Various Artists

Artist: Various Artists
P: 2007
"Sacred Skies" continues our introduction to the artists on AD Music.
The CD is primarily a compilation of previously released tracks, (although there are 2 unreleased pieces) with a coherence defined by the label's vision and style. No ambient doodling here and no sugar sweet, new age wallpaper music either. "Sacred Skies" is an album of real power and emotion, a collection of rhythmic tracks highlighting the collective diversity to be found in the AD Music catalogue.
The album has a slightly darker edge than volume 1, with some ethnic influences. However, the infectious melodies, ambient textures, cinematic tones, dynamic soundscapes and powerful, strident themes remain. If you like music to be creative, to be different enough that it doesn't fall easily into a category, to have depth and purpose, then you should find the music we have to offer just what you're looking for.
Beginning with the previously unreleased 'The Plains' by Bekki Williams, in less symphonic mood, the piece reflects the increasing maturity of her music. One of the finest albums in AD's canon is Catalin Marin's 'First Breath' represented here by 'Nandana-Paradise in Indra', an ethnic tinged gem that would not sound out of place on the 'Bladerunner' soundtrack. The shimmering 'Iceberg', again echoing Vangelis at his most accessible, is equally impressive.
Robert Fox's illustrious backcatalogue is condensed to the superb 'Over Turquoise Seas' taken from his first Ad realease 'Asfafa' and the majestic 'Three Sisters'. Another previously unavailable track 'Sacred Skies' by David Wright is further incentive to buy this compilation. A slow burner, 'Sacred Skies' again reveals the lynchpin of AD Music in great form and bodes very well for his next solo album. The sublime 'Flame Sky' from 'Walking With Ghosts' and 'Taiga', an earlier favourite from 'Between Realities', does not disappoint.
'Jumping Air' from Raviv Gazit's underrated 'Shapeshifter' is the most rhythmic offering here. Code Indigo's, 'Call of the Earth', 'Fallen' and 'Code 11' remind us of the enduring quality of AD Music's supergroup. Callisto's 'Setisphere' has already become a classic from the debut release 'Signal to Stars.
Another AD favourite, Bekki Williams is further represented by 'Under The Same Sky' and 'Nightflier', both high quality offerings. Traditional cosmic synths appear on Enterphase's 'When the Morrow Breaks'. However, there is one AD music act, again criminally undervalued, that impresses here because it offers something different from the other artists. Witchcraft's 'Angel Dust' has ethereal vocals and 'Cathedral' from 'As I Hide' offers a subtley darker ambient vision of subdued menace.
All in all 'Sacred Skies' serves as a fine introduction to AD Music and an essential companion to Volume 1. First time purchasers may find that investigation of many of the source albums may be essential.

Artist: Various Artists
P: 2007
A collection of 18 melodically inspired tracks from the AD Music catalogue.
"Ocean of Light" is an excellent introduction to the artists on AD Music. The CD is primarily a compilation of previously released tracks, (although there are 2 unreleased pieces) with a coherence defined by the label's vision and style. No ambient doodling here and no sugar sweet, new age wallpaper music either.
It contains music with infectious melodies, ambient textures, cinematic tones, jazz tinged textures, dynamic soundscapes and powerful, strident themes that demonstrate the versatility and diversity of the AD stable of artists.
Ocean of Light is a superb collection which will enable you to discover astonishing artists, with complex dimensions, sometimes progressive, but always harmonious. Superb ballads like 24 AM, Beyond Paradise, Ultraviolet, Water Music, Stasis, We Rest and Postlude will bring you into the arms and caresses of Morpheus. Much of what you hear on this superb album will soothe the spirit, but it isn't relaxation music. New Berlin School with rhythmic sequences on complex structures is also well represent with Ocean of Light, Queen of Hearts, In the Arms of Morpheus, And All Shall Be Well, Ovi, Elara and Snow Paths. And there are also titles a little harder, with heavy percussions and riffs A Certain Malaise, Code14 and astonishing Ov1 by Raviv Gazit.

