Noryani

Artist: Noryani
P: 2011
We take a sequential trip as soon as the first piece begins. As far as famous synthesizer artists are concerned, there come BIOnighT and Paul Nagle to one's mind - here it is, a lonely snowy park, somewhere far away car- and neon-lights are shimmering, and this very place lives a life of its own, caught with a hidden synthesizer-oriented camera...The second piece is quite rapturous, optimistic; such mid-tempo pace and "sunrainy" melodies are normally associated with musicians collaborating with the Neu Harmony label.The shape of the third piece is marked by silence and pauses as well as by lurking sequential passages and some catchy tunes a la Vangelis (let's pay attention to the arrangements - doesn't it all sound a bit as if it was "Blade Runner"'s twin?...The fourth track is based on penetrative dark beams, whereby a kettle full of black ambient mass is boiling. This would be an ingenious intro, and behold, it turns out to be a whole piece of music! Apart from that, there appear some nice bassline sighs in the background - until now it's my favourite piece of the set.Track five... Long shadowy sounds flow through space a bit as if it was some early Vangelis record, and the main melody is here the jewel in the crown - a gramophone recollection, a leaf found near the puddle in the park whose specific form reminds us of something nice, warm and long forgotten. Such is the atmosphere of this piece of music, yet another one among my favourites. The sweepy percussion line could also be a work by Spyra, another master of nostalgia with a bit of humor to it. The sixth piece illustrates the question "What is time?" quite well. There they go, sombre and melancholic chords, accompanied by some murky background-sounds and an elegant trance percussion line. This one is a very nice melange of elpop and chilly electro in a navyblue-silvery organic mood.Track seven brings some windy keyboards, while an electronic sandstorm is approaching. An interesting way to serve electronic romanticism and a good deal of suspense.In the eighth composition a catchy sequential "riff" appears, reminding me of the atmosphere of non-hit tracks from Peter Gabriel's "So". Here we have nice "singing" drum patterns and a pleasant recurring melody. The sequencer joins in and, after two minutes from the start, a trance beat-line. Now there is pretty much going on at all levels, static keyboard soundscapes get mixed nicely with percussive dynamics. At dawn we take a look through the window and see all the buildings and cars as if in a deformed negative photo - as if it were the same as usual, and still, what an enthralling surprise!Track nine is the final word. Soft guitar sounds as if from some other dimension, wax dawn mantra; through the window we catch a glimpse of the snowy park from the opening track. The street lamps fade out, night turns into bent cold dawn, we cannot be sure if it is a black garbage bag or a raven preparing to fly away, there, behind the bench, in this gloomy aura... Such a beautiful piece of music to wake up with, an introduction to yet another snowy, frosty day. A track I could compare this one with is Thomas P. Heckmann's fantastic "Astral Chains". Strongly recommended.

Artist: Noryani
P: 2012
It's the second time that the Noryani project releases its compositions on the Generator.pl label. The music presented here sounds very fresh - it is a unique combination of traditional electronica, melodious chill-out and polidimensional ambience with a slight touch of film- and classical music to it. Southeast 225 reminds me of a differentiated photo-album full of well-tempered, mysterious electronic postcards. The opening track is a nostalgic puzzle of moods a'la Vangelis' Antarctica and Isan's Meet Next Life: a really good mixture of traditional and daring electronica. The second piece of music enables us to imagine a collaboration between Daniel Pemberton and Edgar Froese; still let's not forget that it's just a description of the mood of a track which was composed and produced by some other artist, not that famous yet, but apparently as talented as the two just mentioned.
The third track is my favourite one so far - it's impossible not to be fond of this enthralling mix of haunting drums at mid-pace with hypnotic chords! Shall I give this association a clear shape and name two artists, who could have conceived such a mood had they wanted to work together? I say: Biosphere and Fever Ray! But once more, it's Noryani who's responsible for this fascinating mood. The fourth track reminds me of Joseph Turner's sea-paintings, almost invisible through the delicate haze of green, yellowish or azure-blue accents. This piece of music is truly magical, it allows great melancholy and high hopes to intermingle.
The fifth composition is Noryani's idea of a synthesis between rhythm-oriented sequential electronica and the sombre face of el-pop. It's exactly how the dream of Kraftwerk's showroom dummies could sound. The sixth impression has much in common with newer Mike Oldfield's music, especially with the nostalgic soundscapes from the double album Light / Shade - mostly because of this very specifically sounding piano, I think. There is also this very vastness and association freedom accompanying the music - sultry music, seductive music. There is so much room under this coffee-coloured sky and all its piano-sound stars...
The seventh track is once more an impressing mixture of well sounding drums as if taken from some odd, long-forgotten Eskimo fairytale and vibrating, wintermood electronics with a slight touch of specific nostalgia to it. Both tracks #8 and #9 could function just great as film soundtracks. There is enough space here to have any association and any colour we like. It's like seeing the music itself, we can see its movements, we do not only hear all these harmonic soundscapes, we can see and touch them. It’s this very kind of music one should enjoy in complete darkness, without being interrupted. The tenth tale is about the struggle between two different moods - doubt and bravery, melancholy and open-mindedness, the beauty of the piano and the harshness of the other instruments.
The final impression is a beautiful superior comment to a forgotten celtic legend, a soundscape illustrating blackened drawings suddenly found in recurring green waves of grass at dawn. How can one build such fantastic electronic castles? Even after hours of repeated listening we won't be able to answer that question... but we will be able to dream new electronic dreams hour for hour - it's worth it!