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Review by Bill Binkelman Roberto Vitali, a.k.a. Floating Mind, refers to his music (in a note which accompanied the CD) as "ambient/deep techno." I'm not sure what that category means, but Deep Visions is some pretty cool music. I won't try to classify it, though, except to describe it as strongly visual and haunting, frequently sounding like it could be a soundtrack for a futuristic science fiction film, a la Blade Runner. Tones and textures suggest menace, shadow, and foreboding. A typical track may combine overtly abstract electronic tonalities (not really glitch or laptop but similar to both) with a warm dark drone, wash or snippet of melody. Sometimes, more "ordinary" rhythmic elements (i.e. traditional EM or ambient beats) can be heard as well. A "theme" is usually established early in a track along with a single rhythm/beat to which layers of drones, washes, or tones/textures are meticulously added, until you have a multitude of musical elements that intertwine like tendrils of smoke set against a grey sky. The first track, "Ambient Work," features a skitching arrhythmic beat, some hissing and electro-bubbling synth noises, and a mournful warm wash/drone at the outset. It's all quite cerebral, except that by blending in that soft warm yet sinister drone, Vitali elevates the track into something not just cerebral but almost cyber-sensual! "Extrem" opens with a metronome-like bass drum beat and shortly you start to hear, rolling in from the deep background, a repeating piano refrain, slightly "off kilter," but pleasantly so. This song strongly reminded me of some of the cuts on Selected Ambient Works II (Aphex Twin). The listener never relaxes as even the quietest music holds considerable dramatic tension within its mixture of beats, drones/textures, and noises. "Stellar" opens with twinkling spacemusic-ish synths and floating keyboard washes &endash; it's beautiful! The retro wash ebbs and flows like a sail billowing in the cosmic wind. The whistling tones reverberate into the vastness and a slow tempo bass beat anchors everything. Unfortunately, at seven-plus minutes, the piece may wear out its welcome after a while, although compared to comparable ambient music, perhaps not. "The Saturnday" offers up quirky "computerized bird calls" on top of whirly-gigging EM and spacy synths with a mellow deep bass rhythm, while "Transformer" is highly abstract (if you enjoyed the Krell music from the film Forbidden Planet, you're gonna love this cut!). There's even some whimsy here, albeit a bit twisted after a fashion, with "Robotik Life" which may be the soundtrack for a robot porno film...trust me, if you hear it, you'll get the reference. While not exactly in the same musical vein, if you enjoyed the recordings of artists such as eien, Cyber Zen Sound Engine (at their most oblique) or releases on the dank disk label, as well as the aforementioned SAW II, you're probably gonna enjoy some or most of this album. I certainly admire Vitali's solitary vision of "ambient/deep techno" and this CD is a helluva lot more accessible and listenable than some other releases that come to my door. While it's not cheery, it is kinda catchy at times and I liked it even more on headphones when all the cool background elements come into focus more clearly. Out of the ordinary, for sure, but I solidly recommend the CD to the adventurous and open-minded ambient and EM fan. |
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