Enigma "MCMXCa.D." (1990)

Catching my ear through the Spotify playlist shuffle, a curiosity was peaked given its early release date. This both felt and sounded like a missing link in the tapestry. A convergence of New Age and Worldbeat, at the alter of 90s drum machine aesthetics from the emerging House and Dance scenes. Before, I've covered similar evolved vibes from En Voice, Dead Can Dance and most keenly Delerium. This one swiftly clicked into place. Research revealing its position as a pioneering record, with surprise commercial success for these relatively unknown German-Romanian musicians.

The record has a trance like meditative presence. Easy listening, as its Dance rhythms gracefully drift through soundscapes of worldly atmosphere. Loaded with samples, spoken lyrics, Ethereal synths and keyboard instruments jostling New Age melodies. It forms an evocative collage of complimenting aesthetics suggesting deep and slightly esoteric themes about the human experience. Best of all, the inclusion of Gregorian Chants aids in playing up the ever present sense of spiritual significance.

Highlights include the mini epics Principles Of Lust and Back To The Rivers Of Belief. Both venture through lengthy song structures, packing a lot of intrigue as their powers hold over the listener. A shorter four minute piece, Callas Went Away, catches the ear with an even touch of plagiarism, as its subdued tom drums and lonely atmospheric synths clearly borrow from the timeless Phil Collins mega hit, In The Air Tonight.

The rest of the music falls into place around these key pieces. MCMXCa.D. is a soothing experience from start to end. One to return for, in need of these worldly spiritual vibes but with a touch of pace from its classic Dance drum machine patterns driving the music. I'm glad I stumbled onto it. It seems they had continued success with the following few records, which I may just check out next.

Rating: 7/10

Puremusic "Serenades Of The Night" (2016)

 

From algorithmic shuffle, to library, to playlist, Serenades Of The Night has swiftly won me over as another meditative ambient mastery record worthy of stashing away for the calmness it can bestow in an instant. Cutting through many flavors of sound design, Puremusic encroaches on Worldbeat, Downtempo, Psybient, Drones and subtle natural world aesthetics with an easily persuasive, engrossing distinction.

Every song feels carefully crafted. Dreamy instruments warped in soft reverbs add flashes of ambiguous melody to dense sways of inviting sound. With ebb and flow, intensities steadily muster, expanding from humble origins into succulent swells, expanding scope with entrancing repetitions ever disguising their form with timely subtle iterations and shifting nuances woven into the fabric of its alluring construct.

Highlights include Kama, a fusion of nightly Arabic suggestions, mesmerized by hypnotic rhythmic drive. Warmth strips out all percussion for a dense lavishing of droning synth. No Fairy Tales pushes its drums into electronic territory, conjuring fond echos of classics like Carbon Based Lifeforms. Only Pour L'amour breaks convention for a lonely piano piece that was a little to simplistic to evoke the emotion it aims for.

I didn't bond that much with the proceeding outro track Dawn either but despite this closing drop off, its first nine tracks are well executed and deeply soothing. A lot of this music can depend on mood and apatite yet among my musical ventures, true charm can still shine and I felt as if this record captivated me on its terms, not my own.

Rating: 7/10

Aurora "What Happened To The Heart?" (2024)

 

 What Happened To The Heart will likely be my album of the year. I've sat on this one for months, hitting a curious writers block when wanting to put my emotions to words. Initially the record seemed transient, subdued yet as familiarity crept in, a magic emerged from its dreamy charm. A sleepy aura persists throughout, songs teeter on cloudy ambiences, percussion softened as Aurora dances with her voice like an angel emerging from a soothing fog. So often does this enchanting music lure you into its passive persuasion, pivoting temperament to lunge into passionate swells of harmony.

This talented cast of song-writers and producers pay quite the compliment to her strengths. Songs flash suggestions of Disco, Synthpop and Electronica, all bellowing out there aesthetics through the atmospheric power of understated rumblings. These more obvious influences linger in the shadows of airy reverberations and soundscape design. These compositions blur boundaries, whipping one up in a feverous dreamy momentum led by Aurora, who often arrives in tandem with herself. Layering up her fantastic vocal ranges, an enchanting sway unravels that is utterly contagious.

