The birth of ‘Illuvia’ took place during one of the darker times in my life, a year or two after the dissolution of my music projects ‘Alveol’ and ‘Ziyal’. Late one night I found myself opening up a new music session with a feeling that some new musical world wanted to take shape. Six or seven hours later I collapsed in bed with an almost finished mix of ‘Illuvia (Exaltation)‘ formed. My well practiced self-criticism was at an all-time high, and this track was judged as ‘too much of everything’, though I did feel that something new had been born. In the coming months I kept on creating more music without having a name for it, but knowing it was a new chapter for me. When the time came to send demos, several labels were interested with the vision of a vinyl release hovering in the distance, and each time it turned out to be a mirage. After the third attempt fell through, I resigned to master and self-release the debut album, concluding that it was probably flawed. The ‘Illuvia (Exaltation)’ track was added to the album at the very final stages, and it wasn’t until well after the release that I could again consciously connect with the expansive vision that I had tapped into that first night. Stylistically and spiritually, Illuvia represents the merging and continuation of the journeys I set out on with ‘Alveol’ and ‘Ziyal’. The name carries several meanings (some that were revealed to me later); the original meaning is that of following an ‘illuminated path’, leading us back to the light from whatever darkness we may find outselves in.