As to be expected from a Hunter Hunt-Hendrix project, Kel Valhaal has lofty aims. In an explanatory statement, the artist alludes to Transcendental Qabala, Gesamtkunstwerk, a modern reworking of Perichoresis, and a multitude of artistic media and genres. It can sound heavy-handed, like basically every philosophy even peripherally influenced by The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, but realistically most of these terms are concerned with a dialectic synthesis or connection to something bigger—something Hunt-Hendrix calls divine. On “Tense Stage (Edit),” Hunter pairs his double-tongued, spiritually-infused lyricism with electronic music and hip-hop. In the accompanying video, directed by Japanese animator supreme Aujik, the music provides backdrop to a hallucinatory channeling of infinity, from the smallest denominator—appearing as a tardigrade—to the majestic, unknowable cosmos. It’s jaw-dropping visually, but moreover gives welcome perspective to our limited view of the unlimited.
“Tense Stage” comes from Kel Valhaal’s debut LP, New Introductory Lectures on the System of Transcendental Qabala, is out July 15 on YLYLCYN. Pre-order it now.