I've taken Alex Copeland up on his offer to contribute a load of FAX reviews. Thank Alex for lightening my load and touching upon a renowned label which I've been mysteriously lax about covering. Alex is e-mailable at Auraphage@aol.com. Tetsu Inoue and Bill Laswell: Cymatic Scan   (FAX Sublabel - 1994) This journey begins to take shape as the first tonal rumbles seep from the stereo. At once, a thin magic cloud of sound manifests itself and will not dissipate for the duration of the work. This wall of rumbling tone, an Inoue-inspired ambiguity of bass and subtle multi-notes will serve as the backdrop for this entire record. Slowly, as new elements begin to present themselves, images start to appear. Almost at once i am held (and not let go) by the image and mood of an underground complex, one whose name and location are completely unknown, forgotten, or changed. Perhaps once used as an extensive fallout shelter to protect humans from a radioactive war, this complex is now empty, crawling with abandoned ghosts. As we progress through this complex, we also pass through the walls. In this ghost-like state, we begin to experience the voice of the structure itself. The still-running generators, ventilation systems, and electric current all speak to us in a monotone. This complex also has lots of odd rooms, some which resemble caverns, feeble light casting up from within their depths, shifting brown-black layers of emotion show themselves to the ghosts. As the voice of the structure continues its tale, the spectral inhabitants make their voice heard. Subtle touches of Laswell bass and keyboard improv drift throughout the packed veils, interjecting the drama and ever-changing elements of a story. In addition to this ghostly tour, we are also able to envision the earth's surface above this complex, its minimal night-landscape is also apparent as the story unfolds. Lonely synths mutter and call to themselves, creating a lonely, windswept feel (underlaid with the constant sound-wall) which is a constant point of tension. Blinking towers and antennae reach into the night sky, long grasses wave with the night breeze, but not a sole being exists here. At one point midway through the work, it sounds as though the underground dwelling is doing its best to speak with its inhabitants in crippled language, relating loneliness, sadness, boredom; this is a static area where living energy has been forgotten. At some points during the tour, we reach places that contain a high concentration of energy. Here, the work gain its highest sense of structure. The underwork swells and starts to illuminate, while diamond curtains of energy wash back and forth in a dramatic, magical effect; the darkness begins to become light, but is again quelled into the ever-still pool of this stagnant vibration. "Monochrome existence"is a fitting title for this work, the 'music' itself feels like the uncomfortable inability to sleep with a fever, time dragging out and magnifying terribly, but with this painful drifting comes astonishingly clear images, reason solidifying out of the flat murk. From Laswell and Inoue comes a mysterious, introspective, and patient work which must not be missed! Atom Heart and Victor Sol:+N "Plane"   (FAX Sublabel - 1994) +N "Plane" is one of the more aesthetically experimental FAX releases, and seems to take us on a gliding tour above natural and unnatural landscapes and through calm and turbulent atmospheres. Here, Atom Heart utilizes a more reserved and simpler palette of percussion in the vein of "Softcore," while Victor Sol brings a shadowy, echoey expansiveness not usually seen in conjunction with Atom Heart material. Analog melodies, tones, bursts and squiggles are all abundant here (usually accentuated with rich delay effects), along with a constant gallery of unorthodox and unexpected miscellaneous noises, and combined with a theme of airy and textural percussion that has led me to describe this music as "deep quirk." Sky - - -A pulsing bass tone pattern starts off the disc, which becomes the driving force of the track. It's soon combined with a light and glittery melodic pattern which instantly gives a cloudy, airy feel. Other shimmeries include themselves and the off-timed patterns begin to become texture rather than melody in a very odd and blissful effect. The addition of a panning and whispery hi-hat type noise, and some long stretched analog tones have us flying through heavy cloud cover. As the flowing and airy feel begins to speed up, the Plane reaches a break in the clouds and now all kinds of detail is visible below! The track begins a much more straightforward and speedy direction as on-track percussion carries us along. There's a very driving but light-handed rhythm here, it feels energetic but very calm at the same time. The intertwining melodics gain a lot of force while Atom Heart's percussion trills along happily and Victor Sol's realtime distortion provides darker edges. Things get a little out of control as the track winds down and we're left with Atom Heart's and Victor Sol's respective melodies becoming a single pretty texture and fading out. Sky (Liquid) - - -This is one of the prettier tracks i've heard on FAX and takes the prize for most brilliant aesthetics on the whole disc. It's a 'remix' of "Sky" but focusing much more on an ambient perspective, the glittery and shining melodic patterns being the main attraction here. Our tour seems to be in the high atmosphere now, and things pretty much float around for the 11:37, with subtle basstone patterns to keep us within Earth's gravity. The glitteries continually change their timing relationship, intersecting at slightly more different moments and areas and deliciously reminding of sunlight on water. A subtle panning effect leads out the track into its delicate ending, a gentle but rapid rising and falling of tiny tonal particles, thin air molecules scattering around the Plane in a watery and glistening effect. Just beautiful. Sky (Clustered) - - -This second and shorter "Sky" reworking takes a more heavy-handed approach with a distant and echoey percussion tracking along in the left channel and a noisy but subdued analog pattern in the right channel. This is an odd contrast which makes me think of the Plane flying low now along a coastline, with ocean on the left and land on the right. Prettier and