Artist: Various Artists
P: 2007
90 minutes of sound and vision combined to provide a relaxing and musicial experience.
A Beautiful Visual Soundscape. (NTSC - USA & PAL - UK, Eurpore)
Ocean of Light DVD brings you a selection of the best melodic music from the AD Music catalogue. It also provides an excellent introduction to the musical talents the label has to offer. The music is blended seamlessly with relaxing video images of sunlit lakes, mountain streams and gentle seas.
"If you like music to be creative, to be different enough that it doesn't fall easily into a category, to have depth and purpose, then you should find the music we have to offer just what you're looking for."
A collection of 20 melodically inspired tracks from the AD Music catalogue.
"Ocean of Light" is an excellent introduction to the artists on AD Music. The DVD is primarily a compilation of previously released tracks, (although there are 4 unreleased pieces) with a coherence defined by the label's vision and style. No ambient doodling here and no sugar sweet, new age wallpaper music either.
It contains music with infectious melodies, ambient textures, cinematic tones, jazz tinged textures, dynamic soundscapes and powerful, strident themes that demonstrate the versatility and diversity of the AD stable of artists.
Ocean of Light is a superb collection which will enable you to discover astonishing artists, with complex dimensions, sometimes progressive, but always harmonious. Superb ballads like 24 AM, Beyond Paradise, Ultraviolet, Water Music, Stasis, We Rest and Postlude will bring you into the arms and caresses of Morpheus. Much of what you hear on this superb album will soothe the spirit, but it isn't relaxation music. New Berlin School with rhythmic sequences on complex structures is also well represent with Ocean of Light, Queen of Hearts, In the Arms of Morpheus, And All Shall Be Well, Ovi, Elara and Snow Paths. And there are also titles a little harder, with heavy percussions and riffs A Certain Malaise, Code14 and astonishing Ov1 by Raviv Gazit.

Artist: Airsculpture & Free System Projekt
P: 2010
LTD 300
The live music tracks played with a lot of sequenzers at the Ricochet Gathering 2001 in the USA. With unreleased tracks of Airsculpture and Free System Projekt.
 

Artist: Various Artists
P: 2010
There are Christmas albums, and then there are Christmas albums. "ChristmasAD - The First Snow" is an outstanding collection of instrumental Christmas music that's appeal is that everyone is going to enjoy it!
A good Christmas album should contain some old classics plus some familiar pop titles to warm you on a cold winter evening as you sit by the fireside. So on this collection there are eight favourites, expertly re-imagined, plus eleven brand new Christmas songs that perfectly reflect the Christmas spirit.
"The Dancing Snowman" by David Wright & Geigertek is delightfully OTT and perfectly starts proceedings, and what follows is pure bliss! Steve Barnes and RamsayGee provide real romantic heart with five beautiful pieces: Steve's being the classic favourites "Little Town of Bethlehem", "Good King Wenceslas" and "God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen" and Gareth's being the sublime self penned "First Snow" and "Season's Wish". Catalin Marin returns with his epic, ethnic influenced "A Star in the East", and new artists Claudio Merlini and The Pels Syndicate contribute a stunning melodic track each with "Christmas Wonderland" and "Xmas5" respectively. Richard Bone provides two glorious covers in "Do You Hear What I Hear" and "Donde Esta Santa Claus?" while Acheloo and Robert Fox provide beautifully moody interpretations of "White Christmas" and "Silent Night". Al Rudd's "The Magic of Christmas?" provides the albums glorious "Tim Burton" influenced moment (think "A Nightmare at Christmas"!) while Lord of the Ants provides an atmospheric acoustic number that perfectly reflects "Christmas In New York". David Wright's rhythmic electronic version of "We Three Kings" and Bekki Williams beautifully orchestrated "Where is Santa?" end the album perfectly. The sound of children's laughter briefly open and close the album, reminding us perhaps that Christmas is about peace and good will reflected in the joy and laughter of innocence.
The collective artists on the label have really excelled here, presenting an emotive and memorable collection of Christmas tunes that delicately, and without exception, successfully walk the line between feel good melodic music and contemporary, creative, classically influenced new age/electronic music.
Beautifully recorded and produced, this is one classy album that is destined to run and run.

