farfield: the edges of everything farfield: the edges of everything (Farfield - 1999) Strange, alluring sounds are emanating from the U.K.... from Glastonbury to be more precise... from farfield's Nick Webb to actually pinpoint the source of these lovely sonic enigmas. Simultaneously relax and explore the edges of everything, a sublime merger of airy abstraction and hushed tonality. Great stuff! Light tones and softly gritty textures drift through exploding snowdunes which seem to be a hive of continual organic activity. Faintly rippling beatpatterns are adrift on a smoothly morphing plane of synth haze, twinkling notes and general hushed atmospherics, all of which is beautifully reflected in your LEFT eye. More intriguingly slurred soundscapes emerge from the depths (1:45); slow beats and ephemeral swirls receive just a bit of human prescence before fading away. A whispered question ("are YOU there?") repeatedly slips between piano and bass meanderings which are surrounded by a chilly spacefloe. Quiet locational sounds add an unidentifiable but immediate sense of place to stealing Fire (7:34); faraway tones hover and spacious piano notes resonate more closely as deep symphonics seep downward. Sweet synthstrings spread through realTime (and counting.....), performing slow-motion aerial acrobatics before fading out. 43 minutes passes all too quickly when surrounded by farfield's entrancing blend of musicality and ambiance. Gorgeously understated instrumental presences are merged with the subdued textures and half-heard entities which float in from the edges of everything. A rightfully earned 9-2 of appreciation for opening my ears to some new ambient variations from a previously unheard source. The Farfield website is a trove of ambient/electronic information with many noteworthy links, etc. This review posted August 30, 2000 AmbiEntrance © 2000-1997 by David J Opdyke (except CD cover art, rights retained by original owners).