The mid record stretch often feels spiritual, tribalistic, as surges of steady deep bass percussion drives wordly tones and burred melodies with suggestions of broadened cultural horizons. The opening and closing phases hold the animated tracks that pivot into House, Dance, Techno and Indie Pop with broad creative strides. There stylistic emergence from the ether, alongside such a spectacular voice, gives the whole record a magic I've felt with other artists but barely in this unique avenue. With Aurora's voice on full croon, I feel swallowed up by her immaculate performance. This record is a gem you don't want to pass up, undoubtedly her most inspired music to date.

Rating: 9.5/10

 

Dead Can Dance "Spiritchaser" (1993)

 
After a stunning stretch of remarkable records, the Australian duo ventured on-wards one last time before parting ways. Fortunately they would reunite nineteen years later with the well polished Anastasis. Spiritchaser is the last album I'd yet to hear, a critically well received departure I find myself indifferent too. Remaining within the tapestry of Worldbeat aesthetics, they seem to take a new approach to song writing.

 Gone are the emotive swells, gallant melodies and esoteric leanings. Instead, a focus on plain, steady tones. Allowing for simplistic instrumental notation and brief percussive grooves to drone in repetition on top of foundations. Its subdued, simplistic and supposedly aims to find a meditative atmosphere in unclutter compositions.

So to do vocal performances feel restrained, intentionally softened. The cultural roots of fresh singing avenues possibly explain why. With dialectic inflections and native languages I'd not heard prior, the pair appear to aim for a less dramatized tone and certainly achieves that. In the apt setting, it becomes soothing background music.

I've been critical, Spiritchaser is simply a different beast, lingering in the shadows of a luminosity that came before it. The record does little to offend. Its sensibilities are calm, gentle and drift upon lazy tempos on lengthy durations. Highlights reside later on, with The Snake And The Moon offering a beautiful campfire at night vibe fit for tribal chant and dance. Perry leads the first half, Gerrad the second, shifting energies.

The following Song Of The Nile plays deeply cultural and subdued but houses the albums most animated passage as bells chime and some exotic sitar alike instrument offers up a brief but striking swell of musicality. However the rest of the record failed to make much of an impression on me. Maybe more time would strengthen bonds.

Rating: 5/10

Dead Can Dance "Anastasis" (2012)

Returning from a lengthy sixteen year hiatus, no fresh spark of light, or flash of genius awaits us. Instead, Anastasis plays as an amalgamation of the duo's best cultural aesthetics and voicings. All eight songs bestow simple, gratifying song structures. Luscious clear instrumentation enables layers of satisfying melodies to link together on introspective meditations. Mellow tempos, broody baselines and aromatic synths let an array of worldly instruments peruse on flavorful, exotic paths.

From the offset, no distinct sense of historical or societal vision for these songs emerges. The vastness of Worldbeat influence converges on unique spaces, almost fantastical in their pleasing persuasion. A steady flow of tuneful notation, funneled through the sounds of distant instrumental heritage, lets their natural songwriting strengths become a dominate force, leaving space for imagination to fill the gaps.

The duo's voices still charm a delicate delight, another dimension of worldliness mysteriously woven in. Gerrard is exceptional, her performances on Anabasis & Agape help sway a deserty Middle-Eastern mystique. Perry on the other hand, a delight yet lacking cultural unity with the instrumentation. At times it as if the modern, spotless nature of its production holds back a clear vision. Perhaps a little lower-fidelity aesthetic could of enabled some healthy nostalgia. Either way, I love this for what it is. Fantastic songs finding new spaces out of old ideals.

Rating: 7/10

Little Simz "Drop 7" (2024)

 

Simz' output is already steeped in creativity. This EP series serve as a niche place to drop any variety of flavor and this seventh installment arrives in shapely form. Working with producer Jakwob, the pair unleash a hypnotic current of cultural instrumentation, conjuring suggestions of Spanish, Mexican and Latino music with selective percussion sounds. Arrangements flow with sharp rhythm and lean bass thudding, fitting for club vibes. Atmospherically sparse, the music feels open and minimal yet the drums shuffle and snap on dense arrangement of complimenting chromatic textures. Its simply slick.

Fever reinforces this cultured embrace, rapping a verse in Portuguese. Mood Swings affirms the club beat as the songs motif drifts through an exploration of escaping into night life. Other lyrics also hint on a therapeutic angle, the music being a means to vent life's frustrations and difficulties, although I didn't dive to deep into them. Drop 7 represents a lean fifteen minutes, one of fruitful creativity that may be a stepping stone to a fresh chemistry. Sim'z masters this new dynamic tone just wonderfully.

