RARITIES

Artist: Centrozoon
P: 2001 
LTD
Limited Edition, Cardboard Sleeve, two tracks from the Cult of Bibiboo CD.

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Artist: Centurys End
P: 1994
Sounds as though this is heavily influenced by Jarre Rendez-Vous era; also very reminiscent of Synergy's Games and Audion albums. Too intense to be easy listening background music, but a very pleasant and appealing album of this otherwise unknown artist. For those who like Synergy.

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Artist: Cerulean
P: 2002
This is their second album, a little slicker and to these ears Barker influenced than the first. I suppose the music comes from a dance background with a large dose of trance but it is also melodically very strong. It should be liked by traditional Electronic Music fans as the temptation to deploy the thud bass rhythm is well resisted. All the tracks run into each other to make one hell of a freaky trip. We open with 'Opalescent Eye'. This is not so much a track as an introduction featuring sampled vocals similar to the first number from 'Trikuti'.
Very soon however we are into one of the best tracks either musician has ever had a hand in 'Ingushetia 4A'. If this doesn't get you out of your seat giving it some serious embarrassment bopping around the room nothing will. The rhythms and sequences are infectious as hell and the lead lines are more like laser fire. And then in come the most amazing melodic hooks. Where's my air keyboard - absolutely bloody fantastic!!
Anyone into Asana will simply lap this up. In many ways it could be straight off 'Shrine' but with a few more years experience and added input from Tim.
We blast straight into 'Remote Viewing' the rhythm becoming more bass laden mutating down into almost a growl. A swirling psychedelic melodic sequence makes the whole experience rather trippy, it mutates as we progress gaining power and working itself up into quite a frenzy.
'Ectoplasm' initially slows the pace down. We then get into a rather cool loop full of attitude. A sequence is deployed, travelling at the speed of light, reverberating in and out of the mix. Its one of those tracks I keep expecting to really take off but it doesn't really do so instead progressing through a series of different loops increasing and decreasing in intensity as we go. It maybe went on a little too long.
'Auralise' again features looped rhythms which get into quite a groove. Lovely little melodic touches add detail all the way through. There is particularly nice use made of a sampled Mellotron.
'Moonbather' as its title suggests is a relaxed number with nice pads and a slow loping rhythm. Its back to loops / sequences for 'Shabd Receptor'. Then in come more very Asana type rhythms and melodies, a little like some of the more recent material from 'Archive'. As the track progresses the rhythms really start to kick.
'Daswan Dwar' uses a lovely repeated processed vocal / effect over the most unusual but superb looped sound. In then come the main rhythms. The combination of beats and pulsations is simply stunning. This is another fantastic track using some techniques already deployed on the album but also goes places I have never heard in any form of Electronic Music before and is a resounding success. Play loud!
'Luxurious Light' is straight into a lovely sequence and rhythm combination that will again entice you out of your chair. The melodies are simply brilliant, the strongest on the album. This time I am reminded more of 'Trikuti' rather than 'Shrine' or 'Archive'. The ending is particularly beautiful.

To sum up I would say that on the whole this is a good album which serves up the choicest cuts at the beginning and end.
'Luxurious Light' and 'Daswan Dwar' are outstanding but 'Ingushetia 4A' is simply phenomenal.

DL

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Artist: Cerulean
P: 1999
Fast electronictracks at the debut of the Asana members.

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Artist: Changing Images
P: 1997
Melodic Synths sounds with guitar. Their project from 1997 was more in the style like their first CD. Here and there you will find touches to  Tangerine Dream, maybe Goblins Club around that time.

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Artist: Chas Smith
P: 2003
Here we have a desert ambient CD with the typical Steve Roach Style.


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Artist: Cheiron
P: 1995
The first CD by Cheiron is full of melodic Synthesizer tracks, everyone enjoys.

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Artist: Chihei Hatakeyama
P: 2009
LTD 500
Chihei Hatakeyama is a Japanese artist living on the outskirts of Tokyo who produces some of the most beautifully refined and emotive ambient music around. With releases on Kranky, Room 40, Under the Spire, Magic Book Records, Spekk (as Opitope) and now Hibernate Records, he has quickly established a solid and unique footing in the genre. I have followed Chihei’s work since his first full-length release on Kranky in 2006, Minima Moralia, which remains one of my favorite albums to this day. This album is full of dense drones and texture with suggestive melodic phrases intervening at just the right moments.
The River is a step in a different direction, with a strong theme and trajectory from start to finish that becomes all the more apparent when listened to in appreciation of one of Chihei’s influences – the film Apocalypse Now directed by Francis Ford Coppola. “You know why you can never step into the same river twice? …’cause the river is always moving.” A curious quote from this film where the Nung river is the lifeblood for the local population as well as the occupying soldiers, but is also symbolic of the the progression and struggle of humanity against herself and nature.
In his words, Chihei’s productions can be described as “memory-evoking soundscapes” composed “with various recorded materials of acoustic instruments such as guitars, vibraphone, and piano…played by hand and processed time and time again via laptop.” The River opens with Jade Green River, a track that builds with swaying tones in the higher frequencies, but with relief provided by a reassuring, resolving drone in the lower frequencies. This sets the fluxuating mood for the album. The music ebbs and flows, interspersed with soft, warm moments like light drizzle, to darker, mysterious pieces like a temple in the past. This is an engaging piece of work that satisfies greatly when listened to on headphones, but also provides an introspective atmosphere when listened to at low volume over loud speakers. This is a real gem of a release – a hopeful sign of what we might expect in the future from Chihei and from Hibernate recordings.
(Words: Jordan Sauer)

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Artist: Chris Snidow
P: 1995
This fourth recording by relative newcomer Snidow could well be called his breakthrough album. Some material previously reviewed showed great promise, and this time it’s delivered in spades! Foundation…is one of those rare albums that reaffirms the unique position of electronic music and our love/addiction to it.
Nothing this fresh and exciting has come down the pike since Mark Dwane’s Monuments of Mars.
The nine tracks are titled to reflect the Bible’s story of Creation and man’s journey through the world. While King James’ Bible references are named, the music is highly spiritual in a metaphysical sense­and never trite or sappy. Here are some of the freshest, coolest synth compositions I've heard in a long while. And despite the accompanying written text the music itself gets the message across in a way that words never could.
The CD starts off into wide expansive space, fresh and alive. Then it smoothly and seamlessly breaks into rhythm with jazzy élan. Expertly rendered ‘live’---sounding percussions and hot brassy synth lead licks abound as well. Classic rolling space flanges permeate the mix and create a tangible entrainment into the swirling vortex of the rhythm.
Once hooked, you are compelled to follow an unfolding plot which is lyrical and vibrant. And synth fans will sate their palates with cool synth bass and hot synth leads. Many tracks do tend toward the introspective but with charm and grace. Rumbling tectonics and dreamy strings are so well articulated you’d think it was a movie. Percussion is also dealt with professionally. ‘Native’ buzz clips mix with live ‘edrum’ performances that support and solidify the etheric.
This album most decidedly is a concept album, nearly on par with Tubular Bells. Echoes of Pink Floyd, Jarre, Stearns, Iasos and Shreeve are tossed in for good measure.
Snidow is a talented, versatile musician, just rough enough around the edges to make his music fresh and interesting.
Professional composition, engineering and all the rest make this a debut album of the year.
Play it loud!

1996. JW / Synthesis

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Artist: Christian Richet 
P: 2011
DVD of the concert dated 8 March 2009 and CD with new melodic Electronic pieces.

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