somewhat mournful synth-calls intrude on the right, describing a sort of horizon line that our Plane is heading towards. The two channels eventually merge somewhat as our imagined terrain changes. The drawn out tones are given several chances for predominance before the the track slows and dwindles down as our Plane comes in for a landing... [the Sky trilogy is a really interesting addition to this disc which always somewhat differentiates "Plane" in my view from lots of other track arrangements. Three different but equally interesting views of the same elements...] Onda Corta - - -Niko Heyduck of the Aerial Service Area series joins us for this track and we're introduced by an interesting and somewhat ghostly ambient theme that continues throughout most of the track. Again: steady, driving, but lighthanded percussion keeps the track moving but moves to the background to give center stage to the varied melodic oddities that keep popping up on our tour. All of this becomes more intense as burblings and eerie washings add depth to some skittering insectile rhythms. Random repetitive details start cropping up all over as our tour passes over hills, lakes, freeways, towns, and forests. This deconstructs into an odd semi-ambient middle passage (one example of unexpected momentary glimpses of real beauty here) which quickly ends off in a freakish pile of robotic loops. 256 - - -a high-pitched tone drops down into a delicious pool of silence before floating airily back up in a lazy melody. This repeating theme throughout casts a shadowy 'light' upon this quirky track. It seems here our Plane is performing a night journey, and there's a rather slowe-motion effect to the trip this time. A humorously heavy-handed and chirpy rhythm breaks with tradition and takes the forefront. This is constantly and differingly accentuated at odd times and changes and drops elements at random. It's backed by a constant menagerie of odd noises which start to serve as the main focus here. The weirdness continues and is combined with some quite beautiful and monolithic synth solos from Victor Sol, adding the depth that our night landscape needed. The crowded and 2D percussion reminds us that it's hard to see in the dark, however. Elements seem to sneak in and out almost maliciously. A calmer ending sees the Plane traversing the night sky, sending out its radar in the hopes of avoiding dangerous collision! Tone Float - - -This is the album's most compositionally abstract track. The Plane's instruments are going haywire! Some delicious echoey samples seem to tell us to not get too worried and to keep calm. Whoops. Our Plane has made an unscheduled flight into the ocean. Hang in there Plane! Rain Rain - - -The Plane has been fully repaired and is ready for its first test run. A calm and gummy tonal sequence with some patterny Roland sounds keep us on track and everything seems to be working smoothly. It sounds rather dreamy and gets a little improvisational as Plane begins to get the hang of flying again. Things float easily and merrily along with more airy percussion and there are several touches reminiscent of "Aerial Service Area 2" here, including another lovely and weird solo from Victor. The percussion gets a little bouncy and overlays some robotic changes and snippets. Hmm..Plane's faltering a little. Better bring him back down now. Diagnosis: Everything pretty much dandy, but still a few bugs to work out. Reset - - -Apparently Planes dream when they're in their hangars at night. A perfectly odd piece of abstract ambient that serves as a nice epilogue to our tour. +N "Plane" has a nice and refreshing sense of humor to it that i haven't gotten from nearly anything else on FAX, and i enjoy that greatly. It's quite a unique release, giving both artists a seemingly vast area in which to play around. It's combination of distorted beauty and lighthearted bounciness is one that i find continually amusing and makes this a real standout. David Reeves: Otras   (FAX Sublabel - 1995) The primary emotion i experienced last with "Otras" was that of recognition: This is music in an evolved state. Here, consistently mutant melodies, squiggles, percussion, and other themes seem to defy their traditional order and caste. All of "Otras" seems to progress on a very natural level, every track is a potential and precognized whole. Every element seems to fall into its natural place, creating this chaotically logical composition, considering the general non-musicalness of most of the elements themselves. This seems to be "observation of music undergoing evolution", nothing seems as it 'should' be, and yet continues as the most logical thing in the world...or universe... 1. In Suspension : "Otras" begins with this perfectly composed masterpiece. Powerful, regal waves of sound vibrate again and again, creating a membraneous wall of sound. These intensifying dronings are soon joined by a subtle precursor of percussion, that will gain importance as the track evolves. An empowered, astral feel is dominant here, feeling very liberated and expressive. This theme characterizes the entire cd. As the track begins to feel it's finally come together, a perfected percussive section breaks in to give rhythmic structure to the ether. This percussion is also indicative to "Otras"'s rhythmic theme: subtle, powerful, mutated, muffled beats provide rhythmic texture to the tracks, instead of presenting themselves right out. This track continues, constantly evolving in its perfection for several more mintues before receding back into its initial regal waves... 2. Scanners Live in Vain : Whereas the first track presented itself directly, this takes over 5 minutes to start to take its form. A lengthy, minimal soundscape of samples begins to describe itself and evolve on its own. At 6 six minutes, the story begins to disclose itself. A somber, cryptic theme instantly provides a subtly epic feel. This track progresses more like a story, themes continuing while constantly undergoing small but highly important change, and new elements presenting themselves. This track becomes an alien mass of treble, shimmering melodies, underlaid with more mutant percussion, synth solo and samples. This novel-esque track continues to evolve itself for about 17 minutes, never a single repetition the same, until the sudden end. Incredible, raw, and beautiful. 