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Reviews ...
Brendan Pollard kicks this latest volume off with 'The Neon Chamber'. With
Brendan sequences are never
far away and a lovely skipping bass one propels the track forwards within
the first few seconds. The most
gorgeous of tron melodies floats over the top providing a little softness.
We then get a pastiche of one mid
seventies Tangerine Dream sound after another but also with some of his
own inventiveness.
The enjoyment from the opener
continues through to Pete Tedstone's 'Oscillator'. Ethereal wordless vocal
pads drift through the air. A subdued organ type sound adds to the gentle
mood then a slow loping rhythm
sets up some structure around which a sequence starts to develop. A second
sequence is deployed and
we are soon hurtling along. The initial sequence comes and goes within the
ebb and flow of the track until
after the half way mark, when everything is thrown in. With such an
opening brace of tracks it is hard to
believe that the quality can be maintained but it most certainly is with
Xan Alexander's (from the Omega
Syndicate) curiously titled 'Dr Louis Brain Freeze and the Comet's Tale'.
Xan has a real feel for melody
as is displayed by the initial stabbing lead line and sequence
combination. Infectious beats and yet more
wonderful lead lines come one after another reminding me (not for the
first time with his work) of Wavestar.
Maybe the track should have been edited down a little but nevertheless it
is still excellent.
'Voyager' by Ion continues the
sequencing excellence over some really nice backing, a melancholy lead
line
providing a bittersweet moodiness. Eppie E Hulshof is currently making
quite a name for himself after his
re-appearance on the Electronic Music scene and his sixteen-minute
contribution to this project 'Seq Maniak'
can only heighten his profile. A slow hypnotic four-note loop provides a
base over which a lonesome lead line
ploughs a moody furrow. A sequence replaces it just before the third
minute giving a more aggressive edge
to proceedings. The track is stripped down to silence in the sixth minute
only for a rapid two-note sequence
to pick up the baton along with some quite curious harpsichord flourishes.
This section is quite brief however
as a deep bass pulse soon becomes the main focus. Another sequence
emerges, this time accompanied
by a really nice lead full of attitude. The pace quickens increasing the
excitement almost until the end.
Phrozenlight's 'Sea On A Liquid Sun' is very different to anything I have
heard from them before as instead
of their usual slowly evolving ambient soundscapes, it features a sedate
and fairly melodic ten note (I think!)
sequence over as fine an atmospheric backing as I have ever heard from
them. The sequence slowly morphs
as we go, sometimes disappearing altogether. This is subtle and enjoyably
crafted stuff and my favourite track
by Phrozenlight so far (though it probably could have been edited down
slightly). Chromengel round off the first
half of this two album set with 'Jovian Airbrake Manoeuvre'. Most of the
tracks on this disc are sequencer and
mellotron dominated and Chromengel continue that legacy with just as much
enthusiasm. Quite a driving
rhythm joins the pulsations as well as sonic blasts like a spaceship
hurtling across the horizon. Things
become even more intense as another sequence skips amongst the mayhem.
There is also some fairly
upfront lead lines that give the whole thing a faintly prog rock feel.
Eppie Hulshof returns alongside
Frederic Wurtz (together known as Von Haulshoven and AEM) to start the
second disc with 'Travelling Back to Point Zero'. This is really cosmic
stuff full of sighing drones punctuated
by crashes and whooshes. It isn't destined to an ambient number however as
in the second minute a rapid,
though rather simplistic, sequence surges forward. We return to the cosmos
just before the six-minute mark.
Two moody but rather tasty sequences (accompanied by mellotron of course)
emerge from the tranquil backing
only for us to return to atmospheric realms once more. It is as if the
track is separated into distinct sub tracks,
each framed by ambience. The third sequencer passage is the most melodic
but also quite driving. Ideal for
travelling down the motorway. There is a short interlude in the middle
before sequences return again but to me
it seemed more of a variation of the same theme rather than a completely
new section. The final section is just
beautiful, as gorgeous pulsations mix with moody lead line and more tron.
Really lovely stuff. The second offering
by Ion, 'Evensong' continues with more sublime melodic sequencing then ups
the pace nicely giving it added oomph.
If you haven't checked out the album from which it is taken yet ('Future
Forever') I recommend that you do. 'Create'
contribute 'Rohan's Journey to Belvedere'. We get a fairly standard
formula start of rapid tinkling sequence emerging
out of atmospherics. By the fifth minute it has departed and we enter a
gently pulsating meandering section. By the
tenth minute things have returned to pure atmospherics out of which
emerges the returning initial sequence joined
by a nice bass line. I really thought it was about to take off, and yes
things became more energetic but it still never
quite reached the heights I had been hoping for. Rene van der
Wouden donates 'Soledad'. This is very different to
anything I had heard from him before as previously I had thought
Rene was much better at atmospheric numbers
to rhythmic ones but here he really cranks up the sequences and drums and
it's superb. A real blast done very
well indeed! 'Indian Persuasion' by Mooch doesn't initially start off as
Eastern sounding as I was expecting though
it is certainly all shimmering and dreamy. When the drums arrive I suppose
they did have a faintly ethnic quality
but that wouldn't have been the first thing that had come to mind if the
track had been titled differently.
A very pleasant track nonetheless. Magnetron combine Steve Humphries (aka
Create) and Xan Alexander.
'The Road Without Cats Eyes' is the first collaboration I have heard by
them. I couldn't really detect much of what
I associate with Xan's work as it came over much more like a very good
Create track to me with lightly skipping
sequence and gentle synth washes but whatever, I found it very enjoyable.
Modulator ESP comes next with
'Grinder' And a very impressive start it has too with a superb heavy
sequence along with quite aggressive sonic
whooshes and power plant type effects. A further rapid sequence carries
things forward as the track continues
on its blistering journey.
In my opinion this album contains
some of the best music in the series so far. With a running time of over
two
and a half hours and yet priced as a single album (at the time of writing
this) it has to be a bargain!
David Law / Synth
Music Direct / MusicZeit
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