DAVID WRIGHT: Beyond the Airwaves, Volume 2(CD on AD Music)
This 2015 release features 72 minutes of dreamy-but-compelling electronic music.
Joining UK synthesist David Wright on this album are: Lee Morant (on guitar) and Carys (on voice).
The first half of this release features "Dreaming Desire" a symphony for synth and voice.
Remembering that synthesizers can duplicate just about any instrument, the sounds here are versatile and lavish. Keyboards may trigger most of the riffs, but there are also an amount of textural layers supplying backdrops for the sinuous electronic threads. These atmospheric textures generate a lush-but-tender foundation of vaporous definition, setting a stage high among stratospheric clouds.
Meanwhile, the keyboards create riffs of a luscious nature. Some of these riffs explore soothing melodies tinged with majestic puissance, while others use diverse resonances to embellish that grandeur with touches of sparkling beauty. Wright has a style that blends ascending moods with subtly bouncy inclinations. The electronics offer a variety of tones, from twanging quasi-harpsichord to stately pulsations to orchestral hints.
The vocals are non-lyrical, consisting of sweet crooning and spiraling chorales. Their presence injects the astral flow with a distinct humanity, grounding the otherwise soaring music with a mortal presence.
While actual percussives are present (submerged in the mix), much of the rhythms stem from the cyclic use of non-impact electronics which intertwine to form intricate tempos immersed in the fluid melodics.
The second half of this release is taken from a 2012 concert.
The glorious fusion of gentility and allure is equally present in this portion. The electronics are rich and prone to express melodies in a wide range of tones. Chiming, droning, sweeping, blooping, all sorts of engaging styles.
Again, rhythmics play a vital role here. Sprightly beats abound, lending an easygoing locomotion to the performance.
The guitar comes into play in this portion. Its cosmic notes twinkle with a restrained molten heat. But the tune it offers is rooted in jazz rather than space.
A particularly up-tempo passage is enhanced by a quasi-American-Indian-esque chant.
This live album contains two bonus track, one of which being a D. Mass Chillout mix of "Walking with Ghosts," a classic Wright song.
Overall, Wright's fashion of merging astral and earthy sentiments is dominant in these compositions. The melodies are graceful and gentle, yet possess a fair degree of captivating pep. This combination results in tuneage that is simultaneously dreamy and uplifting.
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