ALPHA WAVE MOVEMENT: Terra (CD on Harmonic Resonance Recordings)
Originally released as a DVD in 2005, this CD from 2008 offers 48 minutes of gentle electronic tuneage.
Alpha Wave Movement is Gregory Kyryluk.
Textural and keyboard electronics establish a pastoral realm that stirs the soul with its majesty.
An impressive array of ethereal tonalities is utilized to produce a soothing foundation of harmonic nature. Then keyboard sighs and endearing chords are introduced to give the vaporous flow definition and character.
Stately piano accompanies other keyboards, generating a lavish panorama of expressive disposition. Instead of relying on auxiliary loops to create additional layers, Kyryluk uses tonal sweeps to flesh out his central themes, while gentle harmonic set an atmospheric backdrop.
The nucleus of each tune, however, lies in Kyryluk?s skillful command of serene chords. His riffs cascade with pleasant mien, blending and conspiring to evoke an organic calm that seeps into the skin as easily as it traverses the ear canals. Delicate chords drift with a congenial grandeur that expertly matches the textural background. There are some instances in which the sounds achieve a piercing volume in their efforts to express the euphoric definition of nature?s beauty.
Percussion is wholly unnecessary to this tuneage. In one track, notes are reiterated in swift velocity to approximate an amiable rhythmic presence to propel the music?s aerial consistency.
While seemingly moody in demeanor, the mood is more pensive than brooding. Instead of introspection, the music goads the listener into an attuned state with their environment--which on this release is targeted to include the entire planet. Landscapes and cloud structures and the patterns of air currents are captured with each song and transformed into melodic structures rich with coexistent emotion.
One new track has been added to the DVD?s soundtrack. While excellently mirroring the temperament of the rest of the music, this piece exhibits a refined delivery that sparkles with mature luster.
MYTHOS: Surround Sound Offensive (CD on Mythos Music)
This release from 2008 features 58 minutes of exuberant electronic tuneage.
Mythos is Stephan Kaske.
Nimble percussion and lively electronics produce energetic tunes of a vivacious demeanor, lush and full of driving force.
The electronics are diverse, blending crystalline notes with bass rumbles and sweeping punctuation. Keyboards contribute uptempo riffs that sway through the active sonic milieu with jovial determination. Arrays of textural flows are compressed together to generate lilting harmonics of surprisingly undulant depth. The multiplicity of the layers in this music is impressive, relentlessly offering a tasty density that insists on evolving and changing in your very ears.
Percussion provides constant locomotion for the already hyperactive tuneage. A glistening variety is applied to the beats, making the rhythms as diverse in sound as the manifold electronics. The rhythms are agile and complex, as if designed for creatures blessed with more than two legs with which to dance. Snappy beats support melodies of dreamy yet busy definition; even the few pensive passages exhibit a motive character.
An orchestral flair can almost be heard in a few tracks, albeit buried in the opulent mix of joyous electronics.
In one piece, a vocoder can be heard, but the words are so distorted that any lyrical content is lost. In another song, gleeful chorales establish a cheering vocal presence.
To call these compositions lively is a pale understatement. Their brisk makeup is paralleled by their bouncy velocity, chugging along with spiraling chords and sashaying measures. A distinct celebratory mood is conveyed, and yet the music remains contemporary, never falling into a techno mode.
RAINBOW SERPENT: Live@Liphook 2007 (CD on Manikin Records)
This CD from 2008 offers 71 minutes of auspicious electronic tuneage.
Rainbow Serpent is: Gerd Weinekamp and Frank Specht. Samples are contributed by Eva-Marie Kagermann (vocal) and Thomas Kagermann (violin). Joining the band on one track is Mario Schönwälder.
Lavish textures are utilized to generate a moody atmospheric foundation which then serves to support a host of melodic electronics. Cyclic pulsations and keyboard-driven chords are put to equal use, creating tuneage of a deeply emotional disposition.
The electronics waft with airy quality, generating expansive realms of celestial consistency. Layered over these astral templates, keyboards contribute melodic definition that strives for stratospheric altitudes with rolling loops and endearing riffs. The periodic use of crystalline notes is an excellent counterpoint to the generally dense sound achieved by the electronics. Nimble-fingered keyboards establish lively melodies that persist in approximating ascension to the already buoyant mix.
Percussion is featured, often prominently, injecting suitable propulsion to the lavish music. Usually, the drums adopt an auspicious pounding that imbues the tune with a sovereign importance, although in a few tracks the tempos are quite sprightly. Sometimes the rhythms are generated by the swift application of sharp keyboard notes.
The vocal samples infuse one track with an angelic character, while the violin samples temper that same song with a romantic melancholy. A swelling of heavenly sentiments from the electronics cement these elements into a divine pinnacle.
These compositions seethe with a dramatic flair that frequently overwhelms the inherent serenity harbored in the tunes? slowburn openings. A rich sense of majesty is produced that lifts the spirit and fills the heart with ambitious aspirations.
W.A. DEPHUL: When Aliens Meet a Drop of Water (CD on Manikin Records)
This release from 2008 features 67 minutes of energized electronic music.
W.A. Dephul is Ralf Wadephul.
Lavish keyboards are joined by searing guitars and impulsive rhythms to produce this instrumental tuneage.
The electronics are versatile and energized, possessing an epic flair that boosts the listener with every lively chord. Delicately dreamy keyboard passages swim amid the more puissant layers of engaging harmonics. More imposing keyboards frequently appear, elevating the flow with their urgent timbre. Once set in motion, these melodies enter looping phases that persist in a constant ascension, resulting in a steadfast escalation of elation and drama.
E-perc provides ample propulsion to these songs, delivering tempos that are crisp and commanding. The rhythms are often marvelously complex, attaining a state of emphatic intensity that judiciously borders on overkill.
Guitars contribute a nimble presence with blazing emotional riffs that glimmer with celestial beauty. These guitars establish a strident demeanor, often rivaling the electronics for dominance of the tunes and resulting in delightful pinnacles of sonic enthusiasm.
Saxophone lends a romantic edge to the passion of a few tracks.
These compositions exhibit a striking power applied to melodies of appealing character. The influence of 80s period Tangerine Dream is very evident, especially in the soaring space guitar outbursts and the compelling manner in which percussion drives the melodies to dizzying altitudes.
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