viktor benev's aeon is an album initially released in 2020 as a way of coping with the lock-down during the covid pandemic. it was remastered in 2023.

even though the album is divided in five sections, it was conceived as a 39-minutes minimalistic suite where simplicity is an anchor point. the anagrammatic titles indicate the suite is based on variations, a much-cherished classical compositional form where usually the initial melodic or sound material is presented in different arrangements. here, we follow a similar approach, only, it is based on the sound and rhythmic elements themselves, rather than the main melodies as is the case in classical music.

the whole suite follows the same tempo, thus inducing a trance-like quality to the overall listening experience. the analog rhythms are almost identical throughout, yet never quite the same, following a carefully thought-out system of breaks in order to prepare the listener for each new section. underlying pads lay the groundwork for the harmonic interplay between them and the main protagonist – the piano.

the latter is what guides us through the whole suite, often colored by or opposed to synthesizers with various timbral qualities. the piano parts are meticulously dispersed in a slow-paced fashion with particular detail on chord voicings, chosen for their emotional and evocative impact and aligned to form simple melodies.

in its conception, aeon is best experienced as a long-form listening session and offers a rhythmically-driven meditative trip before disappearing back into silence from where it begins its journey.