Adrian, Rudy

Artist: Numina
P: 2005
Eye of the Nautilus is similar to its predecessor tonally, but also explores some different themes and textures. Evocative electronic percussion is present at times, but overall the feel is one of deep-space ambience.
It is with good reason that Numina is one of the few names in ambient music to so quickly gain in reputation and prominence in this new millennium. His work evolves dramatically with each new release, and by now he has surely made the transition from "new name you should watch" to the status of "established artist." This is an album full of ideas, with a fresh and varied sound design.
Guest artist Rudy Adrian lends his trademark sound to the second track, "Secrets from the Flame," and as with Sanctuary of Dreams, R. Chris Fraley provides artwork, and Hypnos founder M. Griffin is responsible for mastering and layout. This is the fourth Hypnos CD release of 2005, and is sure to be one of the highlights of the year not only for Numina and Hypnos, but for the entire space & ambient music world.

Artists: Rudy Adrian & Ron Boots
P: 2002
‘Across The Silver River’ is a collaboration between dutch ‘EM-pride’ Ron Boots and New-Zealander Rudy Adrian. This cooperation came about in a rather unique way. Adrian, after having worked on it for three years, sent a CD-R to Boots because he was not satisfied with the result. Boots added his music and sounds, and together both men were pleased with the end result ‘Across The Silver River’.
This release can be best categorized under the denominator new age/soundscapes/(very) tranquil EM. Many weaving sound tapestries, nature sounds, and occasionally a lost tom tom (as in the song ‘Fields In Evening Light’) are present, but it never gets too heavy or wild.
Yes, indeed, a real Sunday morning CD.

Artists: Rudy Adrian
P: 2020
As Dusk Becomes Night, Rudy Adrian‘s 17th full length studio album, offers a serene and personal exploration of sounds and atmospheres that slowly transition from evening into twilight and on through the night. Whether it is the strolling through a park with trees silhouetting a star-speckled sky, looking down to a desolate moonlit beach, or observing the twinkling lights of a city from above, the delicately shifting synthesizer overtones and calming organic textures simulate the moment of the astronomical twilight in the artist’s native New Zealand homeland. Subtlety, nuance, and ineffable moments can be skillfully expressed at the hands of such an accomplished electronic music artist, and Rudy Adrian’s mastery of ambient electronic soundscapes is in top form as the album’s eleven stunning tracks are rich with the deep and mysterious tranquility for which he is so well known. Moving through the magical moods of evening, As Dusk Becomes Night reveals an ear-opening sonic wonderland where shifting hues and deep fading light are magically transformed into awe-inspiring moments of introspection; a wondrous gloaming that eventually gives way to deep heavenly nightscapes.

Artists: Rudy Adrian
P: 2014
Ambient electronic composer and recording artist Rudy Adrian is no stranger to vast landscapes. His homeland of New Zealand is filled with a stunning variety of unspoiled spaces and cinematic terrain, providing an abundance of inspiration for Atmospheres, his latest textural electronic impression. On Atmospheres, his first new offering since 2010’s Distant Stars, Rudy Adrian presents nine tracks of slowly evolving melodies, harmonically rich synthscapes, natural ambiences and dramatic percussive punctuations that evoke the otherworldly treasures and solemn meditations of the wondrous, haunting place that so deeply inspires him. Rudy first explored these landscapes as a young boy, hiking and kayaking with his father, to whom the album is dedicated. “I created the music on this album in an attempt to evoke the quiet open space that can still be found in the south of New Zealand,” Rudy explains. “For me it captures the feelings of exploring coastal landscapes or watching sunsets fade into dusk.”
A natural progression from Adrian’s earlier textural releases such as Desert Realms and MoonWater, this new offering is reminiscent of ambient works by Brian Eno, Steve Roach, Mark Isham and Between Interval. Beautifully tranquil and mysteriously captivating, Atmospheres dwells in the landscape of expansiveness and introspection; inspired space music that is rich with personal appreciation, vast beauty and awe.

Artists: Rudy Adrian
P: 2016
On his fifteenth album, Coastlines, ambient music virtuoso Rudy Adrian presents ten tracks of slowly transforming melodies, warm lush synthscapes and dreamlike atmospheres, capturing the wonders of the coastal landscapes that echo through the memories of his youth. As a New Zealand native, Adrian is deeply familiar with expansive scenery. He has spent a lifetime surrounded by pristine natural spaces and breathtaking vistas which act as a wellspring of inspiration for his music. Coastlines is a natural extension of 2014’s Atmospheres, and finds Adrian continuing his sonic exploration through the vast beauty of his homeland. “This music has a coastal theme,” explains Adrian. “It reminds me of holidays in my youth that were spent exploring New Zealand’s coastlines, and it brings to mind the beauty and stillness that can still be found in those places.” Coastlines falls naturally into place alongside Adrian’s earlier textural offerings, and like those favorites, it is reminiscent of ambient works by Brian Eno, Robert Rich, Jonn Serrie and Time Being. Channeled from the depths of Adrian’s past, the album’s heartfelt expressions of serenity ebb and flow with tidal surges of sonic poetry, washing fluidly over the listener to invoke true vistas of awe and magnificence.

