Vidna Obmana (stylized vidnaObmana on many album covers) is a

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

used by

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

composer and

ambient music Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes tone and atmosphere over traditional musical structure or rhythm. It may lack net composition, beat, or structured melody.The Ambient Century by Mark Prendergast, Bloomsbury, London, 2003. It u ...

ian 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. Serries created music under the Vidna Obmana pseudonym from 1984 until 2007, when he officially retired the name. Most of his current work is released under the Fear Falls Burning pseudonym. 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. Vidna Obmana has collaborated on several occasions with artists such as

Asmus Tietchens Asmus Tietchens (born 3 February 1947, in Hamburg), who also records under the monikers Hematic Sunsets and Club of Rome, is a German composer of avant-garde music. Tietchens became interested in experimental music and musique concrète as a chi ...

Brannan Lane Brannan is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Andy Brannan (1919–1997), Australian rules footballer * Andrew Brannan (1948–2015), American Vietnam war veteran and criminal * Charles F. Brannan (1903–1992), United States ...

, Capriolo Trifoglio, Diego Borotti, and Steve Roach. Some of these collaborations have become entire projects of their own, such as

Continuum Continuum may refer to: * Continuum (measurement), theories or models that explain gradual transitions from one condition to another without abrupt changes Mathematics * Continuum (set theory), the real line or the corresponding cardinal number ...

(collaboration with

Bass Communion ''Bass Communion'' is a solo project of English musician Steven Wilson, best known for his lead role in the rock band Porcupine Tree. Records released under the name "Bass Communion" are in an ambient or electronic vein - lengthy drone-heavy ...

) and Principle of Silence (collaboration with

Joris De Backer Joris, a Dutch form of the given name George, may refer to: *Joris Bado (born 1991), Burkinabé basketball player * Joris Bert (born 1987), French baseball player *Joris Borghouts (born 1939), Dutch Egyptologist * Joris Delle (born 1990), French f ...

). Vidna Obmana is often cited as one of the more notable dark ambient musicians.Teresa Gubbins
Vidna Obmana
Dallas Morning News, February 24, 1994

Discography

Solo albums

* ''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 Projekt is a Portland, Oregon-based independent record label started by Sam Rosenthal in 1983. Projekt releases music in the styles of darkwave, ambient, shoegaze, gothic rock, ethereal, dream-pop, and dark cabaret. Projekt artists include S ...

* ''Shadowing in Sorrow'' (1991), Projekt * ''Ending Mirage'' (1992), Projekt * ''

Echoing Delight ''Echoing Delight'' is an album by Vidna Obmana, released on October 5, 1993 through Extreme Records. Track listing Personnel *Doriana Corda – cover art *Tom Kloeck – gong and percussion on "Winter Mouvement" *Vidna Obmana&nb ...

'' (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 In Greek mythology, Hypnos (; Ancient Greek: means 'sleep') also spelled Hypnus is the personification of sleep; the Roman equivalent is known as Somnus. His name is the origin of the word hypnosis. Pausanias wrote that Hypnos was a dearest fr ...

* ''The Contemporary Nocturne'' (2000), Hypnos * ''Subterranean Collective'' (2001), Project * ''Soundtrack for the Aquarium'' (2001), Hypnos * ''Tremor'' (2001),

Relapse In internal medicine, relapse or recidivism is a recurrence of a past (typically medical) condition. For example, multiple sclerosis and malaria often exhibit peaks of activity and sometimes very long periods of dormancy, followed by relapse or r ...

/Release * ''Isolation Trip/Path of Distortion'' (2002), Klanggalerie (7" LP) * ''Spore'' (2003), Relapse * ''Legacy'' (2004), Relapse

''Opera for Four Fusion Works'' Series

* ''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

With
Bass Communion ''Bass Communion'' is a solo project of English musician Steven Wilson, best known for his lead role in the rock band Porcupine Tree. Records released under the name "Bass Communion" are in an ambient or electronic vein - lengthy drone-heavy ...

* '' Continuum I'' (2005), Soleilmoon * '' the continuum recyclings, volume one'' (2006), Tonefloat (2LP) * '' Continuum II'' (2007), Soleilmoon * '' the continuum recyclings, volume two'' (2010), Tonefloat (2LP)

With
Big City Orchestra Big City Orchestra is a long-running art/anti-art group based generally in California. They have an ever rotating cast of musician and nonmusician members. They were formed in 1979 as the house band for a network of artist residences in the Sout ...

* ''Vidna Obmana & Big City Orchestra'' (1989), Mechanical Orchestration Music

With Serge Devadder

* ''The Shape of Solitude'' (1999), Multimood

With
Alio Die Alio Die, the stage name of Stefano Musso, is an Italian ambient-music composer and producer. Stefano Musso studied art and electronics in Milan, Italy, and began performing music in 1989. Overview His music is a fusion of acoustical elements ...

