Floating music for dreaming, do you believe in an afterlife? Consider the vanishing moment we call life. The music of The After opens a garden of spiritual themes, such as transfiguration, the good life, an important connection with the soil, as well as with the concept of afterlife itself. The cello is divine, the innovative vocals are astonishing, the use of natural sounds is subtle, the sound is always changing; the ride is smooth. The composer, Carlos Dengler is an NYC-based composer, actor, writer, multi-instrumentalist musician, naturalist, backpacker, and amateur nature photographer. He was born in 1974 in Queens, New York, to a Colombian mother and a German father. He and his family lived in Queens until his early teens, after which they relocated to Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Enrolling at NYU in the ’90s, Dengler’s appreciation of ambient and experimental music became evident when he started Theatrum Aethereum, a WNYU radio show (1997 to 1998) dedicated to ethereal goth and dark ambient music.

While pursuing his B.A. in Philosophy from the College of Arts and Sciences at New York University, which he earned in 1999, he became cofounder of and original bass player and keyboardist for the band Interpol, and performed with the band until 2010. He was also a professional DJ in the 2000s, during which time he performed at Coachella and Lollapalooza. He returned to NYU to study, receiving his M.F.A. in Acting from NYU Grad Acting in 2015.

Dengler has performed in local and regional theaters like Lincoln Center Theater, Dorset Theater Festival and Fringe New York where he performed his one-person show Homo Sapiens Interruptus in 2016. As a personal essayist, he has published essays in the Mars Review of Books, n + 1 and in an anthology called New Jersey Fan Club on Rutgers University Press. In 2018, he directed his first short called Iowa, along with writing the screenplay, editing, scoring and performing as the lead. Dengler also nurtures an interest in film composition and scoring; his work in this medium includes recent work on a feature-length indie called Sam’s World and an episodic animation project called Love Letters to the Subway.

Returning to music with a new vision, in 2022 Dengler self-released an EP with 4 tracks, ECOSPHERES, and an LP with 9 tracks, AQUEDUCT, followed in 2023 with PRIVATE EARTH. Dengler’s foray into ambient music comes as a natural progression from his Goth roots in the ‘90s, specifically the neoclassical variety of Goth popularized by Dead Can Dance. That experience dovetailed with exposure to dark ambient and contemporary classical composers from Eastern Europe, the so-called “spiritual minimalists” like Arvo Pärt and Henryk Gorecki. Dengler began diving more deeply into these genres, discovering as well the “passive” textures of Brian Eno and then, a little later, artists like Patrick O’Hearn and David Darling, with their more “active” sounding New Age ambient music. Dengler developed an interest in a wider range of ambient composers such as Steve Roach, Robert Rich, Thom Brennan, Oophoi, Alio Die and Mathias Grassow.

Dengler found his deep love of nature, hiking, and photography also inspiring to his new direction in music. His latest album, The After, begins with an interlocking melodic phrase that morphs perfectly along, the feeling is full without being dense, and with plenty of interesting odd sounding elements visiting the mix, “Extremophile” (6:53). This is an entrance into a strange new world, the sonic landscape continues to actively blossom as the imaginary hills go traveling by. For a while the beat gets stronger and weaves interesting textures throughout the calming flow. With Paul Brantley on cello, “Mirrored Moss” (7:51) begins with a dark and humid atmosphere, the cello elevates the dynamic direction towards a glowing and creaking distant high mountain. The third track has moments that might be a little disturbing, and rather fascinating at the same time. “Silent Veil” (7:01) with vocalist Cynthia Cook has echoes and whispers with a vast array of musical and vocal expressions. “The Harvest” (5:40) also with Paul Brantley on cello, could be an ode to autumn, an upbeat tempo that is light and energizing with an array of wonderful strange sounds bubbling in the mix.

Now swaying tones, water sounds flowing and sparkling, a calming dreamscape with night frogs, and spring energy. The concluding tracks sustain and powerfully expand the album’s purposeful flow, and leads inevitably into “The After” (12:14), with a sound that is wispy and delicate, sometimes glowing in radiant glory. Imagine a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual’s stream of consciousness or identity continues to exist after the death of their physical body. I find the musical feeling to be calming and nourishing, sustaining ethereal voices enfolded in warm silky sounds, always unusual and compelling. A calming and fragmented melody, with emerging new forms, new instruments and layers, the flute brings the crown to wear. Yet nothing is solid, all is vapor and light, gently flickering balls of many colors, constantly changing. A dream world with themes that flow like waves on the sand.

Dengler’s complexity and innovative craftsmanship take the listener into a new musical experience, inviting dreams and providing a healthy relief from stress. Fans of Dengler’s new music experience the intricate blending of his Gothic 1990s roots (especially the neoclassical variety popularized by Dead Can Dance), with his passion for the ambient works of “spiritual minimalists” like Arvo Pärt and Henryk Gorecki. Dengler’s recent works have been welcomed in the New Age and Ambient community with enthusiastic reviews and support from global media such as Chuck van Zyl/STAR’S END, NPR’s Tones & Drones Podcast, SiriusXM Spa, The Morning Breeze, Contemporary Fusion Reviews, Modul303.

Music writer Robin James observes, “The music of The After opens a garden of spiritual themes, such as transfiguration, the good life, an important connection with the soil, as well as with the concept of afterlife itself. The cello is divine, the innovative vocals are astonishing, the use of natural sounds is subtle, the sound is always changing; the ride is smooth.”

Cellist Paul Brantley and vocalist Cynthia Cook accompany the album. Brantley’s cello can be heard on the tracks, “Mirrored Moss” and “The Harvest,” and gives listeners a feeling of ascension into the sweet unknown. Cynthia Cook’s vocals on the track, “Silent Veil,” has a similar effect with a hint of translucency and ethereality. Cover design was created by Nathan Youngblood.

TRACKLIST
1. Extremophile (06.53)
2. Mirrored Moss (07.51)
3. Silent Veil (07.00)
4. The Harvest (05.40)
5. Preparation (08.22)
6. Gift to the Fire (08.58)
7. Tomorrow’s Halls (07.06)
8. The After (12.13)