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Ishq - Sama


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Artist: Ishq

Title: Sama

Label: Electronic Soundscapes

Date: September, 2010

 

 

1. Intro

2. Sama

3. Vidya

4. Energeia

5. Elysian

6. Urasvati

7. Persia

8. Path

9. Mandala

 

 

This is the 2nd full length from Ishq (Matt Hillier and Jacqueline Kersley) called Sama. Their album in 2001 Orchid was brilliant and I thought ahead of its time. They have been around a long time and have more aliases than Filipe Santos. Sama has a pretty significant meaning in Buddhism, so I'm expecting deep, meditative compositions. The cover itself is warm and inviting, perfect for spending time by the fire on a cold winter's day.

 

 

Intro- With a very Buddhist beginning, the gong rings amidst the gentle crash of the ocean. Not a lot to say about the start.

 

Sama- Birds call as a soft rain tumbles down. Pads chime slowly with a pillowy soft kick popping quietly. Discordant synth tones play above a dubby bass while more pads guide you through this journey. A Kitaro-esque lead meanders, conjuring up images of the Silk Road. An ethnic instrument blends perfectly with a melodic pad creating a perfectly relaxed atmosphere as the rain returns.

 

Vidya- Ethereal vocals and a far away pad comprise a beautiful beginning. A beat slowly emerges totally content to sit back and listen to the soft pads tell their tale. Choirs soar and strings pierce the clouds. I would say this is as close to Heaven as one can get.

 

Energeia- Fluttering effects float above cool pads as this has a drone appeal to it. I would say a nice interlude, but from what. I couldn't be more relaxed than I am right now.

 

Elysian- Tinklings shine above gentle pads with a cool effect on a voice. So soft and relaxing melodies with nary a beat to be found. The sounds of birds and water further calm the nerves.

 

Urasvati- Metallic clankings ring off a pipe that drips moisture as you hear cattle wail in the background. Percussion slowly thumps as an insistent synth beckons. The drum evolves, but that synth goes on too long and I don't care for it. In what was a calming experience, this comes off as harsh and grating. The track itself is pretty good as it gets better but it just seems out of place. Which is a shame because it is over 15 minutes.

 

Persia- Bubbling amidst the quiet forcing you to listen as a man speaks. Pads combine slowly drawing out a smooth soundscape. A brief chant, but the pads are the star here. Immersive.

 

Path- As the wind howls soft chimes ring and effects sputter. There is definitely a spiritual bent to this one, as if there is a...presence. Oddly disarming as gentle chanting is just within earshot.

 

Mandala- More discordant tones jumble with the pads as tones travel skyward. This was like a jumble of everything you have heard on this disc as it descends into the sound of flowing water. The pads continue their melodic trek becoming more atmospheric if that is possible. To give you something to hold onto the gentle percussive melody at the end is a great way to finish.

 

The tracks are gently mixed together for the most part and I think this goes a long way towards a submersive listening experience. And what was that experience? Only the most calming hour or so I have had in a while. The pads created beautiful melodies as synths where whisper soft with the sounds of nature giving this a very organic, meditative feel. Well, minus the misplaced Urasvati. If you want to be put at ease with the ability to drift away from all that you know, then this is for you.

 

 

 

Psyshop

 

Beatspace

 

Saiko Sounds

 

Goastore

 

Mdk

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After hearing Orchid Ishq became one of my favorite chill artists. Needless to say this album was hotly anticipated. A couple thoughts about some of the songs as someone has already mentioned them all:

 

Track 2: Sama - I love how this song starts out. It has several various elements which all seem to be doing their own thing rhythmically wandering around and gradually gently coalesce into more 'order'. The first reviewer mentioned that there is an ethnic pad instrument that comes in 2/3rds through. The sound used possibly was reversed to create the effect. Its an absolutely stunning effect. Very beautiful and moving.

