abasio

Western Rebel Alliance - Fly

Robert Rich & B.Lustmord Stalker Fathom 1995 Dark Ambient Tracklist 1 Elemental Trigger (6:06) 2 Synergistic Perceptions (10:59) 3 Hidden Refuge (9:36) 4 Delusion Fields (9:33) 5 Omnipresent Boundary (15:00) 6 Undulating Terrain (5:36) 7 A Point Of No Return (11:35) I had heard that this album was the cornerstone of dark ambient. That it summed up the whole genre managing to create dark bleak soundscapes. After hearing all this I knew I had to see for myself so I ordered it off of amazon.com & waited patiently for it to arrive. When it arrived at my house late one saturday night I quickly ripped it onto my ipod & went outside to take a dark midnight walk. The setting was perfect to be accompanied by this album, I went through a dark forest then stumbled upon an industrial graveyard full of old broken down cranes & steam rollers & big big holes in the ground. This album was the perfect soundtrack to that walk & I was instantly in love. I'm scared of the word dark in music, usually it's used to describe some cheesy cheese fest trying way too hard to sound evil but just sounding like something that accompanies a disney villain. This album isn't scary, it's dark, it's bleak, it's desolate & it's really quite beautiful. Well it is if you like bleak, dark desolation. 1. Elemental Trigger Starts off with dark bubbles popping on the surface of the music. These remain in the background but at the forefront is a big oppressive atmosphere. Long dark drones, non-human wails & sci-fi bleakness make up this black hole of an opener. 2. Synergistic Perceptions There is a hint of malice lurking beyond my senses. A deep dark baseline & wind like drones complimented by big watery plops in a puddle of despair. Almost inaudible whispers lurk in the background like a conversation you shouldn't be witness to and a long wail like suffering in silence. This is dark in it's own deep way, no dark cliches, nothing obvious just bleak desolation. The non-human voices towards the latter part of the track just some up the dark beautiful suffering of Synergistic Perceptions 3. Hidden Refuge There is a melody hidden in this darkness. It's surrounded by strange glitchy sounds and a deep bass but it's there and screams to be acknowledged. It pushes itself out while remaining insular but it kicks up the power in a desperate attempt to be heard. This creates an amazing atmosphere filled with panic, slow panic with no source. Eventually, inevitably it loses & all we are left with are the broken shells of forgotten promises echoing in the smoke rings clouding the back of our minds. 4. Delusion Fields With the clearing of the smoke screen, things seem much clearer now. I can see far across the wastelands & now must try & make my way across. Into this soundscape are many random visitors brought on the droning of the wind. The visitors themselves seem harmless enough but even the sound of the wind seems menacing. Lurking just beyond my immediate perception is a malice I'm not fully aware of. I feel hopeful yet fearful unaware which is reality & which is my delusion. 5. Omnipresent Boundary Whispers in the wind, dark promises of chaos drone through the start. The night wind blows here & there and brings with it the cries of the damned. You can hear their voices clearly lost on the wind. Quickly though the voices are stifled & all you can hear now is the sound of their forced labour. Pushing, Grinding, Lathes & Steel. When this forced labour ends we are left listening to dark thoughts. A simple soundscape with no direction or theme, just dark & continuous with no purpose you can fathom until the wall come crumbling down in a quietly destructive fashion leaving only an uncomfortable serenity! 6. Undulating Terrain The soft flute breaks the bleakness but keeps the oppressive atmosphere. They hint at signs of life which is good but the dark edge behind it gives unease a door into your soul to slip through. The false promise broken only serves to deepen the feeling of isolation & loneliness. 7. Point of no Return This is it, there is no going back. If you have managed to make it this far you must be hooked & in need of more. It's addictive, even if you don't want it, you need it. The darkness, the bleak desolate atmosphere, the depressed feelings of long lost joys are all things you don't want but when put into a musical soundscape the quality of this you can only crave more. This track almost makes me want more things to go wrong in my life so I can understand it better. It's different from the rest of the tracks because it has less direction but the randomness just adds to the aura of confusion that is built & makes you feel lost in your own mind. Perfect way to round off the album. To summarise. It's proper dark, no cliches, no attempt to sound evil just pure unadulterated darkness. The atmospheres come so easily, so unforced that you come away with the feeling that this is the true essence of darkness! There is no try, there just is! An essential album in any open minded persons collection. It's definitely not for everyone as it is dark ambient in the truest sense of the words.