Rating: 5/10

Love Is Colder Than Death "Mental Traveller" (1992)

 
Proceeding their sophomore Teignmouth, we embark on sullen strides of mournful brooding. Mental Traveller ventures into worldly vibrations, linked by language-less tones of morose suffering. A frequent chemistry between dawning strings and Susann Heinrich's burdensome singing, captivates a moody pre-technological tension. One will be transported with visions of rural hardship lived in the shadow of human sin. A sense of ancient culture and lost religion prevails through these belated downtrodden soundscapes. Perhaps an artifact of my imagination, their gradual groaning, building up to rigged percussive grooves, can't help but evoke this antiquated notion.

My main gripe with the record is its similarity too Dead Can Dance. Many ideas and paths walked feel closely modeled on their music. This feels most obvious when an occasional song shifts gears for uplift and reprise, a little tuneful medieval charm having the same tone and textures as the aforementioned. This is however what I have been seeking, Neoclassical Darkwave. Love Is Colder Than Death have just that. Their approach just lacks a distinction to provide conversation to the genre.

 The second half of the record pivots, Ralf Donis takes over, ushering in Industrial tinged drums that reveal their programmed nature. Like last outing, it leans Electro-Industrial on a couple of tracks, almost birthing some genuine fascination with a grim tone but falling short. Despite all my attempts, this one just didn't latch mentally. 

Rating: 5/10

Love Is Colder Than Death "Teignmouth" (1991)

 

A recent emotional plunge had me engrossed within the historical worldly sounds of Dead Can Dance again. Now armed with Spotify's magical recommendation algorithm, I'm turned onto more Neoclassic Darkwave music. Capturing the feeling of pre technological civilizations, Susann Heinrich's renaissance inspired singing musters a familiar burden, the crushing weight of biblical shame and life's hardships our ancestors once endured. Its wrapped in unease and tension, as suffering and gloom penetrates these songs mysterious beauties. Questo Mostrarsi embodies this religiosity as its funeral organs resonate with the sins of humanity, a world view that once enraptured humans across Europe just a handful of centuries ago.

When incorporating percussion and keyboards, its performances are stiff and jagged, often breaking its own spell to some extent. Jolting hysterical sounds jostle in on occasion, as if to create a haunting vessel emerging from the shadows. Its bold edges are enjoyable when embracing its vision but much of this amateurish tonality seems so close to something stellar, had its production been more organically cultivated. These bold, punchy sounds further their presence in the records second half when Ralf Donis steps up, his stoic singing lingers in the shadow of his peer. More electronic sounds bustle in, Ralf deploying snarly sneers and groaned vocals which have the music bordering Skinny Puppy's Electro-Industrial with Chorn. The following Wild World has its moment as the two styles find a gripping chemistry together.

A common finality of curation comes to mind. Teignmouth engrosses one in a cultured, religious, historical worldly spell but consistency pulls us out as its stark execution breaks the magic. Caught between two ideas and lacking the finesse to pull it off, this sits with me as a flawed record that can be loved for Heinrich's voice who pulls us into its vision. With that, I am certain more spins would grow fonder, however I am keen and curious to go down this rabbit hole with new tools of discovery! Had to blurt out my thoughts and move on swiftly.

Rating: 6/10

En Voice "Hall Of Dreams" (2006)

 

 

Now steered into niche destinations by the Spotify algorithm, I stubble across Hall Of Dreams, one of two record by a German composer who I could find little information about online. This disparity reminded me of cultural difference music scenes have. I'm certain there would be no shortage of information on a Metal band of equivalent size. Tangent aside, En Voice glimmers ambiences as Downtempo grooves flirt with gentler temperaments. Easy soundscapes drift dreamily, seeming like destinations of a modern, European stature. A harmonious clash of new an old rides the wave. Keen electronic tones and lively mid-tempo percussion rubs upside yawning strings and cultural voices. It livens a sense of travel and adventure as modern life tangos with heritage and histories, fading in an ever approaching sunset of the present rat race.

Offering a variety of flavors across its twelve tracks, a welcoming Pop appeal pallets its instruments and textures with little in the way of challenging. Each song breezes by with shuffling beats and electronics, nothing ever to bold, ambitious or out of step. These serve as warm digestible moods with the occasional flush of 90s British Electronica as potent yet simple piano melodies swoon in over sweeping synths and dawning strings. