JONN SERRIE

The Stargazer's Journey

New World Music (2003)

review by Bill Binkelman

Jonn Serrie returns to the stars (and to the welcoming embrace of his spacemusic fans) on this, his latest recording. Serrie burst upon the spacemusic scene back in the '80s with And The Stars Go With You, an album that still stands as a defining and classic recording in the genre. After that came Flightpath and Planetary Chronicles (Parts One and Two). However, he was also developing a whole "other" side to his musical persona. When the CD Tingri was released, those who loved the deep drifting serenity of And The Stars... felt betrayed. What was up with this "new age pop" music? (I happen to consider Tingri to be an underrated and misunderstood album, but I'm in the minority in this view).

Jonn Serrie continued to develop and refine his "romantic spacemusic" over the next few albums (Midsummer Century, Ixlandia, and last year's Lumia Nights). These recordings all featured quasi-"space lounge" melodies, some pop-like song structures, and chill-out rhythms (although each album also contained one or two songs that aligned well with his earlier style).

Long suffering spacemusic fans can happily rejoice, for Jonn Serrie has "returned to the fold" with The Stargazer's Journey, an exploration of deep space cruising and drifting that harkens back to And The Stars Goes With You and Flightpath while still managing to sound fresh, i.e. this is no mere retreading of past glories. While I never shared most fans' disdain for Serrie's romantic side, I also can appreciate what a superlative recording this is and how it is nice to "have Jonn Serrie back," for he is truly unique when it comes to spacemusic.

There are six tracks on this CD and only one of them (track #2, "Eye of the Beholder") displays the artist's recent predilection for romanticism (amidst this cut's swirling synth washes there are understated sexy percussive effects of hand drums and cymbals that impart a gentle swaying lounge feel to the song). All the other selections here are bona fide classic spacemusic, cut from the same cloth as Serrie's magnificent work from his earliest albums.

The title track opens the CD with gently blowing cosmic winds joined by those trademark Serrie washes and synth chorales painting their tones against a warm and inviting night sky. Midway through the song, gentle rapid pulsing sequenced beats impart the sensation of cruising through the cosmos (again, reminiscent of both And the Stars...and Flightpath). "Goldstone" begins with muted spacy electronic effects and lush chorales (somewhat reminiscent of Liquid Mind) and slowly folds in slower tempo rhythms while the melodies swirl lazily around them, featuring layer after layer of various synths.

There are three more songs on the album ("Pan Galactic," "The Stars, Like Dust," and "Radiant Dawn's Whisper") and each one offers up further evidence of the artist's mastery of deep drifting (or subtly cruising) spacemusic that is never dark or foreboding, but instead bathes the listener in a blue-violet glow, like the light from a distant nebula. "The Stars, Like Dust," in particular, takes you into the backwaters of the galaxy - way way out there. It may be the artist's most cosmic-sounding (and minimal, at times) piece ever, as it moves from non-musical tones and washes into ethereal caresses of synth chorales and then back again into minimalism comprised of spacy electronics and underlying droning effects. The closing song ("Radiant Dawn's Whisper") may remind some listeners of Michael Stearns, as Serrie saves his most dramatic synth washes for these moments of grace and majesty (no doubt meant to evoke the awe that comes with witnessing a slowly developing dawn).

Will those who like Serrie's more romantic side enjoy The Stargazer's Journey? I think so, but since I appreciate both "sides" of this artist's personality, it stands to reason that I would love this album. If you prefer the more accessible and structured recordings (featuring rhythms and that space-lounge sound) from his catalog, you may find this tough going, since the music is universally drifting (except for those instances of sequenced rhythms). Fans of Serrie's (previously mentioned) classic spacemusic recordings will, I am 100 percent positive, fall head of heels in love with this CD. I highly recommend The Stargazer's Journey to fans of the genre as well as to those ambient-philes who like the warmer side of drifting electronic bliss.