"A dense yet refined collection, where intricate layers grow into surprisingly bare and minimal pieces, To Humble Nest is full of contradictions, but it is also a thoroughly enjoyable record, which shows Haruki as one of the rising talents of the genre." MILK FACTORY

"The music is quite vibrant and not silent throughout, although a piece like ‘If I Wrote You’ is a sparse violin like piece, followed by other two others pieces that are somewhat quieter too. Otherwise his methods are a bit Brume-like: make sure always something happens. Very nice release, which blends field recordings together with real instruments." Frans de Waard - VITAL WEEKLY

"Tough work with a hangover but definitely worth a listen, 'To Humble a Nest' is a unique and strange beast." NORMAN RECORDS

"Everyday sounds, then? Not exactly. Both persuasively combine acoustic and electronic elements, with Haruki adding field recordings, while Gomberg seems to mutate the instrumental sounds until they sound like field recordings. The Haruki is crisper, with more recognisable instrumentation, constantly shifting in tone and mood (indeed it is vaguely sinister-sounding at times), while the Billy Gomberg is muffled, diffuse, watery, more abstract and somehow sadder. Both are minimal, quiet, intense collections which you need to persuade to give up their charms. It is worth persevering though, as despite what the label may tell you, these aren’t things you hear every day." MAPSADAISICAL

"There’s a marvellous sense of a fine balance between the abstract and the melodic which really plays to the strengths of this style of music. One minute you’re listening to dislocated sound samples and mood-driven textures and the next you’re enjoying a soothingly relaxed and understated soundscape or drone that will ease you through. The play of these differing sounds is really what makes it for me and the added field recordings really give it a life and personality of its own. References are becoming more and more redundant in my opinion but if pushed I’d almost be inclined to say Janek Schaeffer, maybe some of the more organic Line releases and almost certainly the likes of and/OAR being good points of comparison." SMALLFISH


"Though To Humble A Nest resist stylistic classification, two of its tracks nudge it in the direction of a particularly liberal conception of modern classical music, specifically “Greasy Coats and a Pair of Scissors,” a mutant setting for electronic fuzz, bass clarinet, razor guitar, and treated piano, and “Hunker,” a spacious minimalist setting for harp, harmonium, electronics, and field elements. “If I Wrote You” resembles a lost fragment from a science fiction film soundtrack that would complement perfectly the scene where a minor character gets dispatched in some stomach-churning manner, while “Besides Being Tempted” sounds like the final nine minutes of a patient's life as he takes in from his hospital bed the rich matrix of sounds around him. Listening to “Egel Egel” is like moving through an open marketplace somewhere in India, with ululating voices rising in the distance and pockets of electrical hum close at hand." TEXTURA



“Sounds from everywhere and nowhere”, as Boris Snauwaert aka Haruki puts it more concisely. If it wasn’t for that page of his… you may have never guessed that he’s got mucho experience with installation pieces – which may as well be exactly the kind of experience to help join and connect all of this here. It jumps in and out just the way your own thoughts do, yet somehow with a pattern behind it. For the while, words like “tiny” and “humble” suit it well indeed, but that’s not to be seen as a reason for passiveness; the man wants you to perceive his work as an intimate experience. From that point of view, kudos for being refreshingly varied too, as it plays with almost every aspect of sound – be it silence, minimalism, or controlled outbursts. And, of course, for fitting well with the label’s goal of “exploring the beauty and detail of everyday sounds”… the humble vastness of everywhere and nowhere." THE COOKSHOP

"Pour le mélange de sonorités, c’est réussit et tend à rendre l’artiste inclassable, s’apparentant à la fois aux musiques improvisées, aux expérimentations électroniques et aux musiques contemporaines électroacoustiques. Au niveau des constructions également, la musique du belge se démarque. Pas de folles abstractions comme on pourrait en trouver en musique improvisée, pas de structures electronica, pas de rythmiques déglinguées ni de nappes planantes, et pas non plus de cassures ou changement de rythme surprenant. Haruki construit sa musique par de savants collages, tout en finesse, amenant les sonorités et bruitages avec soin, mêlant épure acoustique et aridité électronique, et intégrant de-ci de-là quelques field recordings qui semblent parfois servir de fil rouge.
(...)
Une chose est sûre, le Belge réussit magnifiquement ce qu’il voulait faire, partant d’éléments abstraits d’origines diverses pour en faire une musique qui semble être un habillage de notre quotidien. Définition même de la musique ambient, tout en évitant les clichés du genre, du beau travail!" ETHERREAL

"Forse giusto questo Haruki, alla sua prima uscita qui, sconfina in territori più ostici, ma ci permettiamo di dire ch’è un bene, dato che dal suo lavoro emergono una gran varietà di ispirazioni e suoni, a volte anche molto aspri, ma sempre al posto giusto. Buono quindi per chi si fosse annoiato della gentilezza dei micro suoni di stampo 12K e simili e volesse qualcosa di appena più spigoloso da mettere sotto i denti."SANDS-ZINE

"Man kann sich ganz an den Versuch verlieren, Harukis Poesie zu enträtseln, die Schritte, das Schnaufen, indischen Singsang, Geknister, Pulsieren, Drones. Aber dazwischen setzt Snauwaert immer wieder auch klangvolle Akzente, Klänge von - oder wie von - Klavier, Tuba, Akkordeon, Bassklarinette, kurz, aber prägnant, das Strumming einer akustischen Gitarre, gestrichene Strings. Dann wieder vages Hantieren, durch Rauschen verschleiert. Seltsam, seltsam." BAD ALCHEMY

"Opgemerkt en gevraagd worden voor een remix door en Machinefabriek en Au Revoire Simone, het is weinig elektronicamuzikanten gegeven. Gentenaar Haruki – Boris Snauwaert op het paspoort – wel dus en terecht. Met een zeldzame fijngevoeligheid voor zowel klank als compositie weet hij al enkele jaren te ontsnappen aan het drijfzand van de l'art pour l'art elektroakoustische muziek. Zorgvuldig uitgekozen en schitterend afgemixte klanken van akoustische en elektronische aard worden samen met fieldrecordings steevast samengegoten in heldere, organische composities die zowel aangenaam zijn als intrigerend om naar te luisteren." KWADRATUUR

"Met veel gevoel voor nuance tovert Haruki hier met elektro-akoestische muziek, ondersteund door veldopnames, strijkers en blazers. Het is een verademing dat de laatste twee subtiel op de achtergrond blijven en dat men (net zoals Brume) een groot gevoel blijkt te hebben voor de natuurlijke opbouw van spanning en evenwicht tussen het elektronische en het akoestische. (...) Earcandy for Soundsuckers!!" DARK ENTRIES