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Dean De Benedictis - Salvaging The Past |
| STYLE |
|
Rhythmic instrumental electronica
blending synthetic and acoustic sounds to produce an exotic
ambient edge. This is a varied album with beats and rhythmic
passages, flutes, cello, voices, guitars and plenty of dense,
bright atmospheres and sequences. Salvaging The Past has a
powerful sound for environmental music, beautifully melodic
and poignant at times - in places with beats clear and solid,
although too ambient in nature to be beat-driven music. Dean
De Benedictis has certainly produced a staggeringly professional
sound, musically very mature and moving. The mix is generally
lush and rich, the odd voice swimming in the mix, delicate
piano chords in places, keening cello - but primarily delivering
all manner of synth sounds - choral effects, crystal arpeggios,
smooth drones, aural cloudscapes. Where Is The Northern Sorrow
brings a female voice to the fore - heavenly, ethereal and
warm - courtesy of Cathryn Deering. |
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| MOOD |
|
Dramatic
and expansive through light and serene - from deep piano stabs
with a Middle-Eastern slant to clay drums and reverberating
flutes - from floational weightlessness to percussive restfulness
- from electronic sound synthesis to organic acoustic performance
- this is an album of artful contrasts. Nevertheless, everything
ties up effectively into a coherent whole. Colourful patches
twinkle and bubble, ambient atmospheres drifting like oil
on water - little is still for long. A compelling listen. |
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| ARTWORK |
|
The
artwork for Salvaging The Past is sharp and atmospheric -
water and cloud dominating the series of landscapes spread
across the package. A dead tree, black against storm clouds
fill the rear jewel-case panel alongside track titles and
times. Grey water floods the inner booklet, a widening ripple
pattern of elongated ovals spread out before half-submerged
rocks - here we have notes to the listener explaining the
project, credits, thanks and a list of inspirational artists. |
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| OVERALL |
|
Salvaging
The Past is released by Spotted Peccary Records as the latest
of Dean De Benedictis' offerings - having produced previous
compositions in a variety of styles including IDM, tribal
ambient and space music. Here he employs a variety of electronic
tonalities, samples, and acoustic instruments such as mayahachi
flute, bamboo flutes, cello, piano, voice, guitars, hand drums,
and percussion. Promotional notes explain - "Our physical
realm is comprised of drastically separate entities mix-matching
and ambiguously aligning into one harmonious collage. Such
is the underlying principal behind "Salvaging The Past.”
The album brings together pieces written between the years
1992 and 2005. |
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| WHO
WILL LIKE THIS ALBUM |
|
This
CD will appeal to electronic fans at the ambient end of the
spectrum - but contains sufficient melodic/harmonic content
to appeal to electronic fans that like to have a clear tune
to hold on to, an occasional beat to carry the mix and plenty
of variety to hold the attention. |
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Gustaf Hildebrand - Primordial Resonance |
| STYLE |
|
Thick, dark ambience - timeless
and grey. Having said that - Primordial Resonance is far
from tuneless or dull. Tonal sound sculptures twist and
curl deeply enshrouded in atonal textures and synthetic
air movements - deeply atmospheric as pure if atmosphere
itself had been gathered, distilled and released into a
new space. Crashing, coursing, shifting winds roll and howl,
breeze borne chimes and percussive strikings reverberating
in the middle distance. Uncertain voices - pitch-shifted
and deep, children, a crying baby, others wander lost in
the veils of dense haze. Industrial peripherals clatter,
shake and grind - the clangour of beaten objects piercing
the mass of ambient cloud. Ruins of a Failed Utopia contains
monastic chanting drifting and moaning somewhere above set
against the scuffings and abrasions of metal and the wide-open
rushings of empty enormity. |
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| MOOD |
|
This
is a thick smoke of music. The mood is initially dark and
desolate - industrial, derelict as if eroded and ancient.