a glitch in the forum has made me accidentally post the same review twice. Sorry! delete one please

Matt Coldrick & Matt Hillier Elemental Journey - Absolute Ambient.com Volume 2 Green Nuns Music July 2005 Ambient Tracklist 1 Terra Firma (12:08) 2 The Band From Atlantis (12:21) 3 Fire Dance (14:17) 4 Where The Evening Meets The Sky (7:24) 5 Air (23:27) I picked this up cheap a few years ago, gave it a quick listen & instantly relegated it to the not good enough to listen to again pile. Then there was a load of hype on this site & I decided to give it another whirl to see what all the fuss was about. Once again I found it boring, it just lacked the energy to grab my attention & I found my mind wandering away on to other things like food & what was on TV & before I knew it the CD was over & I hadn't really listened to it at all. I was once again left unimpressed. Then earlier this year (2007) I went hiking one thursday, I walked long & far and came back to my house very very tired physically but so mentally alive. I came into my house grabbed an ambient CD to take me on a journey & collapsed on the bed! That CD just happened to be Elemental Journey an album I had been disappointed with twice before. This time however I was totally blown away by the intricacy, atmosphere & whole journey of this music. It took my mind away and then brought it back again. This is definitely a distraction free album, it should be listened to alone in a darkened room preferably horizontal! 1. Terra Firma We start off floating over the ground. Long ambient drones in the background, some tuneless tribal flute here & there. Around 2 minutes in soft beats appear and a short earthy melody which is very mystical & eastern sounding. Although an earthy track it still has a very floaty feel to it. Floating not among the clouds or over the sea but flying low over the land, low enough to see the people, the animals & the individual trees. A beautiful visual track full of eastern vibes, floating atmospheres & earthy sounds. 2. The Band From Atlantis If the last track was earthy then we must have reached the shore becasue the band from atlantis is very wet. You can here the waves lapping against the shore, distant sea gulls barely make there presence felt but are unmistakable. You can hear the ocean breeze melt into a pseudo melody. Guitar cords randomly placed manage to fit in perfectly but it's the subtle baseline that breathes extra life into this track. It's so subtle that it is easily missed but once found it's unmistakable. The band comes to life around the 7 and a half minute mark. The drummer drums, the bassist strums, the guitarist plays his subtle cords and the guy with the sound effect machine is watching Dr. Who? This track doesn't have the floatiness of the 1st one, it's more like sitting on the beach half watching the tide come in & half watching the band perform in the distance. 3. Fire Dance Instant Energy. Not energy that will make your body move but energy that will make your brain shift. The word undulating comes to mind & the whole track seems strangely alive. The string melody is phenomenal & I'm surprised every time when it leads into the beat. The beats seem big & powerful without actually being so. It's just such a contrast from the ambience that precedes it that it seems so, much. More life, the track seems to evolve as it twists & turns but carries on in the same direction. As the beats leave the 1st time it seems that the fire in the belly has been extinguished but the spark that is left gives birth to a nice tribal sound. Tribal beats & a nice bassy synth are in the driving seat now. The atmosphere is all about power. It's a big track, tight & growing, evolving throughout. When the energy dissipates it remains the same yet different from itself. 4. Where the Evening Meets the Sky We are floating again but now we are up among the clouds where we deserve to be. When the beats come in & the melody I can feel the clouds racing past, brushing my skin, giving me goosebumps. Every strum of the strings sends a shiver down my spine & into my stomach. Like being on a roller coaster when you fall down & lose your stomach. When they run into the melody & the brief vocals it's not my stomach that is lost but my ability to think coherently. The only problem with this track is that it's too short. 5. Air Happily keeping with the floating in the sky feeling. At over 23 minutes this track can really take it's time, knowing there is no need to rush & so we can get an ultra relaxed, peaceful feeling. A slight indian vibe is introduced as if we're going home but even though we are nearing the end of our journey there is no rush for the finish line. If we are floating high amongst the clouds then that beautiful female vocal must be a goddess. Beautiful enough to be disappointed when it leaves, as if I wanted to go back. Maybe it's a psiren & better left behind. She returns though, very tempting to lose myself in her but thankfully as she fades away the music more than fills the void she left. I'm put in mind of travelling through a black hole with Flash Gordon but instead of landing on an inhospitable alien world I end up right where I started, high among the clouds breathing deeply the fresh air. For such a long track the time does sure pass quickly, without much energy it manages to stay interesting until the end, evolving as it goes, finally finishing with a feeling of softly falling down out of the sky to land nicely on the freshly cut grass. So then, not bad for an album I found boring & uninspired on the 1st two listens. This album is definitely a mood album. To enjoy it & to appreciate it fully you need to be in the right frame of mind, the right place and without any distractions from other people or your PC. Just you & the music is the way to go for sure. If you have this & you don't like it, don't sell it or trade it away, keep it & one day it just might hit you & enter your list of favourite ambient gems!

