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This is a double album for
the price of a single.
Check the track lengths, these are immersive Berlin school pieces.
But with that Stephen Palmer ethnic edge mixed in, so refreshingly
slightly different to the usual Berlin school fare we get so much of.
Berlin via Cairo:
1. Giza Plateau 17:30
Pounding
sequencers, Egyptian percussion, electric guitar and synths all
combine
to create a seventeen minute track that hypnotises the
listener, never once letting go.
A choir mellotron and an Arabian flute enhance the
mood.
2. nymphaea caerulea 29:04
This
twenty-nine minute track begins with glacial sequences and runs
through
a dazzling range of sounds, from deeply reverberant
guitar through to synth and
electronics. At the one third mark the sequences
retreat to leave us with spacey
electronics, as a shifting melange of sounds takes us
into futuristic Egyptian space.
The last third of the piece is a glorious tapestry of
sequenced synths that echo composers
such as Steve Reich, but also Tangerine Dream as that
group entered the 'eighties...
3. Osiris Flute 2:48
Flute
mellotron, electronics and synths combine to create a brief sonic image
of
oriental reflectivity.
4. Papyrus Head in the Nile 12:17
A
backwards saz (a Turkish seven-stringed long-necked lute) leads us into a
bouncing
twelve minute track of sequences and synths. The
euphoric mood peaks, then subsides
into calmer oriental sequences.
Berlin via Istanbul:
1. Garden of Earthly Passions 17:06
Ghostly
oriental sounds combine with electronics before a floating sequence
enters,
reminiscent of '77-era Tangerine Dream. This seventeen
minute track weaves its way
through various sequenced delights in classic Berlin
School style, overlaid with synthesizer,
saz, and electric guitar solos.
2. Smoking Oriental Censer 19:56
A
zither straight from the bazaars of Istanbul leads us into a heavy
sequenced track
which at almost twenty minutes goes through a
mesmerising maze of spacerock guitar,
saz and wailing synthesizer solos. This one is perhaps
more reminiscent of early period
Klaus Schulze, with its use of the choir mellotron and
organ.
3. Turkish Delight 18:22
The
more delicate of the three tracks on this disk, at eighteen minutes this
one
features sequences that hop across various time
signatures, not unlike Michael
Hoenig's work. Features flute mellotron, synthesizer
solos, oriental flutes and guitar.
This piece hints in parts at Terry Riley's work.
Reviews ...
Although he’s been involved
in numerous projects in the past few years,
Stephen Palmer is perhaps best known as the driving force behind the band
Mooch. Also involved with Spirits Burning and his own Blue Lily
Commission, Steve has been quite busy on the space rock/electronic music
scene. His latest effort focuses on a more solitary side to his music with
this double disc, released in conjunction with the Ambientlive label.
The Berlin via Cairo/Berlin via Istanbul set is basically self-explanatory
material. This is Berlin school electronic music ala Tangerine Dream,
Radio Massacre International, Klaus Schulze, etc. mixed with some Middle
Eastern spices. There’s really not much else to explain. Each disc
contains three extended tracks, while the Cairo disc has a fourth track
included that is shorter.
The music on the Istanbul disc was recorded between 2004 and 2006, while
the Cairo disc covers the time period of 2006 to 2008. The tracks were
essentially created using just a Mac G5 with Logic and Big Fish Audio
Software. Although some electronic music purists might scoff at someone
using mainly software to create this kind of material, let me assure you
that this has a very authentic feel and is exceptionally well put
together. I seem to detect a guitar here and there so I suppose it isn’t
just exclusively sourced from the computer software.
It’s difficult to pick out any favorites on here because it’s all
freakin’
great. As a longtime fan of electronic music and particularly the German
stuff, I must say that Stephen has really outdone himself with these
discs. This could hold it’s own easily against the classics of the genre
and the mixture of world music to the electronic music really gives it a
classy touch. Sometimes it’s a very subtle combination but I guess
that’s
what makes everything run so smoothly.
Stephen Palmer is, to put it simply, a very versatile musician. I realized
this when I first listened to Dr. Silbury’s Liquid Brainstem Band from
Mooch and everything I’ve heard from him since then just amplifies that
fact. From space rock, to vintage 60’s psychedelia to Berlin school
electronics, Mr. Palmer explores some of the most fascinating avenues of
mind-expanding music. If you like the bands that I mentioned earlier in
this review or if you’re a fan of electronic music in any form, I
strongly
advocate looking into this one.
ffroyd / www.progressiveears.com
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