3. 973.070 : This is one of the more simplified tracks on the album. Its heavily beat-oriented composition gives it a more energetic feel. The percussion is electric-feeling, but vital and tribal at the same time. This binary rhythm is continually played with by a constant sample of telephone conversation. This track explores the potential random rhythm in all sound, the sonic signature of the voice always coinciding interestingly and unintentionally with the progression of the beats. Once this has been established and explored, a simple and powerful synth repetition provides the epic feel, again also very liberated and fearless sounding. 4. Celestial Entrance : A dark-sounding, tribal beat fades in to introduce a noise that sounds like some divine insect. Quickly evolving, the buzzing ether is soon combined with popping, droning percussion and washes of subtle bass. This rumbling texture is then combined with more abstract melodic swells, until the track is an oddly dischordant but perfectly conjoined mass. The title is relevant, the music emotes a feeling of a hole in space, pure emotion with an absence of reason, a beckoning portal.... 5. The Derelict Fleet : Calm, staticy beats fade in to join with a growing melodic theme. The two merge and are dramatically combined with a simple three-chord melody that again creates a simple, epic feel, the feeling of some sort of continuing journey. The percussion here is slightly more prominent, clicking and hissing along in the sub-levels. This track (and much of Reeves' work) has a sense of being led along rather than exploring the sound. This coincides with the notion of "music in evolution", you are simply an observer to the splendor, the creator sets the elements in motion and they are given free reign to evolve on their own, creating consistently unnoticed patterns with each other. The regal feel is here again, this time with a more comforting edge. This sounds like the dream-state of a being in perfect confidence. The blissful but mysterious work slowly dwindles until it returns to the intial washes of static and dissolved beat elements, giving a solo look at the constant texture under the melodies. 6. Auto-Plain : This track seems to be a relative to "Celestial Entrance". They both attain this status of perfect mass, but this time this mass is colder, more brittle and much less vital. The track opens with treble washings and rhythms, presently combined with more mutant synths, garbling in universal fashion. There becomes a delicate contrast between the thin, layered percussion and the more powerful bass tones, this constantly and dramatically changes in nature in another liberated sense of composition. Without regard to traditional melody and structure, this music speaks its own voice seemingly without control of the maker. Soon it drops down into more controlled synth passages and gains control at its end. 7. Tetuan4 : This track seems to complete the abstract trilogy between itself, "Auto-Plain", and "Celestial Entrance". This time an odd, foreboding introduction (which continues throughout) starts off. Then in comes a very off-putting and perfectly weird "melody". This structure falls into the natural "continuing observation" of before. This is the third and final appearance of the regal, powerful waves, emanating themselves in abstract but commanding beauty. The epic feel is again produced, this time more trance-like in its nature, pulsing energies envelop. Deep percussion explores the roots of the energy in a dream-like state while the mysterious, secretive melodies drone on, searching... 8. The Flowing Light of the Godhead : The shortest track on the cd, this is one of the most ordered pieces. This track abandons much of the former epicness and seriousness for a much more lighthearted composition and theme. Pressing progressions of bright, stretched synths provide a highly energetic melodic flow, with happy, robotic beats that don't change all that much in the 3:28. This is an odd, unique track that some may love or hate, but is definitely interesting. Sort of an abstract dance. 9. 1000th Sun : This is possibly the most abstract work here, the first 10 minutes of the total 14:20 being comprised of a non-melodic crawling of evolved elements. Garbling acidic squibbles and ambient drones talk to themselves, disclosing potential but fragmented energy, never to come together very coherently. After a time, percussive textures and calmer bass pulses with abstract noise provide more structure to this rambling track. These freely evolve on their own until the whole is drawn down into a serene envelope of ambient drone, energy coalescing and then dispersing, to be left with a drawn-out landscape of static that leads out the album in ultimate, subtle effect! "Otras" is a very imaginative, free, and artistic work. Very easy to emotionally relate to while being completely alien. Quite abstract and non-musical at times, continually thought-provoking and compositionally intruiging. The simple epic feel recurrs overall, with raw hyper-detail of texture that i find constantly rewarding and amazing. David Reeves: Otras 2   (Fax Sublabel - 1995) If "Otras" was the soundtrack to an evolving being, "Otras 2" is the tale of the aftermath, a sense of apartness and indecision as to what comes next; almost akin to that of Frankenstein's child. The overall mood of "Otras 2" is a bit more relaxed but quite a bit darker, and in places, even more intense than the its precursor. "Otras" was a very liberated and light-filled work, whereas "Otras 2" feels much more confined, brooding, emanating blacks and murky greens. Imperfect, mauled melodic garbles permeate this entire disc (as well as rhythms that have a habit of ceasing to be rhythmic), combining with tarnished but functional percussive textures, resulting in a more shadowy visitation to the experimental ideas of "Otras." OH/IR- - -After a pause, pulsing, panning melodic drones float in off-time. Rusty embellishments whisper back and forth. A sense of repressed but very present beauty is soon achieved. The first plodding elements of percussion join in, and soon the track experiences a desconstruction of elements, replete with garbling echoes. If you own the Reeves disc "Narcos" you'll notice a melody used in it deep in the groundwork of this track. This ultra-subtle melody drone