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Charlemagne Palestine / Oren Ambarchi / Daniel O'Sullivan
KKAARREENNIINNAA
Black Truffle
- Cat No: Black Truffle 146
- updated:2026-08-28
Legendary artist Charlemagne Palestine has returned to Black Truffle, teaming up with multi-instrumentalist Daniel O’Sullivan—his close collaborator in recent years— and label founder and guitarist Oren Ambarchi—a performance recorded in London in 2025—has been released as the album “KKAARREENNIINNAA”! Includes a download code.
Track List

"KKKAAARRREEENNNIIINNNAAA" is a reimagining of an important work featuring Palestinian vocals. It is based on “Karenina,” a deeply moving “magical song” recorded in Paris in March 1997 to mourn the soul of her late dog (a black Labrador Retriever). In this trio version—which Palestine himself calls the “karaoke” version—Os Sullivan operates three cassette decks playing back the original recording. As the voices play back syllables of the name “Karenina” and words that induce a trance-like state, slight discrepancies in playback speed (phase shifts) between the decks create complex patterns of delay and reverberation. Beginning with a sustained organ note and gradually expanding to fill the entire frequency spectrum, the piece eventually evolves into a dense, psychedelic mass of sound. Palestine’s electric organ and the reverberations of the recorded voice are layered with Amber’s swirling guitar tone—processed through a Leslie speaker—as well as O’Sullivan’s viola, synthesizer, and additional vocals. And above it all, Palestine’s live voice resounds. At times blending in unison with the keyboard playing and melody, his vocals deliver an astonishing performance imbued with shamanic intensity, resembling an anguished cry. This album, *KKKAAARRREEENNNIIINNNAAA*, is clearly the brainchild of Palestine and lies at the core of his body of work, yet the roles of Ambarchi and O’Sullivan extend far beyond that of mere accompanists. Amid a swirling torrent of emotion, various elements rise to the surface one after another. In moments reminiscent of Takehisa Kosugi’s *Catch Wave*, O’Sullivan’s ethereal viola takes the lead, while in the many tranquil passages, Ambarchi’s smooth chords and his characteristic stuttered tone richly embellish the details. As Palestinian chants a hypnotic prayer dedicated to the soul of a deceased pet, the music soars, enveloped in a sacred aura from start to finish. Featuring an impressive painting of a Labrador retriever by O’Sullivan on its cover, *KKKAAARRREEENNNIIINNNAAA* is an indispensable work of contemporary ritual music.