 

Track 7: Persia - Wow, gorgeous pads. Really nice transitions between harmonies. Beautiful lush atmosphere created with a touch of sadness that gets washed away with each new pad. Listening to it is like watching a timelapse of the clouds and sun moving across the sky in India.

 

 

The first reviewer mentioned how track 6 seems out of place. I can see that. However, I don't mind it so much. The rest of the album is so low key its nice to mix things up in my estimation a little. While I have heard this album several times some of the tracks still don't stick in my mind yet. What I mean by that is its hard to really get a strong feeling about some of the tracks as they are very subtle and feel kind of like bridges to other tracks. Which in turn become bridges themselves;) Track 4 and 8 especially feel like bridges. Track 5 is composed of quite beautiful evolving pads with no real percussion. This track along with Mandala are my favorites after Sama and Persia. While it is tempting to try to rate it against Orchid I don't feel ready to do that. However, I can say that while perhaps not everything I hoped for it maintains the integrity of the Ishq label. ...and by that I mean its good:)

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Artist: Ishq

Title: Sama

Label: Electronic Soundscapes Records

Released: 10 September 2010

Style: Natural Ambient

 

Tracklist

 

1 Intro (1:44)

2 Sama (10:00)

3 Vidya (9:22)

4 Energeia (4:01)

5 Elysian (7:11)

6 Urasvati (15:42)

7 Persia (6:47)

8 Path (3:14)

9 Mandala (12:13)

 

How long have we been waiting for a new Ishq album? I mean Timelapse in Mercury was never intended as an Ishq album as it was in a completely different style and it just got labeled as Ishq as Matt Hillier never gave it an artist name. Similarly with the Ishq collaborations About Time with Pan Electric and Voice From Home with Steve Brand, they weren't Ishq albums like Orchid, they didn't have the Ishq feel that we know and love: that natural feeling, very organic with every element in harmony with each other as well as the listener.

 

9 years, it has been 9 years since Orchid was released on Dakini records and it has been 9 years without another album of that signature Ishq sound. With the Ishq moniker being bandied about so often in the interim but without actually having an album it became almost unbearable. It was only the strength of Orchid (& Fluid Earth on CD2) that made the wait somewhat bearable as I could always go back to that album and listen to it as if it was fresh. Being one of the most timeless albums I own helped a lot there.

 

So with such huge expectations, how did the difficult second album hold up. I must say that it holds up very well against my expectations. It lacks the groundbreaking "Wow" factor of Orchid as it is similar in style to the album I have listened to countless times before but it is very good. The quality is very high, the tracks have not been rushed and you can feel the love and the attention to detail in them. The style is soft organice ambient with enough beats to give it rhythm and not just be floaty soundscapes with a tagline that says create your own adventure. This music would work well as background music, deep engrossing music or even enjoyable music for when not so esoteric loving people visit your home.

 

The sounds of nature: weather, rivers, trees rustling etc mix excellently with more ethereal sounds giving an atmosphere like walking through a forest on a warm spring afternoon as the sun wanes in the sky and the shadows are long. The unreal inhabitants are out of sight now but you can feel them waking up and the energy of the place is charged with an unreal wonder. Meditate in an empty forest at the start of summer, make sure that you won't be disturbed and sit with this on good headphones. The experience feels like this album has been designed for it. It is naturally spiritual: like it has stumbled upon spirituality rather than having set out to achieve it.

 

It's not as good as Orchid but then again not much is, it is however a highly enjoyable second album which will rank in my favourites come the end of the year.

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Great album!

btw Ishq's second album is Timelapse In Mercury.

 

I don't think Timelapse In Mercury was ever intended as an Ishq album. The album in fact has no artist titled as so was just credited to Ishq at discogs. Matt Hillier said though the the Ishq moniker was only for his music of the specific style we can hear on Orchid and now on Sama. I guess though with some collaborations he has given the title Ishq so people know it's him but I will still only think of this and Orchid (and Fluid Earth) as Ishq.
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