Vidna Obmana

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Vidna Obmana

| image = Fear Falls Burning, Epiphone Les Paul.jpg

| caption = Dirk Serries (2009)

| background =non_performing_personnel

| birth_name = Dirk Serries

| birth_date = 1968

| origin = Belgium

| instrument =

| genre = Ambient music
Minimal music
Drone music

| occupation =

| years_active = 1984–2007

| label = ND Records
Hypnos Recordings
Soleilmoon Recordings
Projekt Records

| associated_acts = Steve Roach
Alio Die

| website = [http://dirkserries.com]

}}

Vidna Obmana (stylized vidnaObmana on many album covers) is a pseudonym used by Belgian composer and ambient musician 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.vidnaobmana.be/index.php?pg=vidnaobmana|title=Vidna Obmana|access-date=2009-11-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090822222435/http://www.vidnaobmana.be/index.php?pg=vidnaobmana|archive-date=2009-08-22|url-status=dead}} Serries created music under the Vidna Obmana pseudonym from 1984 until 2007, when he officially retired the name.{{cite web|url=http://www.vidnaobmana.be/|title=Vidna Obmana|access-date=2009-11-13|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091123183923/http://www.vidnaobmana.be/|archive-date=2009-11-23}} Most of his current work is released under the Fear Falls Burning pseudonym.{{cite web|url=http://www.fearfallsburning.be/|title=Fear Falls Burning, History|access-date=2009-11-13}}

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.[http://www.moodbook.com/music/vidna-obmana.html Vidna Obmana discography]

Vidna Obmana has collaborated on several occasions with artists such as Asmus Tietchens, Brannan Lane, Capriolo Trifoglio, Diego Borotti, and Steve Roach. Some of these collaborations have become entire projects of their own, such as Continuum (collaboration with Bass Communion) and Principle of Silence (collaboration with Joris De Backer).

Vidna Obmana is often cited as one of the more notable dark ambient musicians.{{cite journal | url=http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/comj.2004.28.4.87?journalCode=comj | doi=10.1162/comj.2004.28.4.87 | title=Linux Audio Conference 2004 Zentrum fur Kunst und Medientechnology, Karlsruhe, Germany, 29 April-2 May 2004 | year=2004 | last1=Phillips | first1=Dave | journal=Computer Music Journal | volume=28 | issue=4 | pages=87–91 | s2cid=64289367 | url-access=subscription }}Teresa Gubbins, [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DM&p_theme=dm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0ED3D44AC8478E7C&p_field_direct-0=document_id 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
Shadowing in Sorrow (1991), Projekt
Ending Mirage (1992), Projekt
Echoing Delight (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
The Contemporary Nocturne (2000), Hypnos
Subterranean Collective (2001), Project
Soundtrack for the Aquarium (2001), Hypnos
Tremor (2001), Relapse/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]]==

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]]==

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

==With [[Serge Devadde]]r==

The Shape of Solitude (1999), Multimood

==With [[Alio Die]]==

Echo Passage (1999), Musica Maxima Magnetica; Projekt Records (USA)

==With [[Brannan Lane]]==

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]]==

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 (composer)|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 (American artist)|Jeff Pearce]]==

True Stories (1999), Mirage

==With [[Steve Roach (musician)|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 (2004), Projekt
Somewhere Else (2005), Projekt
Low Volume Music (2012), Projekt

==With [[Sam Rosenthal]]==

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]]==

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 - PCP Torpedo 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