Artists: Rudy Adrian
P: 2003
Rudy Adrian keeps on surprising the listener with his excellent blend of retro-electronic music and ambient soundscapes. In the USA, people now also had the opportunity of seeing this special musician live because he toured there in 2002. The result, “Concerts in the USA”, contains perhaps the best music the New Zealander has produced until this moment.

Artists: Rudy Adrian
P: 2008
Rudy Adrian’s debut, MoonWater, was a beautifully crafted study in deeply serene and contemplative soundscapes. His new release, Desert Realms, follows that same stylistic path, exploring the spectacular stillness and vast landscape of the American Southwest desert.
Explains Rudy, "I was fortunate to spend a weekend exploring The Arches and Canyon Lands National Parks in Utah, USA. My tour guides were electronic musician Robert Carty and his partner Patricia Sandoval, who showed me a number of their favourite locations in the North American desert. On returning to New Zealand I became interested in creating music inspired by that journey."
Rudy's compositions are by themselves both vast and serene, but an additional level of emotion is provided by the poignant and moving flute expressions of Nick Prosser on a few of the tracks. Prosser’s stirring musical statements interact with Rudy’s vast soundscapes, filling the spectacular sonic vista with just the right amount of life and feeling; reminding the listener that although the desert realms may appear at first stark and barren, they are in fact full of life and captivating beauty.

Artists: Rudy Adrian
P: 2010
Distant Stars is Rudy Adrian's third release on the label Lotuspike, and with it he leaves behind the earthly world and its natural surroundings that so inspired his previous works, MoonWater and Desert Realms. This time the inspiration is the solitary ambience and vast expanse one might experience when exploring the distant stars of deep space.
The album began to take shape in 2008 when, as Rudy explains, "I found myself inspired to create some longer floating pieces that seemed evocative of exploring deep space, so I started experimenting with the idea of creating an album consisting entirely of dark, 'deep space' music." The result of Rudy's experiment is a bona fide spacemusic album with an honest purity that easily holds its own next to the true classics of the genre. The extensive electronic ambient spacescapes run deep with wonder and curiosity. At times the mood of the record is uncertain and foreboding as if to underscore the loneliness of the journey, while at other times the music is rich with restrained beauty and awe, hinting at the unseen marvels of the cosmos.
According to Rudy, "A reviewer once suggested that the best way to experience this sort of music is to lie in the middle of the room with the lights out. Whichever way we choose to listen to it, I hope it will assist our exploration of not only the imaginary outer reaches of space, but also our innermost thoughts."
Distant Stars is the artfully crafted realization of such a heartfelt inspiration.

Artists: Rudy Adrian
P: 2000
I really admire musicians who have the ability to do multiple styles of music, and do them well. Released about the same time as Kinetic Flow, The Healing Lake shows Adrian even more relaxed and flowing than on Twilight, and the result is an incredibly strong entry in the atmospheric space music category. This is the perfect accompaniment to meditation, relaxation, or just plain spacing out. Though the title and packaging suggest a new age flavour, and this should indeed appeal to fans of that genre, the sparse, expansive nature of the music is sure to please ambient and space music fans. Descriptive titles like "Valley of Mists" convey very well the feeling of each piece. This track breathes slowly, as long sweeping sounds float over cool effects and electronics. The music reverberates deeply, and is incredibly soothing, but not at all cute or contrived. Occasional nature sounds are used effectively. The disc opens and closes with the sounds of water, and thunder begins "Shelter from The Storm". Though again very relaxing, this one has a tinge of darkness. The delicate nature of it reminds me of some of Enos atmospheric work, with perhaps a hint of Jonn Serrie as well. A variety of sonic textures are used throughout. "Night Sky" has rich, low drones, followed by "Clouds Part to Reveal Distant Mountains", which opens with the strains of flutes and just the slightest touch of percussion, giving it a Native American feel perhaps. "Beneath the Stars" is surprisingly dark, along the lines of darker Robert Rich material. "Dreaming of Winter" continues the mood, which lightens again for the closing two tracks, though themes of nighttime and winter predominate throughout. The music is beautifully put together, full of imagery, and thoroughly enjoyable to listen to again and again. Highly recommended.