adds considerable depth to an otherwise shallow-depth composition. A nice starter and a good introduction of things to come... Yuma- - -A shifting, soft and emotional melody vibrates outward. An odd vocal sample is used here. It's warbled, distorted, faded; a prehistoric oracle calls out a prophecy. This immediately injects this track with an 'ethnic' influence, and is simultaneously joined by some muddied neo-aboriginal beats. The track builds a gradual groove and the elements become more intense and confident-sounding. This leads into a calmly-placed break to a new, more powerful melodic pattern that sticks around for the whole track in one form or another. It's optimistic but evokes darkness rather than light, the oracle speaks a prayer into the ether to its uncertain destination. This track abstracts itself a bit into a drifting zone, and suddenly the melody and voice are brought back with force along with some structural tapping/clickings. The melodic mass vibrates along with a final appeal from some distorted synth and then quickly ends. Skygod- - -This foreboding track opens with shuddering glitters and epic, pounding percussion and a cavernous echoing of the void. Howling space, random bass bursts, abstract sqibbles and drones of melodic energy...staticy textures as well. This feels like a Venusian electrical storm. Deep in the structure lie abstract bass pulsings and an undulating Reeves-overlapper, while overhead bending tonal arcs traverse the atmosphere. The track evolves iself in this manner for several minutes and then dwindles down to the deep structure of volcanic pulsations... Under the Radar- - -a frantic, muffled burst of note-patternings and hyperactive percussion form the regenerating theme to this track. This serves as the main body of the composition, under/overlaid with scratchy distorted samples and hissy texture throughout. The racing but ever-so-subtle and transparent pace of this track reminds me of the organic flow of electricity throughout the brain. One of Reeves' more psychedelic pieces, it evolves itself out into a mass of fluttering bass and bulging squarglers. Astralbohrer- - -Poignant and epic overlapping note-repetitions start off a beauty of a piece. A rising and lonely 'melodic' sound makes several sustained appearances, and may confusingly touch at the heartstrings :) Tapping, thumping percussion is a part of this more sparse and spatial composition, and the beauty here lies in the simplicity, it sounds very subdued but surprisingly powerful. At the end the visiting melodic sound makes its final, most visible appearance, ushered out by some raw, scattered bits of percussion. Undreamt- - -Low, muted chimes pattern out an abstract melody with some glisteny, watery synth echoes. Several musical lines overlap with odd synchopation and sound calmly beautiful, sounding alternatingly dark and light, but always mysterious.. The track continues its constant change, the focus shifting more from the melodies and onto tarnished embellishments. Reeves' real-time distortion work is particularly memorable on his more abstract pieces, and this is a perfect example. Compositional accents swerve this way and that, in a very random and organic fashion. Certain layers of sound merge momentarily into odd pools of acidic noise. The ending portion of this track contains a delightful combination of the oracle-voice reminiscent of "Yuma" and another voice, this one distorted and mangled beyond recognition. Both seem to be emanating some sort of message that is not being brought to light. It brings a very nice thematic tension to the track and disc in general. Tremendum- - -100-million-year-old light particles finally end their search across the galaxy, granting the midnight-shrouded Earth only the faintest of illuminations... Plebos- - -This odd ending track seems a relative to "Skygod," but there's a bit more going on here. A delicate tingling vestige of rhythm leads along another visitation by the void. Deep backing drones underlay one of the more directional tracks of the album. This sounds like life energy in purgatory. A sudden drop-off of the surging clouds gives a momentary glimpse of the secret meaning behind it all, the void begins to open, but is again calmly enveloped and repressed. Recurring melodic arcs from "Skygod" surge up, call out, and then fade off reluctantly into the distance, leaving a repetitive organic multi-chord membrane to lead out, the evolutionary journey continuing beyond our spectrum. Somehow "Otras 2" manages to sound like compositions that are not of this reality. As far as I know, David Reeves does not even exist. These tracks were found in some extraterrestrial crypt! Pete Namlook and Bill Laswell: Outland 2   (FAX World label - 1996) In this highly notable outing, Pete Namlook and Bill Laswell portray the cycle of a day in the African Outland. The consecutive scenes of this 60-minute sonic documentary seem to describe the various phases of the sun, beginning in the dusky area before sunrise to end up back in the darkness of night. This "African Sonata" features extensive use of the intriguing field recordings of one Oz Fritz. These recordings display human existence in the Outland, an existence seemingly long-lived and yet fragile. These recordings occur throughout the majority of the work and tie it together nicely with a continuous contextual theme. This disc also highlights the classic improvised keyboard vignettes of Namlook, used reservedly and effectively, and in combination with the electric-primitive percussion which permeates many of the passages, "Outland 2" is one of the most successful and cohesive collaborations between Namlook and Laswell that I've experienced. A melancholy tide of keyboard ambient calls out from a dark space to open the disc and display the Outland in pre-sunrise gloom. Clear and deep tones harmonically converse with a foreboding resonation in a slow motion dance. The spatial track swirls in grey murkiness and the stars begin to fade as the world brightens. A touching piece which heralds the stately arrival of the sun. As the sun slips above the horizon, the world filters into hazy morning and a human settlement is revealed. Part II, a 10-minute piece, is the longest look we get at Fritz's recordings, and things shift from echoing voices, bells, instruments, and variously unrecognizable