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Electronics: the Circular Ruins, Lammergeyer

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THE CIRCULAR RUINS: Empathy Test (CD on Databloem)

This release from 2003 offers 62 minutes of compelling electronic music.

The Circular Ruins is Anthony Paul Kerby.

Bubbling electronics feature prominently in this recording, periodically blending with delicate E-perc to generate lavish but calming environs of fanciful harmonies. Sampled nature sounds are periodically employed to embellish these instrumental compositions, grounding the otherworldliness with earthly signatures. A versatile range is utilized to accomplish this, from deep bass tones to flighty timbres to whirling bloops and cordial pings.

Gurgling environmental samples coalesce to form an engaging fusion with artificially generated sounds. Noises of a non-impact disposition are harnessed into cyclic rhythms, creating tempos of celestial demeanor. The result warms the soul while testing the audience's intellectual capacity.

Kerby mixes synthetic textures with keyboard generated riffs, creating tender portraits of mankind's interface with his environment. Gritty tones interweave with heavenly cycles, depicting how contrasting elements fulfill the totality of existence. Although his sonic palette stems from digital apparatus, Kerby's music exhibits a rich sense of humanity. He is able to coax computers to generate compassionate harmonies which he applies to stirring melodies. The music soars, but remains linked to the soul of the planet.

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LAMMERGEYER: Blue Oasis (CD on Data Obscura)

This release from 2003 offers 59 minutes of tranquil ambience.

Lammergeyer another electronic identity for Anthony Paul Kerby.

Languid tonalities emerge amid a host of breathing diodes and wavering textures that hang above a semi-audible horizon. With each sonic inhalation, the music swells with graceful expressions of delicate ambience, receding as the electronic tones exhale and merge with the air. Serene chords of a minimal nature drift to the surface, where they glitter with optimistic promise. Sizzling with adroit enunciation, the atmospheric disposition of the music remains calmly devoid of agitation or tension. Even the introduction of crystalline tintinnabulation fails to disrupt the melody's soothing keel, lending only a shimmering bell-like quality to the ambient haze that immerses this foreign-but-pleasant oasis.

While distinctly melodic, this music relies more on harmonic substance, defining itself through filigreed soundscapes devoted to scenery from a nonexistent film. The result is a brand of ambience that embodies more than just a toneless meandering. Kerby's muse pursues ethereal moods with his tenuous euphonies, delineating passages of relaxation that are lively with creative sedation.

It is quite remarkable (and entertaining) how Kerby frequently utilizes conventionally harsh sounds, mixing them with traditional ambient textures into a serene tapestry that serves to lull while secretly invigorating the mind.

The sonic evocation of a peaceful oasis is thorough and praiseworthy.

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