THE GLIMMER ROOM: Grey Mirrors (CD on A-Frame Media)
This release from 2004 features 42 minutes of chill-out electronics.
The Glimmer Room is Andy C.
Blending ambient aspects with contemporary electronic structures, the Glimmer Room delivers a thoroughly captivating excursion into lively trance that will mesmerize and energize listeners.
Dreamy textures unfurl mixed with environmental samples and swelling rhythms. These atmospheric harmonies evolve into stately melodies that fuse traditional electronic sensibilities with modern rave modes, resulting in music that does more than cross boundaries, it forges a refreshing new territory from the future.
Delicate keyboards embellish the drifting tonalities, adding body and depth with engaging riffs that are laced with compelling tempos consisting of relaxed e-perc. Solid melodics emerge, delineating tuneage that possess dynamics while retaining an airy awe. Pulsations interweave with determined chords, producing a regal flair seasoned with a delightful pep.
Constructed as a long-form composition, this music moves through numerous moods with a constantly mutating pastiche of emotional sound. There are passages of subtlty that lead to pinnacles of remarkable grandeur, which in turn progress into catchy stretches that vibrate with a touch of pop temperament, giving the music a well-rounded disposition that will appeal to rave afficinados as well as fans of conventional electronic music.
This release comes in a DVD case with liner notes that are printed on parchment and sealed with sealing wax, achieving a completely personal connection between artist and audience.
HAROLD GROSSKOPF: Oceanheart (CD on Groove Unlimited)
This 38 minute CD from 2004 is a reissue of Grosskopf's classic release from 1985.
Grosskopf plays keyboards, drums and percussion. He is joined on this record by Christian Wasdaris on tablas.
Sequenced chords expand into ambrosial passages, blending with engaging riffs and gripping rhythms. The melodies continue to mature during each track, exploring variations and delivering a constnt stream of sonic surprises. The riffs grow increasingly complex, while the percussion swells to epic proportions, imbuing each tune with majestic scope and rewarding stature.
Lush atmospherics provide heady backdrops for more energetic fashions, as nimble-fingered electronics garnish these sedate elements with their vivacious resonance. Attractive percussion augments this gestalt with a brisk propulsion. Striving skyward, the tunes indulge in sidereal expressions that generate lavish and satisfying diversions. The interplay between rhythms and riffs is superb and inventive, invoking a rousing frame of mind that satiates a wide range of sonic desires.
Although possibly best remembered as the drummer who graced many of Klaus Schulze's early recordings, Grosskopf establishes his own compositional skills with this enchanting music. While known as an integral contributor to the classic Berlin School of electronics, Grosskopf's music employs a versatile range of styles that carries the listener far beyond any retro sound, delving deeply into realms that transcend any dated quality and remain firmly rooted in tomorrow's promise.
ROB PAPEN: Day Dreamer (CD on RPMusic)
This release from 2004 features 40 minutes of cheerfully delightful electronic music.
Having recorded for years with bands like Peru and Nova, Rob Papen goes solo with this debut release, delivering a tasty dose of uplifting EM that has roots in Biblical sources.
The electronics are crisp and inventive, exploring pleasant melodies crafted with crystalline execution and cheerful sentiments. Combining textural backdrops with poppy keyboards, contemporary electronics and nimble e-perc, the music luxuriates in a realm of postivism and entertaining tuneage. Keyboards drive the music, delving into melodic variations while auxiliary electronics maintain an engaging foundation. Flutish strains often infect the keys, imbuing the tunes with airy flairs that reach upward toward the life-giving sun.
Utilizing a playful compositional sense, Papen creates good-time melodies that are jubilant and appealing. His style tolerates no gloom or darkness, generating moods that sparkle with optimistic illumination. This dedication is refreshing and enjoyable.
The tracks are generally short (averaging 5 minutes), allowing Papen to explore the melodies without elongation. This compression serves to focus the music into gems of sonic luster. Only the final track indulges in extension (clocking in at 11 minutes), and here this extravagance is worthwhile as the composition examines a sense of congenial tension that benefits from the opportunity to build without haste.
HANS JOACHIM ROEDELIUS: Roedeliusweg (CD on Prudence Records)
This release from 2000 features 63 minutes of dreamy electronic music.
Roedelius' versatile keyboards are augmented by guitar by Fabio Capanni and Eric Spitzer-Marlyn.
True to form, Roedelius' music exemplifies a crystalline nature, glistening and sparkling in even the darkest environment. His delicate electronics capture a softness and inject a strong humanity to the artificiality inherent in synthesizer music. Yet here, there is a subtle difference, as he explores the grooves of younger generations, flavoring his tuneage with pep and swing. The tracks exhibit a freshness that displays itself through uptempo applications and catchy melodies.
Imagine sedate ambience that frequently strays into livelier terrain. While never going as far as overt techno, the tunes flourish with energy and tasty riffs. Rhythms wobble like toy robots marching along the walls, while the music twinkles with a classical undercurrent that is filtered through a congenial sense of understated pop. Pleasant harmonies unfurl with commodious ease, only to find themselves boosted into alternative zones by rising beats and unexpected effects.
The presence of guitars lends a strange grit to some of the tracks. Searing notes indulge in controlled feedback, producing an edginess that is remarkably enthralling.
Truly an exciting new direction for the man who co-founded Cluster and pioneered the genre of modern electronic music.
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