noise, all backed with the ever present morning sun climbing higher and higher in the sky. Persistent and ethereal-sounding chants strain through the dusty haze and the day begins to heat up. Despite the human comfort of these sounds, there is a primal undercurrent of menace here that seldom fades away. Deep rumbles and unsettling gusts of harsh sand-sound intersperse periodically. Ancient and celebratory sounds emanate from all different locations of the landscape but merge with the solar tide to create a bipolar sense of unease and beauty. Glassy sheets of harmony close out our glimpse into society as we leave civilized territory and head for the Outland itself. In Part III, the sun has reached its zenith and fittingly the disc here attains its highest concentration of energy. An 18-minute excursion into the rugged landscape ensues as the sun beats down, heating hearts, and atoms feel the primitive power of the light. Electronic-tinged tribal-esque percussion drives and pounds its way through savanna air currents, constantly recombining, intermittently backed with ambient expanses, commanding analog tones, and clean-edged ethnic instrumentation. Periodic drop-offs allow for this drawn-out track to discover new terrain, exploring and speeding. Being a primarily rhythmic piece, this track's virtue lies not so much in its aesthetic sense but rather its constant re-patternization of elements and well-chosen refusal to retread the same ground too often. Thankfully the pounding journey slows at the 14 minute mark and we're treated to a stretch of Namlook's octave-scaling sequences and a revisitation of the field recordings of Part II as the sun edges into afternoon. We immediately glide into a marching progression of dramatic synth chords which merge with a growing metallicized gamelan-sounding loop. These alternately accent and harmonize with each other, surging and fading in a radiant concourse. The sun begins to descend and illuminate the Outland in golden shades of sunset as this rather brief Part IV fades off. After a moment of silence, our rhythmic loop returns but this time as a washed out and echoing reprise. Flattened shades of purplish grey shorten our focus as dry twilight deepens and Part V begins. Soon, machines-cum-rocks/sticks/drums form a panning and rhythmic form of sound sculpture. A very raw and unusual piece that's periodically textured with more sonic glimpses into the lives of the humans of the Outland. Simple but off-set and boldly designed, percussive echoes knock through painted caves and out from shadows. I'm glad our duo chose this unforeseen direction as it adds a nice mind-bender and an interesting twist to the disc. The stars are out as the land is again enveloped in darkness. This reprise of the first track feels much more serene but one can still very presently feel the churning of the vast Earth beneath. Organisms' consciousness is exhaled into the black sky as the land sleeps. Part VI is a deep and reserved piece of ambient that bookends and closes the disc in emotional, starlit fashion. David Reeves: In Starless Space   (FAX Sublabel - 1995) With his third solo FAX effort, David Reeves ends his experimental trilogy begun with "Otras". This time he has abandoned some of the former epic grandeur of the Otras discs in favor of more intimate, refined sounds. The elements used here sound almost painfully detailed, seemingly processed over and over into their disclosed states, and show their scars of remodelling as beauty. The monolithic emotions of the Otras discs are revisited here, but where those previous works sounded more like heiroglyphs born from alien minds, "In Starless Space" sounds much more human and in places evokes images of Aboriginal sand-paintings; markings no less meaningful but perhaps more familiar. This disc also seems to include much more of a juxtaposition of themes, ranging from universal vibrations to ant-like tickings (and at several points these thems are simultaneously intermingled). While still maintaining the experimental ambient nature of the Otras discs, "In Starless Space" makes more overt use of percussion. Due to the excessively processed sounds, there's a predominant tarnished texture to almost everything, like an ancient artifact or monument which was once proud and great, but is now abandoned and holds only echoes of its former power... Message Fragment- - -? Luminous Flightpath- - -Eerie and earnest throbbing drones immediately ensconce the listener. A melancholy and insistent power starts off the disc and is soon joined by some very odd muted staccato tones. Is this a major or minor key? There's a strong emotion of whispering here although nothing is overtly quiet. A very secretive place to start off this album, and a theme that will characterize the rest. After the entrance of some Nasa radio samples which provide nice underwork, a perfected percussive sequence makes itself heard in a compositional feat reminiscent of "In Suspension" from Otras. This is quite a delicious subtlety of drones, lightly tapping bass, muffled drums and restrained hi-hats. Certain rhythmic moments are punctuated seemingly at random, adding a nice free-form feel to the track. The sense of perpetual motion that Reeves seems to create so easily is perfectly exemplified here in one of his most cohesive, masterfully-constructed pieces. Things progress calmly until the staccato keys begin to intensify and a slightly more driving, forceful rhythm breaks in. Here the textural theme for the disc is established: staticy feel to nearly everything, hushed hi-hats, muffled percussion, a profusion of human samples (vocal and non-vocal). The beats start to disappear and the droning waves continue with micro-details and tracking ticks in either channel...subtle pulsings...the perpetual motion exists whether it be in light or darkness. The Termite Oracle- - -This odd beast of a track opens with the hushed duo of a hollow rushing noise and a rapid popping tone. Minute scratchings and decaying static warp one another in an unnerving form of ambience. A shifting shadowy shimmer joins the cobwebbed murk and suddenly we're assaulted with distorted, primitive beats which instantly grab the forefront, a seldom-used tactic by Reeves. Textural subnoise and ethnic vocals samples form a fitting but bizarre background. There's a definite sense of