CREATE: In the Blink of an Eye (CD on Groove Unlimited)
This release from 2009 features 69 minutes of enthralling electronic music.
Create is Stephen Humphries.
Peaceful electronics are laced with gutsier enhancements.
Fundamental drones serve as an ethereal substructure for more demonstrative melodics. Surging loops emerge to season the flow with vigorous locomotion. An astral density is achieved and then bolstered by additional layers of nimble-fingered keyboard patterns. Fanciful diversions appear with regularity, keeping the music entertaining and lively.
The electronics resound with deep intonations, delivering an oomph that is never murky. Meanwhile, this heaviness is countered by the resolute presence of more fanciful pitches that provide a pleasant propulsion. The union of these elements establishes a rich panorama that is flavored with glittering cosmic augmentations.
While most of the tracks feature no percussion, the cyclic application of strident sounds provides a suitable rhythmic presence. In one piece, the faux rhythms achieve a startling vitality; while in another song, softly chugging beats establish an amiable tempo.
These compositions employ a slow-building structure, starting out as tenuous harmonics which steadily evolve into pastiches of zealous vitality. A sense of growth is accomplished through the constant expansion of melodies, yet the music rarely has any urgency, with each escalation flowing naturally and unhurried. A strong air of expectancy is generated as the intertwining riffs compound into thrilling configurations that shimmer with puissance and optimism.
MARK MAHONEY: Beyond the Vaulting Sky (CD on Waiting World Records)
This release from 2009 offers 58 minutes of ambient electronic music.
Brooding atmospherics are seasoned by delicate electronic waves that lend the sky music an expansive milieu.
As an ambient foundation unfurls, pleasant electronics sigh and ripple with languid definition. Lavish hissing sweeps cascade through the mix. Deep tones resonate in tandem with high-end pitches, establishing a congenial counterbalance of effects. Flutish keyboards mingle with mechanized rainfall, evoking a winsome nostalgia for unexplored realms.
The presence of grittier enhancements introduce favorable substance to the ethereal flow. Glitchy chitterings, hints of percussive pitterings, sparkling diodes, gurgling chords--all of which provide the tuneage with delightful density. Mahoney has an alluring tendency to balance softness with body, resulting in an appealing robust sound that remains fragile and peaceful.
In some tracks, sounds are utilized in a percussive manner, bolstering the gently streaming melodies with rhythmic motivation. The tempos are amiable and mild, coaxing a moderate degree of animation to the ambience.
While these compositions are generally ambient in nature, the presence of more substantial embellishments elevate the music to contemporary status. The harmonic definition often exhibits enticing melodic traces, giving the music's contemplative character an entertaining spirit.
POLARIS Background Stories (limited edition CD on Ricochet Dream)
This release from 2008 features 60 minutes of lively electronic tuneage.
Polaris is Jakub Kmiec. He is joined on one track by Tomasz (Odyssey) Pauszek.
Lively tuneage crafted with dynamic electronics and snappy e-perc.
Hordes of versatile electronics wail and growl and slide and warble. Keyboard-driven riffs define electrifying melodies, while drones supply a vaporous foundation. Surging tones establish pulsating vistas while additional electronics of a crisp nature belt out brisk riffs. Cosmic sounds are harnessed and channeled into bouncy arrangements side-by-side with earthier airs. Chittering diodes provide periodic sidereal effects, like birds pecking at the central sonic meat. Gurgling electronics swing out of left field to plunge through things, adding a somber temperament to the overal whimsy.
Percussion plays a vital role here, with often quirky beats generating complex rhythms. There's a nice blend of tempos, blending ilbient and rock elements to provide animated locomotion for the tunes.
The music is often extremely energetic, adriotly tailored for the dancefloor, but a few tracks explore dreamy territory (albeit with an edgy quality bristling to erupt into hyperactivity).
These compositions combine contemporary EM aspects with techno sensibilities, managing to maintain a cerebral demeanor despite the overt dance factor involved. A definite European flavor lurks in the novel mix.
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