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review by Dene Bebbington The ambient artist Ganzfeld (the recording name of Darren Scott) must be well-respected since Half-Life Reworked features eight other musicians who have agreed to rework tracks from his album Half-Life. Apart from "New Dawn" which is the "Soul to Sole" mix by Ganzfeld, the other artists collaborating on this album are U:tama, Pamplemousse, Matthew Florianz, Encomiast, Stefan Koopmanschap, 4m33s, HyperEx Machina, and ApollyonN. Each of the discrete nine tracks averages around seven minutes which is long enough to develop a piece with a life of its own, and in some cases ones which you wish were part of a whole album in that style. This is one of the more eclectic ambient albums I've heard for a while. It encompasses a variety of styles ranging from upbeat rhythms with vocals (the U:tama vocal breaks mix of "Come With Me") to drone-based eeriness ("Doppelganger" by Encomiast). The more lively tracks are generally quite pleasing and not too energetic (if they were then the juxtaposition of some pieces could feel awkward), a good example being the second track "Gravity Bell" by Pamplemolusse which has a bassy rhythm played out over synth pads as a bell like sound comes in and out delivering a pleasant melody. Of the drone tracks the highlights for me are the eponymous track "Half-Life" by Matthew Florianz and "Doppelganger" by Encomiast. The former starts with blowing sounds and then after a couple of minutes slows down to allow gentle piano notes to be heard, this then progresses until a wave of ghostly drones build up to a crescendo. The latter instils a sense of unease that the thought of a doppelganger should by the use of multiple drones with a sinister, but not overtly dark, feel. Not having heard the original Half-Life I cannot say how this remix album compares, but overall I enjoyed Half-Life Reworked and found that the different styles seem to complement each other rather than make it a jarring listen. |
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