Matt Coldrick & Matt Hillier Elemental Journey - Absolute Ambient.com Volume 2 Green Nuns Music July 2005 Ambient Tracklist 1 Terra Firma (12:08) 2 The Band From Atlantis (12:21) 3 Fire Dance (14:17) 4 Where The Evening Meets The Sky (7:24) 5 Air (23:27) I picked this up cheap a few years ago, gave it a quick listen & instantly relegated it to the not good enough to listen to again pile. Then there was a load of hype on this site & I decided to give it another whirl to see what all the fuss was about. Once again I found it boring, it just lacked the energy to grab my attention & I found my mind wandering away on to other things like food & what was on TV & before I knew it the CD was over & I hadn't really listened to it at all. I was once again left unimpressed. Then earlier this year (2007) I went hiking one thursday, I walked long & far and came back to my house very very tired physically but so mentally alive. I came into my house grabbed an ambient CD to take me on a journey & collapsed on the bed! That CD just happened to be Elemental Journey an album I had been disappointed with twice before. This time however I was totally blown away by the intricacy, atmosphere & whole journey of this music. It took my mind away and then brought it back again. This is definitely a distraction free album, it should be listened to alone in a darkened room preferably horizontal! 1. Terra Firma We start off floating over the ground. Long ambient drones in the background, some tuneless tribal flute here & there. Around 2 minutes in soft beats appear and a short earthy melody which is very mystical & eastern sounding. Although an earthy track it still has a very floaty feel to it. Floating not among the clouds or over the sea but flying low over the land, low enough to see the people, the animals & the individual trees. A beautiful visual track full of eastern vibes, floating atmospheres & earthy sounds. 2. The Band From Atlantis If the last track was earthy then we must have reached the shore becasue the band from atlantis is very wet. You can here the waves lapping against the shore, distant sea gulls barely make there presence felt but are unmistakable. You can hear the ocean breeze melt into a pseudo melody. Guitar cords randomly placed manage to fit in perfectly but it's the subtle baseline that breathes extra life into this track. It's so subtle that it is easily missed but once found it's unmistakable. The band comes to life around the 7 and a half minute mark. The drummer drums, the bassist strums, the guitarist plays his subtle cords and the guy with the sound effect machine is watching Dr. Who? This track doesn't have the floatiness of the 1st one, it's more like sitting on the beach half watching the tide come in & half watching the band perform in the distance. 3. Fire Dance Instant Energy. Not energy that will make your body move but energy that will make your brain shift. The word undulating comes to mind & the whole track seems strangely alive. The string melody is phenomenal & I'm surprised every time when it leads into the beat. The beats seem big & powerful without actually being so. It's just such a contrast from the ambience that precedes it that it seems so, much. More life, the track seems to evolve as it twists & turns but carries on in the same direction. As the beats leave the 1st time it seems that the fire in the belly has been extinguished but the spark that is left gives birth to a nice tribal sound. Tribal beats & a nice bassy synth are in the driving seat now. The atmosphere is all about power. It's a big track, tight & growing, evolving throughout. When the energy dissipates it remains the same yet different from itself. 4. Where the Evening Meets the Sky We are floating again but now we are up among the clouds where we deserve to be. When the beats come in & the melody I can feel the clouds racing past, brushing my skin, giving me goosebumps. Every strum of the strings sends a shiver down my spine & into my stomach. Like being on a roller coaster when you fall down & lose your stomach. When they run into the melody & the brief vocals it's not my stomach that is lost but my ability to think coherently. The only problem with this track is that it's too short. 5. Air Happily keeping with the floating in the sky feeling. At over 23 minutes this track can really take it's time, knowing there is no need to rush & so we can get an ultra relaxed, peaceful feeling. A slight indian vibe is introduced as if we're going home but even though we are nearing the end of our journey there is no rush for the finish line. If we are floating high amongst the clouds then that beautiful female vocal must be a goddess. Beautiful enough to be disappointed when it leaves, as if I wanted to go back. Maybe it's a psiren & better left behind. She returns though, very tempting to lose myself in her but thankfully as she fades away the music more than fills the void she left. I'm put in mind of travelling through a black hole with Flash Gordon but instead of landing on an inhospitable alien world I end up right where I started, high among the clouds breathing deeply the fresh air. For such a long track the time does sure pass quickly, without much energy it manages to stay interesting until the end, evolving as it goes, finally finishing with a feeling of softly falling down out of the sky to land nicely on the freshly cut grass. So then, not bad for an album I found boring & uninspired on the 1st two listens. This album is definitely a mood album. To enjoy it & to appreciate it fully you need to be in the right frame of mind, the right place and without any distractions from other people or your PC. Just you & the music is the way to go for sure. If you have this & you don't like it, don't sell it or trade it away, keep it & one day it just might hit you & enter your list of favourite ambient gems!

