PSYCHETROPIC

China Radio Sunshine

Microrelease (2003)

We last heard from Todd Fletcher's Psychetropic on Heat, incidentally one of the first reviews to appear on the Ambient Review site. Now, with Ambient Review's one year anniversary, I'm pleased to be reviewing Fletcher's newest Psychetropic outing, the impressive China Radio Sunshine.

In my review of Heat, I felt that it "was akin to traveling back in time to when Detroit techno inspired IDM was the height of musical sophistication in many listeners' homes." With China Radio Sunshine, Fletcher has all but discarded the Detroit/IDM flavorings, in favor of an even smoother, beat-oriented, ambient techno sound. Those who felt Heat may have owed a little too much to mid-nineties, summery electronica (whether intentional or not) will find the Psychetropic project moving into its own zone of influence--honestly, I'm hard pressed to think of another modern artist creating music quite like this. Case in point: the album opener "Futurengine" begins with a resonant, almost sitar-sounding swell, perhaps reminiscent of Fletcher's ambient work. Then, unusual synth-sequences flow in, along with a gorgeous synth wave and ethereal, female, wordless vocals, just like a ray of sunshine invoked by the album's title. The rhythm programming is slick and unpredictable; an insistent pulse constantly shifting, never allowing the track to become unnecessarily repetitive. "Falling Again" continues the unpredictability with a jazzy bassline underpinning constantly flagellating percussive sequences, Detroit-techno synth washes, and bird samples(!). Once again, the rhythm programming is top-notch, really increasing the appeal of the track. Honestly, I'm just going to go for broke, mid-review, and say that every track on the album is equally impressive. "Follow Us to Earth" reminds me of the ethereal techno of Peter Benisch, sans the Euro-house clichés Benisch occasionally lapses into. "Frozen Garden" has synth washes that are almost palpable; think the lovely synth drift of Namlook and Hawtin's "Homeward Bound" on From Within. This is a head-nodder par excellence. The roads must roll on "Slidewalk," which recalls the future-past musings of The Black Dog's connector tracks on Spanners--a cool, futuristic interlude between longer tracks. "Dead Slow Day" cools the tempo with a slowly tittering sequence and extremely psychedelic synthwashes. Once again, the light rhythms are unpredictable, interesting, and a highlight--a lovely, anything-but-standard ambient-techno track. "China Radio Sunshine" appeared on the excellent Databloem compilation Collection 2: Moving, and exemplifies the high quality of the album--it's probably the most representative track of the whole Psychetropic vibe. "Tripping Star" begins as an ambient drift track and progresses into space-walk downtempo brilliance. Fans of Biosphere's earlier work will find sonic similarities here, particularly on the more ambient tracks of Patashnik, though the sound here is brighter, more positive. The album closer "Sonoran Roads" brings us back down to Earth, a Warp-style IDM excursion with ultra-modern glitch percussives. This is my favorite track on the record, simultaneously classic and modern sounding, and a direction I hope future Psychetropic albums take.

I've skimmed over a few tracks on China Radio Sunshine, but rest assured, they are all equally professional, listenable, beautiful. The album is overwhelmingly song-oriented (refreshing to some degree, since I often deal with long, long ambient tracks in my reviews), and definitely conducive to repeat plays. If you enjoyed Heat, you are absolutely going to love China Radio Sunshine, which, though not light years ahead of Fletcher's past work, represents the most modern, excellent work I've heard by him so far. This is fantastic material, and, as I mentioned earlier, unlike anything I'm currently hearing from the IDM and ambient camps. It's a mixture of both, and, as such, would make a good "gateway drug" for ambient listeners curious about IDM, and IDM/ambient-techno fans who want a little more ambient mixed in with their beats. Recommended.

