various artists: aurora

va-aur.jpg (16k) various artists: aurora
(Merck - 2000)

aurora is the ambient-powered vehicle taken on a digital joyride by fifteen of the eclectronic artists from the Merck label. Mellow atmospheres contain a fairly pronounced sense of musicality and plenty of unexpected directions.

Muffled bells cascade prettily in the bittersweet tunelet at the heart of sense's "250600"; accompanied by whispy drifts, mechanically sputtering percussion cycles continually from one ear to the other. A sheen of rain and symphonic drones follow melf's " little grey cat" on its rather short journey. "amphora" from phonex basks in warm sunset tones, slipped through by a chillier breeze while a slow arpeggio of twinkly notes seem to spiral upward into interstellar realms.

Laced with almost-intangible grit, a lovely smear of chimes and sustains entangle with wandering organ chords in sedate contortions as proem introduces "boring alice". Glassy clatters and low industrial pulsations serve as a background texture for salice's quietly doodled synthnotes in "whale track". oblique's noisier "construction" consists of unpredictable convergences between weird ripples, gusty bursts, distorted laughter, digital grunge, faraway music and elastic electro-bloops.

"untitled" explores the celestial void of distantly rolling spacewaves courtesy of threehz's in-depth explorations. In some unknown zone, buzzsaw reverberations are met by muffled horn licks forming a strange-bedfellows duet in syndrone's "b is for balloons" The glaring electro-orchestral soundwaves of pandorabox's "fugue #4 " rise and fall in (sometimes awfully) dense crest and troughs, carrying bits of synthetic flotsam.

"ebbtide moon" by soundstate opens on odd non-rhythmic clatter and drifts, but is overtaken by a more direct beatsystem which adds jungly electrodrumming to the mysterious mood. This mode evolves into yet another featuring buzzy tunefulness, spirited e-beats and starshine swirls. Like a micro-lounge hybrid, eu's "christmas" mixes up a fizzily intoxicating highball of sultry-yet-crisp beats, fragile belltones and a gently retro-sci-fi atmosphere.

As expected in a compilation, some of the various artists' output appeals more than others. Despite their background in more-electronica-oriented sounds though, the contributors to aurora deliver their own brands of ambience, certainly worth looking into, as they average out to be an 8.3 listen

For more beatronic tastes, check out appelsap by fellow Merck artist, md and a few of his remixing cohorts.

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This review posted February 28, 2001

AmbiEntrance © 2001-1997 by David J Opdyke (except CD cover art, rights retained by original owners).