Cool! I think I will too!

IDM mix

Hallucinogen - e

The Infinity Project - The Answer classic

I've listened to long long samples over the internet & not liked a thing, not bought it (obviously) then come across the CD later cheap bought it & loved it sooooo much! Never trust samples anymore!

Hahaha, I must remember never to get any recommendations from you I love everything from Ultimae, my favourite label in years! I have a lot of ambient but nothing comes close to the beautiful music provided by ultimae

Alien Protein, it just makes my insides go all twirly whenever I listen to it! Nice melodies, energy & atmosphere! Don't have juggling alchemists though.

I can draw curtains! np Brian Eno - Music For Airports

Sure is, see

Vaporizing Glares is great, sorry I haven't heard the other 2 yet but I'll give them a listen sometime soon

E-Mantra - Crop Circles

Fizzy - Hymn in Honor of Symphonics I love it when an artist can make a long track & have it interesting throughout

Brian Eno - Ambient 1, Music for Airports Brian Eno - Ambient 4, On Land

God damn computer!!! :pissed:

Anakoluth - Vaporizing Glares

This site has a DJ promotion section where you can find a lot of mixes

Lost in the Ocean of Interplanetary Space

The Civilised Electrons - Encounter (In an Unexplored Nebula)

Total Eclipse - Freefalling Upwards

ABA Structure - Erased