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JIM COLE & MATHIAS GRASSOW

The Last Bright Light

Atmoworks (2004)

One of the more complimentary pairings in bright, intense ambient music is the collaborative work of ambient drone artist Mathias Grassow and overtone singer Jim Cole. Their first album together, The Hollow, was a lovely mixture of Cole's overtone vocalizations with Grassow's hypnotic singing bowl and synth drones, along with a number of sparse nature samples and field recordings. The wait's been long for the follow-up, mostly due to label difficulties, but finally, three years on, we have The Last Bright Light.

This new effort is dramatically different from their previous album; the sound sources here are entirely comprised of both Cole's and Grassow's looped overtone voices. While synth is only used on one track, the sounds resemble the soaring drones heard on Grassow's recent Amplexus label releases and Cole's last two transcendent solo albums. The album begins softly with two tracks of ululating vocal drones that interweave gently. Both "The Last Bright Light" and "New Beginning" are brief, airy, tone poems, all highlighted with Cole's higher-pitched voice ethereally soaring over the basic drones. "Starlit Shadows" begins to intensify, and, to some degree, darken the atmosphere, as the drones take on not an air of menace, but of drama and intensity, much in the same mood as Cole's track "Transformations" from Godspace. The soundworld created here is spare and minimal, though no less beautiful (and, to some degree, melancholy) as a result. "Flare" is another brief, powerful track, with concentrated, churning drones and the natural ambience of the surf. Though environmental samples are used in moderation, the effect is striking, creating a psychoactive zone where earthly sounds are shown to be celestial and otherworldly. "Fell Radiance" returns to the deeper zones of "Starlit Shadows," with overtone soloing cascading over the soft drones. There's a buoyant quality to the sound here, as if its currents will lift the listener off the earth to be buffeted gently by air gusts warm and cold. Ghostly sounds wisp into the landscape, as though we have inadvertently and peacefully connected with the spirit realm. "Longing" has the feeling of ancient melancholy, reaching across time's distances--through sound, we have connected with some long-dead human's sadness, transmuted over the years, forgotten, now more reminiscent of unearthly beauty than pain or anguish. "Fusion" is perhaps the best track on the album (though I hate to play favorites)--it is also the longest track at nearly eighteen minutes, and the only track to feature synth atmospheres. These atmospheres are instantly recognizable as Grassow's, melding so cleanly with the overtone vocals that the two are difficult to discern from each other. The intensity of this track, beginning at around the three and a half minute mark, is difficult to describe. Epic is the word that comes to mind, as the synth drone falls away into an absolutely stunning vocal drone that recalls for me ancient ruins, inexplicably huge statues and architecture, beauty so bright and distant one has a hard time understanding it. I've dallied with talk like this in previous reviews of Cole's tremendous solo work--this is the real deal, a feeling absent even in most of the best of ambient music. When the natural sounds of surf filter in, the swelling, harmonic, intoxicating atmospheres represent the eternal power of ambient music--perhaps above all other musical forms of expression--in expressing the ineffable. After that, "Light Withering" almost seems anti-climactic, though no less impressive than the rest of the album. Deep and lovely tones close the album as it began: wisping, ethereal, unabashedly beautiful.

Once again, Cole and Grassow do not disappoint, presenting a vast and gorgeous album culled from "simple" sound sources. As good as The Hollow was, The Last Bright Light is far, far better. Though I certainly have no problem with ambient albums comprised solely of synthetic textures, Cole and Grassow remind that discarding the trappings of too much gear and artifice can be a wholly positive and enriching musical strategy. Ambient in the best possible way, The Last Bright Light manages to be both atmospheric and captivating--the kind of record one can spin all day, no matter what mood one might be in. It is enchanting from start to finish, and well-deserving of my highest recommendation.

