With the many artists, labels, and sub-genres as there are under the electronic music umbrella, it isn't surprising that sometimes a CD or artist might slip past you. This is the case with this musician and myself. The fine folks at Neu Harmony are allowing me to rectify this situation by starting at the beginning with this debut album. This is the work of David Barker, a British musician, who is new to me in spite of his resume. This particular work has been a best seller on Synth Music Direct, I am told. I must say that with a name like Asana, I had expected more of a "New Age" content. This music has been described as "ambient / electronic crossover", and may well have been ahead of its' time for this style. Whatever that description means, it's all here, stratospheric soundscapes, contemporary beats, ambient tones, sequencer runs, vocal samples, and the occasional ethnic percussion flair. Ascent is an example of that intermittent ethnic beat and exotic melody lines. Except for the vocal samples I would envision camel caravans and desert winds in this one. The next track, Jupiter, not surprisingly tends to be a bit more ambient in texture while still backed with a steady beat.
Scan F, a humorous title for C programmers, is a good example of what is in store on this recording. Soft lilting atmospherics lead into a steady beat. This provides the background for the spacey melody line as it cycles through. Shrine is the longest cut on the disc at around 12 and 1/2 minutes, and allows Barker to stretch with gentle melodies overlying enchanted soundscapes. Halfway in, this gives way to a floating flute filled examination of "Time" and "Space". Topping off the package, the cover has the entertaining appeal of a 60's sci-fi novel complete with shambling hominids and a bewildered heroine. Also, gear-heads will enjoy seeing the equipment list used by this artist. Much of what's on this disc is not cutting edge new, but then again, the disc is half a decade old. Still, it holds its' own with many current releases. It is the testimony of a performer's first foray in this guise. A bit of history that has me looking forward to hearing more from this band.