* ''

Echo Passage ''Echo Passage'' is a collaborative album by ambient musicians Alio Die (Stefano Musso) and Vidna Obmana ( Dirk Serries). The album was originally released in 1999 on the Italian label ''Musica Maxima Magnetica'' and was reissued on Projekt Reco ...

'' (1999), Musica Maxima Magnetica;

Projekt Records Projekt is a Portland, Oregon-based independent record label started by Sam Rosenthal in 1983. Projekt releases music in the styles of darkwave, ambient, shoegaze, gothic rock, ethereal, dream-pop, and dark cabaret. Projekt artists include S ...

(USA)

With
Brannan Lane Brannan is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Andy Brannan (1919–1997), Australian rules footballer * Andrew Brannan (1948–2015), American Vietnam war veteran and criminal * Charles F. Brannan (1903–1992), United States ...

* '' Deep Unknown'' (2002), Ambient Circle

With Dreams in Exile

* 2-disc re-release of ''The River of Appearance'' (1996) with accompanying all-acoustic re-conceptualization of the album by Dreams in Exile

With Klinik

* ''Gluttony'' (2005), Hands * ''Greed'' (2006), Hands

With
Jan Marmenout Jan Marmenout (born in Ghent, Belgium) is a Belgian percussionist and multi-instrumentalist playing such instruments as the berimbau, kalimba, balafon, didgeridoo, shawm, Tibetan trumpet, conch shells, fujara, lithophones, etc. He is perhaps mo ...

* ''Spirits'' (1999), High Gate Music

With David Lee Myers

* ''Tracers'' (2003), Klanggalerie

With Neurotic Youth

* ''Bleeding Wounds / Only Fear Will Survive'' (1986), Ladd-Frith

With PBK

* ''Monument of Empty Colours'' (1988), The Decade Collection * ''Compositions : Depression & Ideal" (1989), Freedom in a Vacuum/PBK Recordings * ''Fragment 3'' (1991), N D

With Jeff Pearce

* ''True Stories'' (1999), Mirage

With Steve Roach

* ''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 ''Spirit Dome'' (2004) is a collaborative album by ambient musicians Steve Roach and Vidna Obmana. It was recorded in a live studio session in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonweal ...

'' (2004), Projekt * ''Somewhere Else'' (2005), Projekt

With
Sam Rosenthal Sam Rosenthal is an American musician, composer, artist, and novelist. He is the founder and leader of the band Black Tape for a Blue Girl and the Projekt Records record label. He lives in Portland, Oregon with his son and cat. Rosenthal was inter ...

* ''Terrace of Memories'' (1992), Projekt

With Djen Ajakan Shean

* '' Parallel Flaming'' (1994), Multimood * ''Still Fragments'' (1994), ND

With Willem Tanke

* ''Variations for Organ, Keyboard and Processors'' (1999), Multimood

With
Asmus Tietchens Asmus Tietchens (born 3 February 1947, in Hamburg), who also records under the monikers Hematic Sunsets and Club of Rome, is a German composer of avant-garde music. Tietchens became interested in experimental music and musique concrète as a chi ...

* ''The Shift Recyclings'' (2002), Soleilmoon * ''Motives for Recycling (Linear Writings, Nachtstücke Revisited)'' (1999), Soleilmoon * ''Untitled Collaboration'' (1995), Syrenia

Other collaborations

* ''Zero Point'' (2001), The Foundry - by Seofon with Thermal, Stephen Kent, Robert Rich, Steve Roach, Not Breathing * ''Music for Exhibiting Water with Contents – Soundtrack for the Aquarium'' (1992) Antwerp ZOO - Split with Hybrids * ''A Thunder Orchestra / Vidna Obmana'' (1986), Ladd-Frith - Split release with A Thunder Orchestra *

Agoraphobic Nosebleed Agoraphobic Nosebleed (abbreviated as ANb) is an American grindcore band formed in 1994 in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. Its line-up has changed often over the years, with guitarist and drum programmer Scott Hull being the only cont ...

- ''

PCP Torpedo ''PCP Torpedo'' is a 6" vinyl EP by American grindcore band Agoraphobic Nosebleed. It was released in 1998 on Hydra Head Records. '' PCP Torpedo'' was pressed on assorted colours, including black, black/red mixed, red, and orange/red mixed. The op ...

'' ANbRx "Three Ring Inferno" - remix

Anthologies

* ''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

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Obmana, Vidna Ambient musicians Belgian composers Male composers Belgian male musicians Extreme Records artists Living people Projekt Records artists Relapse Records artists Soleilmoon artists Belgian electronic musicians 1968 births Place of birth missing (living people)