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VIDNAOBMANA

An Opera for Four Fusion Works, Act Two: "Phrasing the Air"

Hypnos Recordings (2004)

Ambient master VidnaObmana continues his ambitious four-part <i>An Opera for Four Fusion Works</i> with Act Two, "Phrasing the Air," featuring the saxophone playing of Galactic Travels' DJ Bill Fox. The first part of the Opera, 2002's "Echoes of Steel" was one of my favorite albums of the year; an autumnal, melancholy ambient work featuring the gothic-folk guitar of Dreams in Exile. "Echoes" was delightfully listenable, and would make a fine introduction to listeners (especially fans of the quieter goth styles) not familiar with VidnaObmana's oeuvre, or ambient in general. Act Two, though sharing the same recycling processes as its predecessor, is a completely different work in tone, containing unusual sonorities and textures--it is also one of the most interesting and difficult albums of VidnaObmana's recent work.

Like "Echoes of Steel," the tracks on "Phrasing the Air" are labeled only by Roman numerals (often out of numerical order). The general mood is meditative and haunting, a longstanding VidnaObmana trademark dating back to his early "breathing" synth works. "I" reminds me of no less than Jon Hassell's resonant trumpet playing; an exotic hooning, calling infinitely over a desolate landscape. Fox's saxophone is processed and layered, sounding like a chorus of strange Eastern instruments, sounds trumpeting from the mountain above. "II" is reminiscent, at first, of VidnaObmana's early work on Revealed by Composed Nature and The Trilogy of albums. The repeated melodic pattern forms a mandala of deep colors; blues and greys. Fox's saxophone is deep and resonant here, often reminding of Tom Heasley or Stuart Dempster, boiling up from the depths. Obmana's ebow adds tension, a dissonant chorus screaming above the soft landscape of recycled sax. The unusual tones carry the track forward, resembling circling birds, as the underlying ambience remains fairly static. It's a difficult track--with screechy textures taking the driver's seat--though the disparate elements, uncomfortable sounding they may be, meld quite perfectly. "VI" is next, sounding strongly like Terry Riley's "Poppy Nogood," due in part to Fox's sax, looped and ever-shifting. The track even seems to pan through the speakers like Riley's classic piece. If this reminds me of "Poppy Nogood," then it is certainly a "Poppy Nogood" played in a giant area, as the sonic undercurrents are vast and bassy. The roiling, post-industrial soundscapes and the sounds reminiscent of early minimalist experimentation truly represent an expression of past and present forms of meditative music. Quite a stunner, and my favorite track on the album. "V," the longest track at just over nineteen minutes, returns to ambient stillness. Here Fox's sax is processed down to long, almost vocal, tones. Those who appreciate the harmonic singing of David Hykes, or Ambient Review favorite Jim Cole, will find much to enjoy here, though the sound sources do not originate from the human voice. This is deep and gorgeous, more than a little gothic in tone. Obmana's guitar textures from recent works like Innerzone appear at the halfway mark. The track is creepy, resonant, and extremely memorable, though perhaps not for those who prefer their ambience free of sharp edges. "IV" ends the album on a surprisingly musical note, with Fox's sax playing instantly recognizable as the instrument it is. I have to admit even this track is a little "out there" for me, with an uncomfortably off-kilter melody repeating over nine minutes. The strange drones beneath the sax are quite intriguing, but, as a whole, the track didn't gel for me.

"Phrasing the Air" is a surprising departure for VidnaObmana, and continues the Opera in a most auspicious way. While no track could be considered "easy" listening (or "fusion," or "opera," for that matter), I find this to be one of Obmana's most impressive works of the last five years. "Echoes of Steel" was surprisingly underrated, considering its high quality, and "Phrasing the Air" proves to be a more than worthy follow-up. I hesitate to recommend this to those who enjoy VidnaObmana's lighter, airier works like The River of Appearance or Landscape in Obscurity. Regardless, this is sure to be a favorite to those who follow VidnaObmana, whether he is performing post-industrial soundscapes, translucent ambience, or bizarre (and sometimes frightening) experimental works. A fine, original, effort from one of the genre's best artists.

