Netherland synthesist Ron Boots has been making superb electronic music for many years. Here are some of his recent releases.
RON BOOTS: See Beyond Times, Look Beyond Words (CD on Groove Unlimited)
This CD from 2008 offers 70 minutes of dramatic electronic music.
Assisting synthesist Boots are several electronic guests: Gert Emmens, Harold van der Heijden, Henri Peeters, Paul Ellis, Martijn Ruissen, and Frank van Bogaert.
This music represents a taste of Boots' homage to some of his favorite authors (Jack Vance, Roger Zelazny, Stephen King, M.K. Wren, J.R.R. Tolkien) and as such the tunes feature a high level of drama--and quite delightful drama it is too.
The character of this music is often grandiose, stately and heroic. The electronics achieve a demonstrative posture, gripping and bewitching, and this level is then embellished with further glory. Keyboards establish compelling riffs amid luminous pastiches of atmospheric textures, riffs that surge and erupt with vigor, riffs that evolve and transform into magnificent complexity. A sense of urgency is frequently dominant in these compositions, delivering a flair rich with tension and expectancy.
Boots' electronics exhibit a certain bouncy character that can be quite addictive, especially when buoyed by his dreamy tonalities. While some looping is utilized, the riffs have a tendency to expand as auxiliary chords accrete, escalating the melodies in wondrous fashion.
Percussion is present in some of the songs, and these animated rhythms add to the music's overall majesty. The tempos become compulsive and masterful, providing lustrous locomotion.
Guitar appears in a few tracks, with strummed strings contributing a romantic air and astral pyrotechnics scorching lasting impressions across the listeners; cerebellum.
A thoroughly dazzling album.
RON BOOTS: Mea Culpa (CD on Groove Unlimited)
This release from 2008 features 75 minutes of stately electronic tuneage.
Boots plays everything on this release, with the exception of part of the drums and the FX on one track which were supplied by Harold van der Heijden and Michel van Osenbruggen. The voices and choirs on two pieces are from Symphonic Voices and Voices of Passion.
Nimble electronics mark this music, etching vibrant melodies from liquid pulsations and squealing tones. Agile percussion provides suitably energetic locomotion. Keyboard riffs flourish and congeal, defining ambitious expressions of passionate sound.
Luxurious openings grace each song, unfurling ethereal threads to form pensive inaugurations which gradually amass puissance and vitality, ultimately sliding into grandiose structures of delightful complexity. Levels of fertile emotion are attained, conveying sonorous glory with appealing ease. One track features a synthesized violin dawn that is remarkably pastoral and soothing.
A rich, almost regal character dominates the riffs, filling each passage with noble sentiment. Spry arrangements bestow that majesty with lively agitation, flavoring the harmonic sovereignty with a whirling vigor.
The percussion is quite bewitching, not just in the animated nature of the rhythms but in the very sounds used to create each beat. Inventive and alluring, the tempos embody a fascinating luster that excellently embellishes the exciting melodies.
Conventionally lyrical vocals are featured in one track, expounding deep affection and using roses as an allegorical reference to mean anything the listener might hold close to their heart. The melody is temperate and stately, steeped in a soft reverence.
Another track displays a surprising rock influence with chugging basslines, popping rhythms, funky guitar, and rich crooning that achieves a stellar sonority.
These compositions possess invigorating qualities. Power is generated through compelling melodies which transmit this psychological stamina. Besides being entertained, the audience is infused with refreshing verve, fortifying all with new resources to face adversity and tribulation, whether they be social, physical or psychic.
RON BOOTS: Current (CD on Groove Unlimited)
This CD from 2007 offers 71 minutes of celestial electronic music.
Joining Boots on one track is Harold van der Heijden (on drums).
Liquid electronics gurgle and flow with robust power. The keyboard-driven melodies achieve a compelling presence as cycles and additional riffs layer to produce a lustrous density that somehow remains crisp and crystalline despite its rich profusion. With each passing moment, the sonic panorama aggrandizes into illuminated eminence.
Pensive texturals lie just beneath the lively surface, establishing a cosmic foundation for each tune. These pulsating undercurrents provide lofty support for the main electronics, as if the music was born amid cloudbanks and designed for aerial appreciation. Passages of dreamy tonalities embody a luxurious ascension, exalting the listener to a level where the more strident musical aspects easily take over and generate lateral momentum, bearing everything off into a whirlwind of ethereal rapture.
The application of dramatic percussion energizes the already-supercharged tuneage. The rhythms act as a luscious propulsion, lifting the pieces to greater altitudes.
These compositions are rich with a volatility that combines whimsy and optimism to achieve a state of imaginative ambrosia. The melodies are majestic, yet congenial, imparting a sense of confident enthusiasm that can be quite infectious. Where some EM evokes introspection, this music stimulates a mood of bold aplomb, readying the listener to meet any challenge that comes along.
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