Artists: Rudy Adrian
P: 2001
It's hard not to have a good time listening to Iridescence. Rudy Adrian's fresh insight into the Berlin School of electronic music combines his sensual memory of the natural world with suprising shapes of glowing analogue sound. Coaxing classic warm timbres from his synthesizer, Rudy Adrian transmits the most cosmic of ideas with instinctual accuracy. Syncopated synth patterns beneath confident lead melodies rise out of vast cerebral preludes and provides each piece with its own unique contour. Detuned drones, shifting pads and elated harmonies give Iridescence an introspective quality and vivid dimensionality while the album's rhythmical cadence and lilting melodies provide a bright and lively focus.
On a few of the pieces we hear the human voice, wordless singing processed with reverb and echo - a wonderful signature. Elsewhere, the artist's voice is expressed through his unrestrained playing, so vulnerable in its joy of discovery.

Artists: Rudy Adrian
P: 2000 / 2010
Rudy Adrian is primarily known in his native New Zealand through music realized for art exhibitions and planetarium soundtracks. "Kinetic Flow -Sequencer Sketches Vol 1" by Rudy Adrian compiles music that transcends its original purpose. The seven tracks that make up "Kinetic Flow", while meant to augment a visual presentation, stand strong on their own. Each track is a multi-layered linear tone poem designed to spark the imagination. The overall mood of the album is gentle, embracing and as warm as an analogue synth. Adrian uses sequencer patterns to give each piece energy, key changes to add a sense of motion and evocative lead melodies as a voice upon which to focus. "Kinetic Flow" is Adrian's own and personal interpretation of the Berlin School. His work clearly demonstrates insight into the craft and art of sequencer based space music.
Now available again as CD-R.

Artists: Rudy Adrian
P: 2007
"Par Avion - Sequencer Sketches vol.4" contains 48 minutes of sequencer music plus on the same disc a "bonus album" of "Starfields II" which are about 32 minutes of electronic atmospheres (darker and more electronic sounding than my usual "atmospheric music"). One of the sequencer tracks is a remix of a track that came out with E-dition magazine and is a collaboration with Alpha Wave Movement.
This is a beautiful work within the frame of Space Music, Ambient and Contemporary Instrumental Music, full of poetry and beauty, very powerful in some moments, calm and simple in others, yet always full of shades that cannot leave anyone indifferent. The music is bright, full of energy, and leads the listener to a world of emotive sonic experiences.
Spectacular melodies, gliding sequences and ethereal sounds, shape the album. There are slow themes and other lively ones, all of them charged with fresh ideas

Artists: Rudy Adrian
P: 2017
Sequencer Rarities is a compilation of pieces which were created around the same time I released six albums with Groove Records (2000 - 2007). The tracks here were never included on any of my albums, and in fact the majority have never been previously released.
1. Sisters
Written in 1998, this is an out-take from my album Twilight and was created as a companion track to Summa Cum Laude. This track is dedicated to my good friend Barbara Stone and her sister Alison.
2. Solar Flares
Written in 2003, the year after my album Concerts in the USA, this is a semi-live studio recording and uses many of the techniques I employed for my USA concerts. It was originally written for my good friend Mike Valent.
3. Kinetic Flow
Written in 2000, this piece uses the same techniques as used in Kinetic Flow and was released on a CD-R which accompanied Mick Garlick's Sequences magazine.
4. Blue Waves
A live studio improvisation from around 2005.
5. Wind In The Trees
A semi-live recording from 2007, this was another track originally created for my good friend Mike Valent.
6. Summers at Ruby Bay
One of the first sequencer tracks I ever created. It was written at my father's house in Ruby Bay, New Zealand, during a very productive two-week summer holiday at the end of 1995. During that same time, I created many of the tracks that would end up on my first pressed-CD albums Twilight and The Healing Lake.
All the music on this album was recorded direct to stereo digital tape from a Yamaha SY77 synthesizer (plus on some tracks a Kurzweil K2000R sampler), driven via MIDI by a 1-megabyte Apple MacIntosh running Mark Of the Unicorn Performer 2.31+ software. External processing included a Lexicon MPX100 reverb and two Zoom 508 digital delays. Final mastering was done on ProTools at The Video Factory.
I am forever grateful to (in chronological order): Barbara Stone, Gerard Hueting, Dave Law, Bert Strolenberg, Fritz Couwenberg, Kees Aerts, Ron Boots, Eric Snelders, Mick Garlick, Mike Valent, Chuck van Zyl, Paul Ellis, Robert Carty, plus all the others who encouraged me to to explore this style of sequencer music during the time that these tracks were created.