Artist: Various Artists
P: 2010
Experimental German Rock & Electronic Music 1972-1983.
2CD plastic like a mini-DVD case included an over-sized 35-page booklet with knowledgeable details on the artists Those who love Krautrock will soon be flipping their schnitzel over a new double CD/four-LP entitled Elektronische Musik: Experimental German Rock & Electronic Music 1972-1983, released by Soul Jazz Records.
Featuring the likes of Can, Harmonia, Popol Vuh, Conrad Schnitzler, Tangerine Dream, Faust, Neu!, Cluster and Amon Düül II, it's a veritable who's-who in the weird and wonderful world of German '70s and '80s underground music.  As Soul Jazz writes: "The objectives of German experimental rock and electronic music in the 1970s were to create a new music 'free' from the past. A music that gave seed out of the cultural 'nothingness' that young Germans felt as a consequence of Germany's role in the Second World War. A generation who grew up stifled by the recent history of Nazi atrocities, the guilt of their parents' generation and their disillusionment at the reintegration of old Nazis into mainstream society,"The label likens the German scene to punk rock in the UK around the same time, mentioning how German youth turned their backs on mainstream society in a similar way to Britian's punk rockers, although perhaps with a little more radical an approach.
"From the opening of the first collective/cooperative in 1967, Commune 1, in Berlin, to the formation of the Baader-Meinhof terrorist group and the bombings, kidnappings and killings of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (RAF), young Germans sought out new values and a lifestyle outside of 'the system,'" Soul Jazz's post reads. "These cooperative and communal experiences led to a number of new radical German bands including Amon Düül, Faust and Can."
The two-disc or quadruple vinyl collection, available in early April, will feature 24 songs and, remember, a lot of this experimental German music featured songs well above the ten-minute mark.

Artist: Various Artists
P: 2007 / 2010
LTD 300
First official DVD release. EMtv features 13 track sampler (3 exclusive) by Ricochet Dream artists.

Artist: Various Artists
P: 1996
This is the first CD in the series of music inspired by the popular SF- series "The X-Files", being a overall succes untill now.
The album blends out with catchy electronic music ranging from dynamic and up-tempo tracks to fascinating, overwhelming soundtextures, ending with the great, dancelike track "The Machine" by Ron Boots and Eric van der Heijden.
In 1996, the good folks at Groove Unlimited, set out to do a CD of music inspired by the internationally popular television series, "The X-Files." Rather than leave the project to a single artiste, they gathered a group of talented electronicians and turned them loose in the studio. The result was "Out there Lies the Truth" (a very subtle pun). The CD features Ron Boots, Ralf Knappe-Heinbockel (a.k.a. Hemisphere), Johannes Munz, Robert Marselje, Kees Aerts, Jean Paul van Engelen, Eric van der Heijden and Harold van der Heijden.
The pairings were inspired and dynamic! The diversity of electronic styles delivers a melange of eclectic grabbers. This CD has it all - and then some! The styles range from dense atmospheres to rhythmic ambience to overt sequences.
The feelings evoked are mysterious, scary and ethereal. (Being only vaguely familiar with the show, I can only relate to the sci-fi atmosphere in general.) The soundscapes are majestic; the atmospheres are expansive; the experimental overtones are eerie.
I had feelings of impending doom juxtaposed by feelings of joy at new discoveries. The limits of my musical boundaries were stretched and I found myself listening again and again (and again!) to this electronic treasure.
Finally, the excellent production and sound quality of the album makes it a feast to listen to.

Artist: Various Artists
P: 1997 / 2010
Part 3 of the "Truth" CD-series is digging even deeper into mysterious sound world inspired by The X-Files. Several different couples of musicians were put together in the studio, and again the outcomes have turned out both unexpectedly & fantastic. Newcomers on this CD are the guys from Airsculpture and the talented Amsterdam-based musician James J. Clent. This amazing collection of electronic music takes us deeper into the mysteries and nuances of Scully's adventures. It also takes us into the quirky soundworlds of some of Europe's finest synthesists! The fun and playful sequences and atmospheres are here. The experimental and avante garde textures surrounds those qualities. The journeys are beyond the sci-fi. Deep listening extends the tendrils of this music into my heart and my soul. Not only is this great music, it is also a meditative and contemplative listening experience.

Artist: Various Artists
P: 1996 / 2010
Part 2 has again some new couples of talented nowadays e-musicians were formed, which led to some amazing new compostions in the studio. A wide range of atmospheric and more rhythmic/sequencer oriented music is featured throughout the album, which makes up for over an hour of excellent electronic music that shouldn't be missed. Kees Aerts, Ron Boots, Jean Paul van Engelen, Robert Marselje, Harold van der Heijden, Johannes Munz and Eric van der Heijden all returned for a second shot. Harold Teunissen, Volker Rapp, Alpha Wave Movement (nee Gregory Kyryluk) and Rene de Vreng joined them for the fun.
The chance to create new music beyond their self-defined boundaries appealed to these artistes too. The sci-fi arena allows for expansive atmospheres and experimental textures not normally heard in "mainstream" European sequencer e-music. Do not misunderstand! This CD has plenty of sequences and loads of rhythmic ambience. The unique blend of those styles with the minimalist atmospheres more often associated with American e-music gives this album high marks for originality and creativity. The CD also features some cool voice samples, presumably from the show.