space here, with the background elements echoed and the percussive noises fully frontal and plastered. Reminds me strongly of primitive cave-paintings. The beats suddenly drop off only to be ushered back in with another webbed collapse of static. Extremely alien, but intensely human. How is this possible? As the beats track on, hyperdetailed garbling and distortion decay all of the elements. A weary and rusted feel is present here as the rhythm begins to dissolve into tortured polychrome static. This static itself is a focal point all its own due to the fact that it sounds like highly manipulated foreign speech? A rotting, encrypted message of some sort that is extremely odd, highly compelling and not comforting at all. Mutated percussion drifts through abstract static, washings of sound. Raw and vital. NGC 1961- - -Our tribal-sounding samples hang around to usher in quite a different track, and another unique one for Reeves. Here we get the closest David ever came to dance music, although that does not explain this oddity by a long shot. Some blunt but more upbeat analog patterns start us off and set a lively pace as an echoey Pastor Reese lectures us about the heavens. This leisurely speech is freakishly counterpointed by frantic, almost animalistic static bursts. Rhythmic elements begin to multiply and as a frontal skipping hi-hat enters, Reese ends his narrative to segue into the main body of the track. An enigmatic opening is followed here by an intruiging excursion into aboriginal psychedelic dance. Envision as you may. A continuous shifting drone is present throughout, accompanied by subtly changing sparse percussion and forlorn swoopings. A subdued track, but with a calm intensity characteristic of Reeves' work. The rhythms' simple sequences begin to overlap each other in strange ways. The track quickly becomes extremely primitive with more samples and a warbling collage. Acid-washed static fades out the track. Free-Cyanatic- - -Here are some more defined and astral sounds. Key-shifting perpetual tones back some growing, spidery percussion. Calmly powerful driving rhythm breaks in, the tones become more individualized and highlighted with expansive echoes. Percussive elements whisper themselves into existence and establish the structure almost before you notice they're there. A sudden transformation to a vigorous and almost harsh tracking rhythmic section, receding garbles and desperately warbling 'melodies'. Ends in a melancholy droning segment. This disc is getting weirder and more comfortable by the moment.... Aurora 7- - -Whipping whooshes and repetitive hi-hats introduce other heavier elements including some pulsing bass and higher-pitched whips of sound which fill the listening space. A soothing/seething analog pattern emerges and holds sway over all, including some more nicely simplified but effective beats. This intensifies dramatically and as it fades, a tiny ticking in the middle channel joins pace with it and their respective rhythms sync and disjoint intermittently, a wonderful and super-subtle compositional element. The analog disappears and only the ticking is left which is visited by some soft rattling static. This builds and intensifies in a vibrating crescendo. CatalyticStarless, Endless- - -A deep, mysterious sample...then the final tracking chords of the disc. Like those of "Luminous Flightpath" these chords seem to be subtly shifting their harmony and key ever so slightly and continuously. A sad, lonely melody drifts over and over, harmoniously bonding with the linear melodic dottings. Ever-present embellishments sound corroded but functional and oddly melancholy in a way that is hard to describe. Nostalgic and yet foreign. A trademark Reeves-overlapper roils in the underwork. There's a fragile interaction between the secondary elements here, they all seem to be shuffling about in the dark, setting each other off at random in a manner that might induce paranoia were the emotions not so lulling. After about 12 minutes, the overlapper finally begins to intensify as the percussion drops away...Here as in much of Reeves' music, there's a feeling of constantly present emotions and spaces that continue to exist whether or not the listener is present. "In Starless Space" was a disc that i completely could not understand at first. But now after many listens I'm starting to understand how good it really is. This trilogy is perhaps the best example of beat-oriented ambient i've experienced, with tracks like "Catalytic" and "Starless, Endless" being the epitome of such music, the percussion taking the background and becoming a shifting, pulsing tapestry. The dusty texture of many of these tracks is rather unnerving in its insectile detail. Also, with many of the pieces it seems to take the entire cast of elements to gain any sort of melodic interaction, the melodies seemingly constructing themselves out of nonmelodic elements. This disc also seems to hit upon the often visited theme of primitive-futuristic synergy, but with striking originality and accessibility. A highly thought-provoking and emotional work which binds together Reeves' three FAX discs in a true trilogy rather than merely a series. Truly outstanding music. Tetsu Inoue, Atom Heart, Bill Laswell: Second Nature   (FAX Sublabel - 1995) With "Second Nature", a trio of FAX personalities present us with a highly theme-oriented disc and a captivating excursion into synthesized organics. All three musicians involved (Tetsu Inoue, Atom Heart, Bill Laswell) seem to take a background role all at once, allowing their three distinct styles to interweave quite masterfully throughout the entirety of the work. This disc is full of subtleties and harmonic interaction, each artist producing consistently understated contributions which results in the best form of collaboration: a perfect meshing of musical styles which form a solid, unique whole. I receive similar emotions from this disc as i do from Schmidt/Inoue's "Flowerhead", but contrasted with the dreamy suede finish of that work, "Second Nature" seems positively gritty. A scratchy, all-analog feel throughout the disc strengthens the theme and provides a convincingly raw emotion to all of the tracks presented here. Synthetic Forest - - -This opening track is a lengthy one, but the experience starts up quickly as a thicket of synthetic and