Vidna Obmana

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. Serries created music under the Vidna Obmana pseudonym from 1984 until 2007, when he officially retired the name. Most of his current work is released under the Fear Falls Burning pseudonym.

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.

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.

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 Devadder 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 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 True Stories (1999), Mirage

With 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