abasio

Copy and paste from my original review.

100500 listens of a ten minute track would take two full years. No wonder you don't like it anymore.

Hmmm...... Matt Hillier is an ambient genious. His sound is so far away from anything else I've heard but in style & quality. His music sounds so natural, so clean. so relaxing & uplifting with every element in perfect harmony. Orchid, as far as I know, is the only full release under the Ishq moniker. Released on Interchill Records as a a single disk, I was lucky enough to get the Dakini release with an extra CD with 40 more minutes of ambient bliss. CD1 1. Skyblue Starts off with just beats & a subtle building sound in the background. That continues to build as some strings and rushing sounds build a melody. Light squelchy sounds, what could be a sonic waterfall & a woman's voice come in & out throughout. After the beat breaks down you can hear the sound of seagulls & waves against a shore. In the background is a melody played on first what sounds like a harp but the sound morphs into piano then harpsichord. Everything stops briefly & the track has to rebuild itself. I light drone followed by a melody is all we have until the light beats kick back in an it's as you were. This very nice dreamy opener puts me in mind of a clearing in the forest with a lake on a warm summer's day. Knowing that life is good & you are safe to relax in the beautiful surroundings. 2. Yu The waves cross us over into Yu & along with the waves comes a trickle of a stream. A small chime & an Asian voice sound briefly before the melody played on a harp(?) and an accompanying double synth melody float us into the sky. It all sounds very mystical with a hint of Eastern promise. A very laid back piece, perfect for a warm summer morning sitting on the porch watching the fish in the pond & the birds in the trees. Music to help you commune with nature. Mystical flutes & ethereal voices give this morning a sense of wonder, like anything or nothing could happen but either way it's going to be a great day. 3. Opal (Opaque Mix) Water is dripping & as the rate increases into the steady flowing of a stream we float down it. Very very soft subtle beats in the background are under the water yet don't sound wet. Even more subtle than the beats are the vocals. So subtle that when you hear them you know they are there but when you can't hear them you wonder if they are missing or just to soft to hear. A fantastic piece of Ambient, manages to sound percussive & beatless at the same time. 4. Daisy Sounds like a Zen Garden of Paradise. The sounds of birds can be heard in the trees & the melody sounds like a small bamboo water feature ever tipping. The water comes in fills it up, it gets to heavy & expels the water continuously tipping. There is no sound of the water though, just the tipping. There are an influx of very natural sounding synthetic sounds combined with more real sounds making an atmosphere close to a fantasy world. Like this garden is in another dimension. A dimension of light, a dimension of sound, a dimension of Peace & Tranquility. Almost voices whisper from just out of earshot, muffled warmth with the ever present tipping, the trickling of a stream & the birdsong. 5. Cyandragonfly Keeping with the garden theme but with a much more aerial feel to it. This track seems to fly over the water rather than sit by the side of it. The sound of water seems to pass by quickly but never leaves, like skimming over a pond then round the edge & back again. Cyandragonfly also feels a little later in the day, the midday sun has relaxed his glare & has fallen a little deeper in the sky. Kids play by the side of the opposite side of the pond to where I fly, halfway through I land on a small rock in the middle of the water & watch as the children play in the distance. The birds are still singing and the breeze brings with it bits of melody & conversation yet not enough to understand if it is human conversation or not. What really gets me about this track though is towards the end, Ishq samples a bird. i don't know what bird it is but I've only ever heard it in Britain & I'm instantly put in mind of the woods near my house as I was growing up. 6. Bhakti The transition sounds like a plane passing overhead but when it goes there is stunned silence, just the sounds of a few birds. 2 more planes go by, something cries & then the most beautiful of melodies comes in. It's warm & melancholic at the same time like remembering a lost love on a warm summer evening. Light beats come in & I feel like I'm back on the porch after a long day. Psirens try to call to me but I'm happy in my chair with a long drink & a long memory. The melody reemerges but falls under long drawn out sounds. The wind too has picked up & makes the wind chime hanging from my porch cry out. 7. Arc A long drawn out synth is followed shortly by another & together they manage to sound like an empty choir. The most subtle of melodies can be heard under the voices but just as you catch it it disappears from your mind. It all changes at once yet it's not sudden & it feels quite right. The new melody is over some piano chords and the birds are still singing but with less vigour than before. As the music leaves we are left with just the sounds of the water & the quite singing of the birds. CD2 1. Fluid Earth The sound of a river & water dripping into it from high places greet us at the start but the more the dripping grows the less river there is until there is only dripping. Over the drips comes a light shifting drone. It shifts up then down then invites all the other sounds to join in it's dance. Like a sunbeam lighting up all the falling dust. As the beats come in so do a few darker (yet not dark) sounds & I feel like I'm in the mouth of a cave with the bright daylight to one side & the mysterious earth to the other. Mysterious voices call from each side & I want to go to both but end up staying right where I am wondering but not acting. Weird sounds float around me, drip around me, rush up from underneath me. Both musical & relaxing, beautiful & surreal. From outside i can hear frogs by the pond croaking in unison but from inside the cave I can hear beautiful Angelic voices. I follow them inside & rush deeper & deeper. They call to me, am I a drop in the ocean or an ocean in a drop? The more the synths push me deeper the more I become submerged in the music & in my own mind. I stop & rest & take in the wonder of the hidden nature. As I stop the voices come closer but disappear in a crescendo of dripping water & all I can hear after is the frogs. I open my eyes & I'm back in front of the cave listening to river below me. 2.Blue Haze The river flows into Blue Haze but as I disembark onto the banks I see an old man playing an instrument unbeknown to me. He plays it nonchalantly & draws me in. I cannot pass by, I must stay and watch as he plays his tuneless tune. It's just a long drawn out drone with a few strings but it's amazingly engrossing. 3. Opal (Original Mix) Well CD1 has the opaque mix & now we are treated to the original mix. The melody is more prominent & the wet sounds are more reserved. The air sounds clearer like the day after a big storm. Clear blue sky up above & beautiful wet greenery all around. Beatless, no percussion except for what's created by the drops of water falling from the leaves to the ground. Amazing how the opaque mix is so different from this original while retaining the overall feel. Both very nice and perfectly placed on this journey. 4. Essene Remember, Remember, Remember, Remember! a soft voice repeats at the start. He repeats other words too softly to comprehend. A light uplifting drone is just about all else there is. Occasional sounds like bells & chimes come in & out very lightly. A perfect track to end the journey & send us into the realm of dreams. A beautiful journey through a natural wonderland. Perfect for relaxing to. Turn off the lights, get horizontal close your eyes & drift away. You wont regret it believe me.

