Olma

Chris Bartels’ body of work seems to grow exponentially alongside his own creative capacity. With gorgeous tapestries of webbed guitars and streaks of faintly glowing textured tones, Tusk II marks a fascinating new chapter in the Olma oeuvre while showcasing the versatility that’s reached across Bartels’ work as a whole. Tusk is the latest step in a journey that started when Bartels taught himself guitar in high school, which led to him diving into the world of home production via an old computer, a microphone, and some basic software. “I had no idea what I was doing,” he recalls. “But I just loved experimenting with recording and songwriting. There was no turning back… The ambient and modern classical worlds were so new to me,” Bartels says. “I was dabbling in that world as I started to enjoy it more as a music fan.” As he delved deeper into the worlds of composition and licensing, Bartels founded his own company Anthem Falls (Anthem Falls Selects), which acts as an umbrella for the various projects he works on to this day—including Dellwood, Elskavon, Bora York, Blurstem, Glass Echoes, illi mel and Mum Child. “Creating art can be a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I’m trying to just be grateful for where things are at the moment. I have ambition and drive, of course, but even as I reflect on those feelings I try to just enjoy the creative process.”