekt – 2 discs
  • Cavern of Sirens (1997), Projekt
  • Ascension of Shadows (1998), Projekt (limited edition 3-disc set included Somewhere Else, re-released 2005)
  • Live Archive (2000), Groove Unlimited
  • Circles & Artifacts (2000), Contemptary Harmonic
  • InnerZone (2002), Projekt
  • Spirit Dome (2004), Projekt
  • Somewhere Else (2005), Projekt
  • Low Volume Music (2012), Projekt
  • Terrace of Memories (1992), Projekt
  • Variations for Organ, Keyboard and Processors (1999), Multimood
  • The Shift Recyclings (2002), Soleilmoon
  • Motives for Recycling (Linear Writings, Nachtstücke Revisited) (1999), Soleilmoon
  • Untitled Collaboration (1995), Syrenia

Other collaborations

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Anthologies

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  • Noise/Drone Anthology 1984-1989 (2005), Ikon/Projekt
  • Anthology 1984 - 2004 (2004), Ikon/Projekt
  • Memories Compiled 2 (Near the flogging landscape, Refined on gentle clouds) (1999), Projekt: Archive
  • The Trilogy (1995), Projekt: Archive - Compilation of Passage in beauty, Shadowing in sorrow and Ending Mirage
  • Memories Compiled 1 (Monument of Empty Colours, Gathering in frozen beauty) (1994), Projekt: Archive - with PBK

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Vidna Obmana". Archived from the original on 2009-08-22. Retrieved 2009-11-13.
  2. ^ "Vidna Obmana". Archived from the original on 2009-11-23. Retrieved 2009-11-13.
  3. ^ "Fear Falls Burning, History". Retrieved 2009-11-13.
  4. ^ Vidna Obmana discography
  5. ^ Phillips, Dave (2004). "Linux Audio Conference 2004 Zentrum fur Kunst und Medientechnology, Karlsruhe, Germany, 29 April-2 May 2004". Computer Music Journal. 28 (4): 87–91. doi:10.1162/comj.2004.28.4.87. S2CID 64289367.
  6. ^ Teresa Gubbins, Vidna Obmana, Dallas Morning News, February 24, 1994
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