There are suggestions of an old power now buried, lost,
forgotten - yet still heaving within. Despite the intense
shadow Primordial resonance isn't spooky or scary - instead
we have the beauty of the unilluminated, the monochrome
aesthetic of fog, the sense of being something small in
the presence of infinitely larger and greater things. |
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| ARTWORK |
|
As
with all of Cyclic Law's CDs the packaging is first rate -
the first 1000 copies come in an oversized fold-out cover
of three panels bathed in glorious graphic imagery. The front
cover presents a grey photomontage of decaying boat hulls
on a beach with immense planetary sphere looming in the gulf
above. A spacey-organic abstract texture floods the rest of
the outside - blue-black - as the inside, where a second textural
creation fills all available space papery, ink washed, ill-defined
scripts lurking in the gloom. Text is functional - titles
and label details only on the outside, within a tracklist
and credits. |
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| OVERALL |
|
Released
on Cyclic Law Gustaf Hildebrand's Primordial Resonance is
in the company of like-minded artists. The label specialises
in heavy shadow and ambient viscosity. This is Gustaf's follow-up
album to Starscape, his second solo offering, having also
released music under the project name Lithium (CMI) and in
collaboration with Karjalan Sissit, promotional material explains
"Gustaf's second full length is a unique, evolved experience
offering you to embark upon an odyssey through ancient and
lifeless surroundings. Sweeping ambient soundscapes and delicate
textures mingle with the distant shrieks of surreal machinery
- conjuring up images of abandoned and forgotten places, clouded
skies and dead cities where time has been standing still.
A captured moment from a strange no man's land lit by a perpetual
gloom, Primordial Resonance is a voyage only limited by the
imagination of the listener." |
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| WHO
WILL LIKE THIS ALBUM |
|
This
is for fans of beatless ambience that prefer minimal melody
and abundant shadow. There's ample detail here though to hold
the attention - Gustaf Hildebrand masters the genre well,
providing sufficient harmonic content to keep the album from
grating, yet exercising restraint, maintaining the sombre
mood and bleak imagery throughout. |
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Netherworld & Fiorenza Gherardi de Candei
- Lost |
| STYLE |
|
A single long-form piece of
swaying beatless ambience. Low roars of sound are accompanied
by moaning tonalities and amorphous wails. A metallic squeak
like the creak of a swinging chain marks time, eventually
vanishing to be replaced by tide-like swelling of the deeper
drones. A humming voice alone and lost echoes somewhere
way down in the mix - the oceanic ebb and flow hinting at
floatation - indeed when the darker elements subside, the
music is almost ethereal. Snippets of spoken words, a woman's
voice, emotional, fevered appear with increasing frequency
as the piece develops - like someone talking in their sleep
- as if the mist were singing to itself. |
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| MOOD |
|
Very
lonely and bleak - like the mist of the cover imagery at its
densest where all is unfamiliar and uncertain. The fog banks
feel as if they are lit by a ghostly light - indeed the aural
hazes appear to be living things - rising and falling, organic,
sentient. The use of various field recordings gathered in
the Scottish Highlands during August 2005 and Fiorenza Gherardi
de Candei's vocal utterances add to the sense that this is
not a synthetic production - |
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| ARTWORK |
|
A
simple package consisting of a single sheet of card and a
clear wallet together inside a larger DVD sized sleeve. The
front cover presents a deserted road vanishing gradually into
a heavy fog. Everything has a pallid lilac-grey tint - the
eye drawn irresistibly into the translucent middle-distance.
Text is functional - title only on the front, within are relevant
credits and recording information. |
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| OVERALL |
|
Alessandro
Tedeschi records as Netherword on the Penumbra label which
is a sublabel of Oophoi's Umbra. On Lost we have a single
twenty-two minute track bringing together Netherworld with
processed field recordings, loops and voice and Fiorenza
Gherardi de Candei with chant and text.
Information can be found at the website Deep
Listenings or Gears
of Sand have some additional details on their website.
|
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| WHO
WILL LIKE THIS ALBUM |
|
Ambient
fans enjoying haunting isolationist soundscapes with no beats
and minimal melodic content. Lost will appeal to those wanting
something deep and absorbing to sink into - something to challenge
the senses. |
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Karunesh - Global Village |
| STYLE |
|
Worldbeat music with comfortable
rhythms and warm electronica following in the footsteps of
Global Spirit released back in 2001. International vocals
with an Indian emphasis lead many of the tracks with flutes
and other global instruments providing a varied and vivid
accompaniment. Some sounds are sampled, others are played
live - guitar and oud by Govi, bansuri by Bikram, Indian violin
by Avinash and lute by Gerhard Frankenhauser. Bell trees work
alongside rolling arps, finger cymbals with fusion beats,
There are some electric guitar solos tastefully employed,
synthetic textures and sequences along with easy nodding basslines
- all bound up into a collection of pleasantly emotional arrangements. |
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| MOOD |
|
The
mood is consistently inviting and restful. Global Village
presents an optimistic vision of shared cultures and a colourful
interplay of musical traditions both Eastern and Western.
There is an earthy richness that lifts the album above the
blandness of much New-Age relaxation music - the deeply ethnic
introductions atmospheric and suggestive, the insistent percussion
sections stirring and moving the feet. |
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| ARTWORK |
|
The
front cover contains a drawing of a small hut circle under
the shadow of a delicate tree - the circle is laid out on
the surface of a hand-drum surrounded by clouds. A sunburst
rainbow emerges from behind the scene arcing over a pale sun.
The imagery from this picture re-appears in various forms
throughout the packaging - the tree, the huts, the sun. The
booklet contains a lot of information, informing us about
Karunesh and his musical vision, about the project Global
Village and there is also a little about previous Karunesh
releases. All the usual track-lists, credits and contact information
are present and we even get a glimpse of the artist himself
on a small black and white portrait photograph. |
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| OVERALL |
|
In
many ways this album is a follow-up to Global Spirit which
was released both under the name Karunesh and Global Spirit.
The tempos are faster than 2004's Way of the Mystic - but
again Karunesh looks primarily to the East for musical inspiration.
Promotional notes point out the "Global Village represents
the vision of a united world - a world free of nationalities,
borders and racism. A world where all the different cultures
can meet and merge, supporting and enriching each other".
Noble sentiments that are developed through the juxtaposition
of African tribal voices, panpipe effects, electric guitars,
Middle Eastern vocals, Indian drones and gentle danceable
grooves. |
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| WHO
WILL LIKE THIS ALBUM |
|
Karunesh
will appeal to worldbeat lovers that enjoy a soft approach
to the interweaving of multicultural source material. If strong
rhythms, rich colours and ethnic vocals are your thing - give
this CD a listen. |
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Various - Cosmik Chill "Red" |
| STYLE |
|
Mid-downtempo chillout excursions.
There is quite a variety here from pieces where the melodic
content consists of minimal cycling motifs set against hazy
pads, to tracks of ethnic richness fused with western electronica
and passages of lush synthesiser layers ebbing and flowing
one into the other. We have Disham's blend of guitar, violin
and female vocals where a wandering bass, trippy beat and
synthetic soundscape produce a strongly Eastern European feel,
Solar Fields' deeply chilled Small Little Green Cubes gradually
building from restful reverie to trance inducing repetition
and Aes Dana's mesmerisingly steady paced Transit - thudding
kicks beating against ambient waves. |
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| MOOD |
|
The
mood ranges from beat-driven psychedelic regularity to ethnic
exotica. Moody, atmospheric introductions build into acoustic
performance or programmed precision - gentle interludes build
climactically into passages of rhythmic intensity before winding
down again into blissful serenity. International voices and
artistry suggest a coming together of cultures - a new world
vision developed through music. |
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| ARTWORK |
|
Punkadelik's
artwork on this colourful digipack was inspired by the late
Jim Leon an English pop artist having produced work for Pink
Floyd and Oz magazine. The front cover shows an exploding
volcano flinging out burning rock and smoke. Hovering way
above a swirling green sea, a spout of magma shoots into the
flying structure from below. The bright blue background of
the sky floods the remaining panels where track titles and
background information can be found. |
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| OVERALL |
|
This
is the first CD to come from the newly established Electrik
Dream label - based in the U.K. The collection is brought
together by label manager Tajmahal who includes his own debut
downtempo offering where a ritualistic Native American voice
juxtaposes floating tones and a danceable beat. As is the
tradition Cosmik Chill "Red" brings together musicians
well-known and those less familiar - from such diverse locations
as Bulgaria, U.S.A., Russia, France and Portugal. Promotional
material proclaims "Electrik Dream will introduce productions
by the best artists of the moment from visual to musical and
also performances!" |
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| WHO
WILL LIKE THIS ALBUM |
|
Cosmik
Chill "Red" will appeal to downtempo fans that
are happy to include a bit of progressive and morning trance
in their mix. If you know any of the major names here, you'll
know what to expect - the other artists creating harmonious
completion.
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Mikronesia - Tissue Paper Ghosts |
| STYLE |
|
Glitchy ethereal ambience - beatless
in places, carried by programmed percussion in others. The
album opens with twinkling electronics and reversed notes
all crackling with jumping static as if the signal has met
with interference. There are effects like distorted little
Chinese gongs, voices swirling and echoing as if captured
from a broken radio broadcast, montaged cuts and snips of
sound, there are softer tonal washes below - wistful and meandering.