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SPIELEREI

Once Upon a Time

Databloem/DataObscura (2004)

One of the better new electronic/ambient labels out there is the Fax-records-inspired Databloem, and its DataObscura CDR sublabel. Label heads Dennis Knopper and Anthony Paul Kerby have proven time and again that they've excellent tastes regarding new and unheard talent in electronic music, over the short time Databloem's been in existence. We already know that Kerby himself is a fine musician, recording as both The Circular Ruins and Lammergeyer. Knopper, on the other hand, waited some time before dropping his own musical debut on DataObscura, Once Upon a Time, under the moniker Spielerei.

Spielerei first appeared on the Databloem compilation Collection 2: Moving, with the track "Displaying Movements"--displaying "slick sequences, synth washes, and dreamy atmosphere recall[ing] the very best of Göttsching's mid-seventies material, but with a modern approach." That track is also featured on Once Upon a Time in all its bright, sequenced glory. First, though, we have "1 Out of 2000" which sounds rather like a Circular Ruins track; lancing synth solos, bubbly e-percussion, and strange, nearly chaotic electronic textures and elements which flitter wildly. It almost reminds of an outtake from The Circular Ruins's Empathy Test at times, though the sound here is a bit moodier. Obviously Kerby and Knopper's styles are aligned not just taste-wise. After the fine "Displaying Movements," we move to "Kissing Fish," a stunner of an ambient track. There's an old-school Vangelis, circa Blade Runner feel here, as elegiac synth sweeps are shot through with strange electronic whooshings. We're above the city where it never seems to stop raining, our swift craft shielding us not just from the moisture, but also from the city's disharmony below. Later, the track descends into deep ambience still further, with a drone not unlike Tetsu Inoue was capable of during his Fax-label years. Terrific stuff. "Incarnation" is also deeply ambient, with enveloping drones lightened by electronic sounds that pan across the speakers like slow lightning (there's an oxymoron, for you). The sun comes out halfway through with a quite bright ambient-techno synth melody; gorgeous and enlivening. A hint of percussion, and you've got a great ambient track that morphs seamlessly into an ambient-techno anthem. "Once Upon a Time" is a nebulous combination of strange mechanical grindings, electronic textures, and vocal samples--chaotic, but still soothing. Like some of the earlier tracks on Inoue's similar-sounding Organic Cloud, this doesn't quite gel over its length. "Mistaken Identity" returns to bright ambience with lovely synth that recalls Mixmaster Morris's material; bright, psychedelic, and somehow watery. Faint synth-soloing is also present, enhancing this brief track greatly. "Spielerei" isn't exactly indicative of the artist's sound as one might expect. Namlook-ian synth solos and glitchy rhythm sequences remind me more strongly of Fax material than the rest of the album suggests. Nevertheless, considering his recent output, this track out-Namlooks Namlook. Next, "Central Heating" is indeed warm, as soothing synthwaves shower the listener in a light and welcoming way. Dramatic synth filters in, rising to a Klaus Schulze crescendo, and the track fades out into its successor. "Symphysodon" is the longest track on the album, and is also, in my opinion, the best. More synth drones cascade, with ghostly voices, unusual electronic textures, and great synth solos. By track's end, a cool groove, recalling once again Tetsu Inoue, is introduced, quietly propelling the album to its close.

I bring up classic Fax material often in this review, but by no means is Spielerei's debut slavishly copy-catting the works on that label. Instead, he references the material, not to mention many other classic electronic musicians, and creates his own, original work, informed by past masters. In fact, Fax fans will want to look out for Once Upon a Time, as it will remind them of what they enjoyed about the label during its golden years, without being derivative or dated, as some old Fax material is. It's worth seeking out, especially if you've found recent Fax offerings lacking. While Once Upon a Time does suffer from sameness between individual tracks, particularly on the latter half of the album, it's a fine and well-executed album of intriguing electronic music. Knopper proves here that he can create great music as well as select great new artists for his label. You likely won't find a better pure synth-music album in 2004.

