|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
review by Dene Bebbington The Syntonic Waves series of compilation albums by the Spheric Music label began back in 1991, the latest offering being the ninth in the series. It's an ideal opportunity for listeners to check out well known and also new and undiscovered electronic music artists; I suspect that some of the artists featured on this disc will be encountered sometime in the future with a debut album. That happened with Klangwelt whose song "Blue Planet" was included on volume eight of the series before he was next heard from with his cracking debut album Weltweit. There are too many tracks on this album for me to describe every one, though I will list all the artists featured: Skylander, startle b, Miroslaw Mirocha, Joh & Marvin, Christian Zander, Descon Mission, Alien VS, Reuter/Nies, Liese & Kopper, Lambert, Bay, Dayflight, Traumklang, and Ralf Weiden. As one would expect from Spheric Music a lot of the tracks are sequencer based, so fans of classic EM and Berlin school sequencing should have enough to keep them happy. The album has much more to offer than just that though, one salient example is the piece "City Night" by Dayflight. A tribute to drum 'n' bass it has a laid back beat to keep the piece moving along while funky rhythms and melodies make one easily imagine a relaxed night out in a vibrant city. A couple of tracks that especially took my fancy are "Bedrock" by Joh & Marvin and "Kleiner Tiergarten" by Traumklang. On "Bedrock" syncopated synth lines and hard dramatic washes gradually build up an oppressive and atmospheric intensity before easing off in a rhythmic and sonically sparse denouement. "Kleiner Tiergarten" is another track that builds up throughout before easing off for the finish; we hear a repeating melody played out by bright notes forming a sequence around which a beat and other melodies conspire to produce a mesmerising piece of music. Syntonic Waves Vol. 9 is a good sampler disc of previously unreleased material. None of the tracks are bad and there a couple of especially notable ones. |
|