‘Coalescence’ is a collaborative album by contemporary jazz pianist Dimitar Bodurov and electronic music producer Ivan Shopov. Spanning over eight variously paced pieces the record is the result of two lengthy improvisation sessions that took place in Bodurov’s Amsterdam-based studio back in 2017. After letting the raw recordings season for a few years the duo re-immersed themselves in the material. The album they fleshed out feels and sounds as if it was meticulously composed and not created in the spur of a moment. ‘Coalescence’ is offered to us barely edited and as pure as it gets. Bodurov and Shopov are indulging in varyingly paced and piano-driven musical explorations which are minimalist at their core but emotionally dense as well.

‘Coalescence’ is released in a time when most of us have been forced to put our lives and inter-human interactions at a halt. Exploring the territories of ghostly musical stasis, Bodurov and Shopov are keeping us sane through all mind states, feelings and paths they’ve sketched in their improvisatory dialog. When musicians from different backgrounds are coming together the goal is always to adjust their approaches so they eventually merge within the music. Maybe due to previous studio and live collaborations, in ‘Coalescence’ this intertwining of elements is present right from the start. This successful combination of acoustic sounds and their synthetic counterparts allows us to go deeper and deeper until all is said and done. At least until Bodurov and Shopov find themselves locked in another studio together for the next creative outburst.

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