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review by Bill Binkelman As homages/revisitations to Berlin school EM, this album by Create (Stephen Humphries) is a solid effort. I personally prefer the music of the neo-Berlin artists, e.g. Gert Emmens, Paul Ellis, Dom F. Scab, John Lakveet, but as straight-up Germanic sequencers and synthesizers go, these eight tracks illustrate Humphries' talent and creativity (no pun intended) when it comes to sculpting rhythmic and also spacy electronic music. I would've preferred shorter tracks (three of the eight are in the thirteen minute range) because, frankly, when sticking to the retro Berlin school sound, there's only so much you can do with soloing keyboards gliding on top of sequences, no matter how inventive you are or how interesting you try to make it. That said, "Dark Skies" is a great and ultra-moody piece of music that builds slowly but inexorably from spacy beginnings to become an explosive combination of laser zapping synths, percolating bass beats, cybernetic textural effects, and sweeping dramatic keyboards. The soloing later in the song, buoyed by frenetic drumming, is among the best on the album. Of the longer tracks, "Touching the Void" comes the closest to satisfying my tastes. The dramatic swells and undulating drones at the outset are joined by flute lines cast in a forlorn light. When sequencing hits later in the song, Humphries balances retaining the air of drama and eeriness that was prevalent earlier with more dynamic energy expressed through an evolving assortment of beats and rhythms. "Medusa" (a shorter song) is noteworthy for its alien bird-call effects and relative downbeat nature; it's almost dirge-like at times and always moody. The album closer, "Chasing the One" is another song I enjoyed, this time owing to Humphries transformation of the track from quasi-Vangelis bombast to propulsive rhythms and dramatic strings and finally to one of the best sequences on the CD, brimming with electronic impulsiveness intermixed with chiming/resonating tones. While I wouldn't go so far as to say Reflections from the Inner Light is a great album, I can understand why fans of retro-Berlin music are excited by the emergence of yet another talented practitioner of the subgenre. If you count yourself in that subculture, this album will meet or exceed your expectations. |
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