Rudy Adrian, January 2017

Artists: Rudy Adrian
P: 2019
Woodlands is another inspired chapter in Rudy Adrian’s continuing exploration of atmospheric music. Once again influenced by the stunning natural spaces in his home country of New Zealand, Rudy has created a moving ambient impression of the wild forests and planted parks of Dunedin.
Woodlands offers thirteen deep and enchanting tracks that naturally continue the artistic thread from Rudy’s two previous releases, Atmospheres and Coastlines. Stirring atmospherics, natural ambiences and delicate synthscapes slowly evolve and drift through a forest of mystical moods and sacred spaces, creating a timeless work of textural electronic beauty.
The album is filled with the slowly evolving melodies, harmonically rich textures, subtle ambiences, otherworldly vocal effects, and sublime moments that listeners have come to expect from a Rudy Adrian album, and fans of Rudy’s previous works will also recognize the stunning baroque flute of Nick Prosser on the track “Deep Within Forbidden Mountains.”
Infused with the essence of wind, distant water, and the echoes of life, the mysterious music of Woodlands renders a deep and tranquil soundtrack; a serene reflection of long walks within wooded wonderlands where scattered light filters through the spreading boughs of forest trees.

Artist: Vidna Obamana, Steve Roach,
Thom Brennan
P: 2001
The sleevenotes read like a veritable "who's who" of current synth artists: Paul Ellis, Nemesis, Free System Projekt, Robert Carty, Rudy Adrian, Kubusschnitt, Dave Fulton, Synthetic Block, Paul Nagle, Arcane, John Christian (from AirSculpture) and Ramp. This project was borne from the internet chat group "beyond_em", a thriving source of news, information and general gossip which has hundreds of subscribers, including the artists here and many more. As Paul Ellis, the co-ordinator and "guy to blame", as he describes himself, says on the sleeve ".....I was surprised by the number of other musos on the list and the high quality of their work. I threw out an idea where one musician would pick up the musical thread of the previous musician and make an album that way......"
'Beyond Me' is the result, a virtual embarrassment of riches. There is so much tempting music on this album you really won't know where to start. The majority of tracks are new, only the Arcane piece has appeared previously on the 'Alterstill' CDR, and Paul Nagle's track has appeared in remixed form on 'Blue Book'. Just before I dive into the tracks, one mention for the sleeve graphics especially the inside cover featuring cartoon cameos of all the artists - it's very cleverly done.
Fittingly Paul Ellis gets the show on the road with a fantastic piece called 'Into the Liquid Unknown' (8.19). It features magnificent sequence contortions which are sometimes left to twist and mutate in isolation, at other times accompanied by perfectly judged silken pads. Next up is 'Nemesis' with 'Siloportem'(7.25). A punchy beat underpins expert sequencing and some classic mellotron sounds. Again it's a top notch synth outing, and blends perfectly with the former piece, and the next track for that matter - 'Pharos' (5.27) from 'Free System Projekt. This really does bring to mind mid 70's EM with mellotron timbres painting a patchwork of sound which could be straight from 'Phaedra'. Half way through the piece those trademark FSP pulsations start up and we are on another roller coaster of rampant moog style sequences and epic synth textures.
Robert Carty contributes 'Outside Influences' (5.10) which opens with strange alien utterings before a slow but mammoth beat appears around which all manner or electronic detail is layered. It sounds slightly tribal, Aztec culture comes to mind, such as the more atmospheric work of Richard Burmer. Next it's Rudy Adrian with 'Secrets in Sahara Sands' (6.42) which carries on the atmosphere and style perfectly, yet stamps a very different interpretation with a choppy sequence and ethereal synth layers. Kubusschnitt's 'Vantage Trick' (6.18) will surprise (and disappoint) no-one, being a classic slab of retro sequencing with electric guitar angst pitched perfectly in the mix. Dave Fulton's 'Falling Away' (5.32) takes the baton, a strangely beguiling collection of electronic throbs and drones while 'Flash of Attention' (1.45) by Synthetic Block is a brief but perfectly formed cameo which features syncopating oscillations.
Paul Nagle's 'Adventure' (8.37) opens with a marvellous arpeggiating sequence and an infectious melody. John Hickey contributes foreboding words before "the cave closes" to allow Arcane's 'Alterstill part 3' (6.00) to be unleashed. If by some twist of fate you haven't got this track, the situation needs to be rectified immediately. First aired at Jodrell Bank, this is possibly the only track which has ever left myself and Dave Law speechless at the same time.'Heathkit Interociter' (4.12) by John Christian is a fascinating and quite unique sequence based track - wonderfully inventive in construction, very melodic and hugely entertaining. Finally Ramp serve up 'Rapture of the Deep' (6.21) and this has to be heard to be believed - atmospherics from the Gods.What an album! No matter what your taste in EM this has it all, in one cohesive high quality package. Buy without hesitation. (GG)