- Elemental: Lux Aeternae (Aethyr Productions - 1997)
- With no MIDI or computers, Elemental has built an entrancing soundworld; tracks ranging from under 3- to over 16-minutes-long make expert use of several breeds of analog synthesizers and sequencers. Rich, animated, percussionless tracks go many different places. The pseudo-dulcimer strings of title track, for instance, sometimes seems Eastern and other times Appalachian. Rexa-Caculha begins ethereally, then whizzes along on a long sequencer-driven joyride. Por Argento goes somewhere darker and more chaotic, while The Samovar Song makes a very short "new age" detour. Some of the longer tracks suffer (IMHO) from a bit of repetition, but then again we could call it "trance-inducing".
Beautiful work really; I do hope to hear more. Fans of traditional analog synthmusic should definitely want to seek this out... Elemental can be reached via e-mail for more information.
- Emporer Sly: Sparking Up (Zip Dog - 1997)
- A fun blast of reggae-flavored techno/dance, Sparking Up doesn't take itself too seriously. It's just having fun with pounding beats and Jamaican stylings here and there. (Supposedly the title refers to the glow-in-the-dark sea creature pictured on the CD case, not illicit activities involving island-grown herbs. Uh-huh, maybe... but then, how do you explain Ganja Smokin'?)
- Jean Michel Jarre: Oxygene 7 - 13 (Epic - 1997)
- More than 20 years after the original, Oxygene 7 -13 continues the numerical series. Crisp, sometimes bleepy notes chirp, and lush, "old-fashioned" synth chords roll on melodiously. Grand, mobile constructions of sound reach skyward with majestic spans and spires, powered by relentlessy driving sequencers. It's very nicely done and I recommend it to most anyone, though I think analog and space fans will particularly enjoy these works. But how could anyone resist the theremin passages?
- Nar: Ancient Digital (Alterflow -1997)
- This is a demo cassette from Quebecan ambient-electronician Nar. Despite the decidedly low-fi recording, it's easy to discern some interesting work being done here. Dark electronics with varying levels of beatiness and spooky atmospherics are the main order of business. Promising work!
There is a new CD in the works; I definitely look forward to giving it a listen, and will tell you when I do. In the meantime, check out the Nar website to learn more.
- Pickadelic: recyence (incoming - 1997)
- When I first heard that there were NO instruments used in the making of this CD (it was created entirely from samples), I expected an obvious, cut-and-paste sound... a clumsy, musical Frankenstein's monster of used parts. Glad to say I was wrong. recyence is cool... and you can hardly see the seams in the smoothly beaty tracks.
pickadelic (a.k.a. hans kroier, of Berlin), has reassembled around 120 different instrumental, vocal and sound samples from around the world. The title is, aptly enough, pieced together from the words "record", "recycle", "cyborg" and "science". It could be filed under "World" or "Experimental"; it's definitely "Electronic".
- Paul Schutze: Deus Ex Machina (Extreme - 1989)
- One 59-minute-long soundtrack is a scholarly focus on man's relationship to technology. Includes movie-like musical passages, atmospheric ambiance, sound effects and French and Italian vocal samples. Beautifully executed and quietly effective transcendental listening. Various moods and different sonic areas make for a most immersive listen. A masterpiece.
- u-Ziq: Brace Yourself (Astralwerks - 1998)
- This new ep runs for 33 minutes, but packs in 8 tracks and at least 10 million quirky beats. Beautiful, low-key (often toy-like) electronics are engulfed by crazily flailing e-percussion. Hyperactive isn't a strong enough adjective to pin on the rapid-fire assault of tinny drumbeats. At first, I was overwhelmed, but have grown to admire the super-frenetic patterns. Even the most laid-back tracks (and some are quite soothing) are driven by wildly inventive and intricate rhythm structures. Learn more by visiting the Astralwerks site.
See Previous Overviews.
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