On the third track an electro-groove is introduced, light
and graceful - stronger rhythms carry track four 'Del Rio'
where a pumping synthetic bass drives reverberating chimes
and some strongly effected spoken voices. Mikronesia use a
number of repeated loops to ghostly effect - indeed there
are some hauntingly beautiful passages especially toward the
end of the album where synthetic strains gently intertwine,
wavering somewhat unsteadily as half-remembered speech flickers
in and out of earshot. |
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| MOOD |
|
The mood is one of lonely introspection - the frequent echoing
effects adding to the sense of emptiness and isolation.
Nevertheless the sound is largely light and airy - melodic
motifs often weightless and vaporous - gossamer layers glinting,
delicate. There is a restful sense of closure in the closing
sections of the album - a reflective feeling of submission
- letting go - suffused in a translucent glow. |
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| ARTWORK |
|
The
front cover image is a negative photograph - spectral figures
hazy and insubstantial against a dark background. The rear
jewel case provides a track-list set within a montage of graphically
enhanced images - conveying the same otherworldly impression
as the front. Within are brief credits and contact information. |
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| OVERALL |
|
Mikronesia
is Philadelphia based musician, composer, producer, performer
and DJ. Michael McDermott. He explains that Tissue Paper
Ghosts is a concept album: "I envisioned the album
as a concept album about someone dying in a car crash and
then reflecting on life and interacting with the material
world as a ghost. Thus, the sounds of sirens and the throbbing
nature of the first track, 'Slow Bleeding' which is the
last couple minutes of this man's life as he slips away
at the scene of the accident. . . "Remember / Home"
is the final long track, it is a deep meditation which,
I hope death feels like." This CD is released on Gears
Of Sand records |
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| WHO
WILL LIKE THIS ALBUM |
|
Tissue
Paper Ghosts is primarily an ambient album - although it will
appeal to fans that enjoy plenty of detail to explore. There
some light beats and a largely ethereal tone - have a listen
at the Mikronesia
website. |
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Elve - Infinite Garden |
| STYLE |
|
Beat-free, lush, bird-inhabited
ambient zones. Infinite Garden brings together a variety of
natural outdoor recordings, synthetic effects and delicate
musical elements to produce a strongly environmental series
of soundscapes. Many passages are gentle, faint - almost subliminal
in effect. Rhythmic material is subtle, often emerging gradually,
never dominant and mostly without percussives. Voices play
in the digital undergrowth where plenty of tinkling bell tones
and fragile washes work together like sunlight twinkling on
rain droplets. Cyantium Flower has a somewhat different character
from most of the other tracks - here a choral voice rises
out of flowing water breezy and angelic, shrouded in smooth
folds of tone and light plinking notes. Infinite Garden is
not a collection of memorable tunes - rather an absorbing
musical experience that perfumes the mind and transports the
consciousness. |
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| MOOD |
|
Truly
a musical garden, a sonic cultivation of exotic voices, chimes,
airy drones and sensitive field recordings. Birds and water
join with synthetic sound effects and bright motifs in a myriad
little details winking in and out - there is an oriental feel
to the choice of sound and the fine, elegant arrangements.
A balmy hothouse stillness pervades much of the album - laid
out with Zen-like precision. Very magical, very beautiful. |
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| ARTWORK |
|
In
keeping with the Virtual house style - Infinite Garden has
a pristine white surface with a graphic construct in the centre
that looks part synthetic, part organic. Discs and ovals appearing
like miniature windows into various verdant beauty spots are
linked by lines that suggest the mystical or maybe the technical?
Track titles - Sycamore Breeze, Mozaic Rain, Luminessence
- maintain the light and graceful imagery of the natural world
as if seen through revolving faceted glass. |
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| OVERALL |
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Elve
is a side project of Ishq, following the path set by the
earlier diversion Ishvara - Elve wanders still further,
deeper into ambient floatation and misty experimentation.
A kaleidoscopic sound montage - this CD is a limited edition
of 500 copies only. Promotional material aptly describes
the music as having a "green and pastoral sound"
- having been inspired by the English countryside. This
is music to close your eyes to and dream "perfect for
the early hours between night and day". Released on
Ishq's own Virtual label - you can find out more here.
|
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| WHO
WILL LIKE THIS ALBUM |
|
This
is for ambient fans that enjoy abundant detail brought together
into relaxing, stilling tranquillity. Anyone drawn to the
most immersive, meandering aspects of Ishq or Ishvara will
love this material. |
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