I loved Life2 but Radio Universe is on another level

I didn't mind this but I cannot understand the love in for it from most reviewers.

I also love Planet B.E.N - Silver, Most minimal albums got bad reviews back then but some were wonderful and I still love Silver to this day

This could be good. Will it come to bandcamp?

On my way back from work, at 23:30, again. Tired, again. Having to deal with idiots all day, again. Still, I saw up a girl's skirt on the train

Flying Into A Star

That's a shame, I think this is his best album to date. Especially the second half of the album is some of the nicest cinematic music I've heard. I half agree with IFO, I never disliked it but never understood the hype. FoL was much better. However, the live version is really good I'm also not a fan of Hallucinogen - The Lone Deranged, after the first track I can't remember anything else on it.

Brexit could initiate a complete collapse if we're not careful, at which point it'd be better not to be a part of it, the EU that is. I still don't think it is right to leave but it's better for the UK to be the first out than to suffering another of the bigger economies pulled out.

France thrashing Iceland just showed how poor England were. I think they'll struggle against Germany but they're both good and I wouldn't place any sizeable bets on that match. Wales vs Portugal will also be difficult to predict. I'd hazard a guess at Wales as they've looked more impressive this tournament but Portugal, while they haven't won in 90 minutes yet, they haven't lost either. I'd like to see Wales vs France in the final but my head says Wales Germany.

Yeah, I have a full check up every year, there's no abnormalities in my noggin. Well, that's if I can trust the doctors.

It's available here for a usual (for Japan) CD price http://www.bravorecords.net/phone/product/800

I don't think mine are migraines. They always pass quite quickly, although it doesn't feel like it at the time, and while painful, I don't feel the need to dash my brains out.

I puked last week. The only time I pukeis when I get a really bad headache, after it gets worse and worse I feel sick and want to vomit. Only happens once in a while though.

You might like some Nip Hop (seriously that's what it's called, don't not racism here bruv) https://youtu.be/34cCdA3upY8 Mostly life affirming lyrics rather than your American hate life, fuck bitches, killing is cool kind of shite.

France vs Iceland tonight (well 4am kick off for me) I fear that France may be a step too far for Iceland but I'd love to see Iceland do a Leicester

https://youtu.be/PyZXmvF3I7s

The quotation marks make this sound kind of creepy Hopefully it'll still be in good condition when you're finished.

After that performance I'd fancy Wales to beat Portugal. Bale vs Ronaldo

Qiujan ‎ Ritual To The Light Loving this a lot

Offer 50, he might say yes. If he doesn't then you've lost nothing.

If I remember correctly you adored Some Kind of Creativity, I bought it from your rave reviews. I didn't regret it

Wales vs Belgium tonight! The last home nation could cause Belgium a few problems as it's another case of a Team vs a bunch of talented individuals. Whoever wins I hope it's crushing so they go into the semi final against Portugal with a lot of confidence and beat them good.