distorted samples fade in, providing us with a tranquil but intense nature setting. Echoing, screechy synthetic birds surround us with electric wildlife, and there are bugs everywhere! A calm and rather indecipherable melody pipes along the the background and soon harsh but immersive noises pan in from all sides. The forest is very much alive with a fuzzy form of ambience that begins to include samples of a more human origin, along with some bending and melancholy tones. Distorted human breathing surges in the right channel and is rather disconcerting due to the fact that one can't quite tell if it's synthetic or not. Whatever the case, the effect is wonderful. Bright and shimmery melodies abstractly drift along. Somehow our trio gives us a very "green" sound here, hitting their intended mark dead on. More repetitive loops enter and the pace begins to pick up playfully. The track is beginning to take on much more structure as humming bass repeats softly from the lower regions. These lush-sounding organic textures juxtapose nicely with their own electric sources, with wonderful reference again to the title of the piece. This is convincing stuff! :) Elements intensify and recede like the sun shining through foliage, accenting and subduing. Some soft, snappy double-percussion invades the right channel like two robotic woodpeckers having a conversation: Uwe's here! They're joined by a third companion, a more present snare in the middle pipes up and *eep!*, a sudden thumping bassline jumps in! The track immediately gains lots of rich structure as we're visited by the first of Laswell's bass. In the course of the past couple minutes our track has progressed from abstract, melodic ambient to a funky, drum-filled textural jam! The movement of the rhythm is very steady and not overbearing whatsoever, as Inoue's masterful backgrounds prove equally important as Atom Heart's asymmetrical rhythmic work. Our artists continue to paint a vivid picture: Laswell describes the thick forms of the forest-the rugged terrain, redwoods and logs stand looming, Atom Heart shows us the wildlife of the forest-birds, rodents and bugs fill up the airspace, while Inoue provides a sense of space, the light filtering between all the physicality in a hazy drifting. We're treated to a warbling solo of some kind as the thumping excursion continues. Things progress nicely for several minutes (the elements thinning and thickening like the forest), until a sudden decomposition tells us we've reached a clearing. A rest is needed after that rugged journey, time for a lie in the grass. Some kind of live instrumental samples and the recurring bending tones provide a calmer, still organic feel as Inoue takes the reins for the track's finale. Clouds roll by in a summertime haze and the memory of wildlife returns with the breeze. The track's total 28:42 passes in no time. A wonderful opening experience. Green Paste - - -A soft Inouean vista opens before us and the intangibility of the melody is strikingly beautiful. This is somewhat of a night piece, and we can see a massive forest filled with futuristic air traffic. The air is very clean. Floating staticy noises and tones drift like fireflies in the dark, together with intrusive elements that vanish as quickly as they appear. A garbling insectile whisper fills the left channel, with a matching oddity in the right, and a sweetly meandering moonlight melody fills it all out peacefully. Intermittently, sounds like jets traverse the night sky high above and in places the energy of this environment becomes somewhat chaotic. There are wonderfully processed textures here. Harmonic washes and computerized ramblings fill the air. The moonlight melody returns, but by now the track has entered into a state of fragile unrest..the sunrise is imminent. Some warmer analog synths take the forefront in a night breeze, the fireflies dancing in its gusts. The beautiful Inouean expanse again makes itself known as the sun rises.... Artificial Seaside - - -Synthetic gulls and tidal washings open the track in an amusingly accurate interpretation, along with some subdued and grand echoes. A vast-sounding tone gives a nice sparse but massive sea view. More vocal samples make a return appearance, and this track in general appears to be a more laid back return to the emotions of "Synthetic Forest". A gusty, sandy and dry feel predominates and some bubbly preliminary percussive sounds begins to filter in. Drawn out tones and stretched synths combine with a shimmering watery texture and some ghostly washings: Inoue is at work. The interesting harmonic tapestry effect that characterizes this cd is exemplified here. Notes that seem unrelated establish links somehow. Gently vibrating bass and airy, electric analog melodies fade in with a ticking hi-hat. Tasty subtle percussive interaction begins to knock and softly cycle and soon another round of Laswell bass begins to throb. The light beats mince around the plodding bass playfully, with an odd and pleasing time signature. It's very relaxed here :) Elements return and leave dreamily. The gentle rolling of sand dunes and the windswept grooves are described here. Things float around gently until gradually fading away, leaving the lingering bass wobble pulsing along with the tide and wind-swept tones. Landing Circle - - -A much darker ambient piece ends the disc. This seems much more technological than the rest, focusing on the aforementioned air traffic above our synthetic landscape. Deep and dark drones contain a wonderful doppler effect as aircraft come and go, invisible in the nightscape. Beautiful bending harmonic progressions intrude. A deep, slow, repeating melody adds a super-subtle underlayer to lingering drones and one of Inoue's trademarks: thin, stretched notes which seem to implode upon themselves as they gain their highest pitch. The dark cyclings continue and then fade as some more lonely, calling instruments join the deepening night-mesh. Overall this is one of my favorite and most comfortable-feeling FAX releases. The wonderful collaboratory aspect of it is a particular draw, and the way the theme is so subtly executed make this an outstanding collection of music. The subdued psychedelia present here is highly entertaining and immersive, but anyone hoping for same ol' same ol' from Atom Heart or Inoue here will be