DWIGHT ASHLEY

Discrete Carbon

self-released (2004)

True story: when I received Dwight Ashley's first solo album, Discrete Carbon, I played it at once, and promptly left the room. My home office is one of the few rooms of the house equipped with speakers, and it's where I do most of my deep and concentrated listening. That night, I slipped Ashley's album into the player, and was called away from the room almost immediately, whether it was for a phone call or some other distraction, I can't remember. Needless to say, as I chatted on the phone, or whatever, Discrete Carbon played on. Every once in a while, I'd hear sounds filter out of my office: a bassy tone, a swatch of heavenly ambience, an unusual texture; all far-away sounding, as though I was picking up transmissions from a distant radio broadcast. Briefly, my office had been transformed into an alien zone, one I was not part of, one I could only experience as an outsider.

While I could never recreate the oblique experience of distracted, distanced listening, an active listen to Discrete Carbon yields its own distinct pleasures. Track one, "Eightfold Way," features synth swells, and unusual organic sonic blossoms, similar to the glurp of Robert Rich. It's a brief track, but also a statement of intent of sorts, as the tracks that follow are similar in mood. "It Happened in November" follows, with melancholy synth strains, the occasional piano tinker, and unique sonics. A sample sounds suspiciously like a crowd cheering, and is that a car horn I hear? We don't quite find out exactly what happened in November, and that's part of the mystery and charm of the track. "Katalepsis" shoots us into the ionosphere with mechanical chittering and interstellar broadcasts between astronauts. This is a tense composition with haunting textures and field recordings of unknown origin. A lovely synth passage begins, amidst the white noise, which fades in and out like fitful slumber--an oneiric and adventurous track. "I Thought It Was There" is similarly uneasy, as though something inexplicable lurks just beyond our field of vision. A waveform oscillates with synth textures that remind me of Jeff Greinke's work; pleasantly radiant. "Three Insects" is claustrophobic and deep, with a swiftly beating heart underscoring the atmospherics along with muted piano. It's a short but rewarding track, recalling the womb each of us has experienced, but none of us remember. "Denial" is pure post-industrial soundscaping, with roaring tones, reverberant guitar strums, metallic clanging; uneasy listening, but still cohesive and interesting, though foreboding. "A Colossus Succumbs" is my favorite track on the album, an angelic chorus subtly phased, harmonic, and drifting, conjoined with the strange sounds that are present on each track of the album. "Eat Me, Drink Me" is subterranean ambience again, this time submerged beneath dark waters which gradually open up into reverberant synth symphonics, always with an undertone of darkness. "Examined by Tweezers" is the longest track on the album, at almost nine and a half minutes, and also the most static. Drifting textures and ghostly ambience recalling the lighter Rapoon works flow lightly and gently--a nice floater after all the tension on earlier tracks. "Carbon" is the last track on the album (but not really), ending it in an unsettling cut-up that reminds me of submerged Severed Heads. Strange, and somewhat frightening. A few tracks of silence, and we're treated to a hidden bonus track of lively piano playing that recalls the playful work of Erik Satie, though the illusion threatens to collapse at any moment.

Discrete Carbon is a constantly surprising, inventive album, never held down by excessive darkness and never unnecessarily sweet or precious. While the tracks presented here never achieve album-length cohesion, the overall feel of the album is moody, deep, and mysterious. If today's ambient artists can be faulted for erring on the side of stratospheric, drone-oriented, spacious material, Ashley provides a refreshing tonic with a constantly diverse and varied sound palette that recalls the more adventurous works of Jeff Greinke. In fact, compared to many recent ambient works, Ashley's album is decidedly iconoclastic, with ambiguous and fascinating track titles, non-spacey cover artwork, and difficult to pigeonhole musical choices. This album is for the adventurous listener, there is no doubt. If much modern ambient and electronic music seems too cut and dried or obvious, Discrete Carbon ought to have more than enough surprises and engaging passages to intrigue over repeated listens. It's also a promising first effort, and here's hoping Ashley decides to release more work in the near future.