Htennek Niwsha Return with a Neoclassical Daydream

Today, the masterminds behind the prolific ambient pop outfit PANToNE VU return with a new album from their passion side project, Htennek Niwhsa, titled A Part. Ken Harrison and Ashwin Sood bring one of the most enchanting and mysterious music collections you will encounter this year. With each track sonically decaying with beauty before your eyes, while retaining a sense of permanence long after the record stops, A Part is a series from the beyond. Listen to A Part on all digital retailers here: https://htennekniwhsa.ffm.to/apart.

After discovering dusty manuscripts from enigmatic composer Htennek Niwhsa, A&K (of PANTōNE VU) immersed themselves in recording his piano works and bringing them to the forefront of the neoclassical ambient world—one tattered piece of sheet music at a time.

After dropping their debut album in 2023, Htennek Niwhsa’s sophomore LP, Miniatures, was their most ambitious and soothing project yet. Recorded entirely in the Arvo Pärt Centre in Estonia, the thirteen-song album coaxed us through relaxing daydreams, afternoon park walks, and productive sessions in bustling cafes.

Now, the enigmatic duo are back for their third album, A Part, also fully recorded in Estonia. Blending solo una corda piano with cinematic synthesizers, the result is a neoclassical daydream, perfect for studying, reading, or simply relaxing the day away.”With three albums in just as many years, Htennek Niwhsa has grown from a mysterious figure to a solidified duo, captivating the world of soothing ambient music one piano key at a time. 

“A bit of a play on words,” share A&K about the album title and the focus track (of the same name). “Thematically, this record focuses on time spent APART. The pieces are slow, minimal, and contemplative. The Htennek lore may have been written after Htennek’s granddaughter Meesha, went to university. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that it resembles our favourite composer’s name?“

About the additional track (and opening piece) “Forest Hymn #13,” the duo share: “This collection of pieces was inspired by and recorded during our time at the Arvo Pärt Centre in Laulasmaa, Estonia. The trek through the forest each day to get to the Centre was so peaceful and led to this series of forest hymns. Forest Hymn #13 is an exploration of Arvo’s tintinnabulli compositional approach. The strict harmonic rules appeal to our inner math geek and lead to a delightful push and pull between dissonance and resolution.”