disappointed. Fun, interesting, and fuzzy! Atom Heart: Softcore   (FAX Sublabel - 1994) This earlier work from Atom Heart is a far cry from what he's doing nowadays. Actually, compared to his recent output, it doesn't even really sound like the same artist. This retrospect is interesting because it shows the natural evolution that all artists undergo. This record was made at a time when Uwe Schmidt was concentrating on several styles at a time, and "Softcore" falls into a hazily defined bracket of IDM, with several tracks being quite ambient and others being just odd in general. Contrasted with Schmidt's contemporary recordings, the focus here is much more centered upon effective sequencing rather than psychedelic flagellisticomplexities. Atom Heart is composing with a much simpler template here and resultantly the tracks sound very structured and much more mellow. All the tracks make nice well-constructed wholes, but as you let your ears wander over them all of the individual sounds are quite interesting in their own regard. A definite element of simplicity here that's surprisingly difficult to put into words. The title "Softcore" fits well with the music because here (as in lots of Schmidt's music) i find an extremely subtle undertone of eroticism, titillation, ticklish sensuality that's incredibly elusive, a delightful package of pixelated innuendoes. In the end this record sounds like the lighthearted cousin to "Orange", it's energized but mellow grooves producing a color palette of purple, violet, magenta hues. Incidentally, this record gets my vote for Most RisquŽ FAX Cover art! :) Naked Eye Spy - - -A glowy ambient stream opens the disc. This converges with sun-dappled and friendly loops of soft, repetitive notes. A definite rhythm takes shape quickly. Softly humming bass and tweaked ascending chimes set up an altogether happy and full-bodied structure. Atom Heart couldn't help making this one funky as the ambient setting gives way to a tonicky mixture of sequences. A steady and gentle groove snaps along, rolling through the sunlit atmosphere and really doens't change much at all for the duration of the track, the only *seemingly* varying element being the odd choice of a tiny ting-ing sound which seems to give us an aspiring solo. It's a loungy atmosphere in general which disappears as the track moves again into more sunny tones and shifting harmonies. Silky simplicity. Rather Bent Than Shaked - - -A deep, faraway bassline pulses out dark purple wallpaper. This is a stab at beat-oriented ambient and it's mixed a lot more quietly then the other tracks, giving a really subtle and gentle feel. A dusty, popping beat is our perpetual handrail into quilty darkness. Various equally subtle rhythmic elements join in sporadically; electric glitters, marimba-style tones and whispery slides percolate and shuttle about with a melancholy ambient theme beneath. Just enough textural differences here to keep our attention from straying. Weird stuff. Home Sweet Home - - -Reverbed ringings introduce a very odd piece; a thin metallic veil of sound undulates between percussive layers. The luminous harmonies continue until replaced by several contorted and electric melodic patterns. The mood here is quite airy and the eclectic sequences puff and glide along easily. Patterns interact with each other in very minor ways, they seem to color and shade one another rather than play with composition. Like many of these tracks, Uwe ends it before the simplicity turns into boredom, and in the process shows how effective these simplified compositions are in that they can keep your interest so well! Funkified Female - - -Hardwired Erotica in Metallic Blue-Gray Difference Engine - - -An ensemble of what sounds like badly mechanized woodwinds are the entrance to a mahogany parlor of aristocratic 4/4 danciness. The track seems to exemplify the values of "Softcore": simplistic but undeniably toe-tapping rhythms, effective and repetitive melodic sketchings which set grooves in place quite perfectly, chromey embellishments and just enough intriguing special effects to pull it all off convincingly. Plenty of Food - - -A glittery pounding effect and miscellaneous metallic oddities give a strong gold flavor to a quickly-forming piece of shifty electro-dance. Underlaid is a watery, rattling texture. Quite a mixed bag here, and it's driven to oddly comic dimensions by a lively cowbell. How does he pull this stuff off? The main character of the track, an oscillating thread of poppy effervescence, stretches down the end of this short-form, somewhat gestural piece. White Hole 1 - - -Lovely, lonesome ambient thing that sounds like a chorus of ghostly horns. Focus drifts from channel to channel like fog. Wonderful little interlude... White Hole 2 - - -Serene tone-clusters fade in and set up the most blissful region of the disc. Music for wheat fields. This makes me wish Uwe would have made an entire cd based on this kind of theme! Touching and beautiful, however the track soon switches themes to a more rhythmic nature. The sustains continue but with organic buzzes and wobbles spiralling in overlapped pools of design. A half-melodic dotting rhythm zaps and echoes, filling out the assymetrical composition. Analog tweakages and slight timing shifts alter the patterned ambience and we're now presented with something completely different than what we started with 12 minutes ago. Rhythmic signatures dissolve and simplify, contracting oddly, like a beating heart. This track gives a really solid ending to the disc, which is where "Orange" really failed unfortunately. A serious and emotional finale to a collection of Vibrant Violet Voyeurism! The powerful and playful scenes presented here are really captivating but don't expect anything mind-boggling or ground-breaking. Probably not a disc to be played frequently, but the emotions here all have a gentle and wholesome feel that will probably never fail to be simply comfy :) The tracks of "Softcore" all have lots of personality and sort of a 'light fiction' feel, great for springtime! The musical elements themselves encompass a wide variety of personalities as well, jubilantly fleshing out this group of dot-matrix centerfolds. Alex's Reviews were posted here on December 30, 2000.

AmbiEntrance © 1999-97 by David J Opdyke (except CD cover art, rights retained by original owners).