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review by Dene Bebbington Film sound engineer Erik Seifert debuted on the EM scene with his piece "Cosmonautic Dream" which was included on the Syntonic Waves Vol. 8 compilation album. This track plus more of Erik's music is now available on his debut album Thrust Avis. I was surprised to discover that this is Erik's first album release, the production quality is very good and the music sounds like that one would expect from someone who is far from new to making music. Indeed, he has been creating music since the mid 1980s, it's just a pity we've had to wait until now for it to get a proper release. In classic EM style we are treated to a mixture of atmospheric, sequencing, melodic, and rhythmic passages. The overall feel to the music is kind of dreamy and perhaps even a little melancholic - some of the more upbeat sequence and melody based tracks like "Jet Pilot" have a certain lilt which though not dark is not happy either. This is one of those albums that the listener should give themself in to and let the music take them on a journey through various realms, from outer space in the piece "Spacetrack" to the earthly concerns of delicate creatures in "Butterflies Dance". The latter is my favourite track so far, aptly the shortest track since butterflies don't live long it starts off with the varied sounds of creatures in what I guess is a tropical environment. Then a string sound somewhat like a violin but with a more oriental flavour gets the music going, a mid-tempo beat and drum keeps the piece moving while the oriental feel is maintained by the strings and tinkling tones. The final track "Cosmonautic Dream" is surely a homage to Vangelis. Combining sounds from at least two Vangelis albums -- I recognised The City and Soil Festivities -- it's a laid back piece with a restless electric piano melody, synthetic drums, and occasionally samples of voices distorted through static and distance. Thrust Avis is a welcome addition to the EM pantheon, for those looking for an atmospheric and mainly chilled out hour of music this should hit the spot. I look forward to hearing more of Erik's music in the future. |
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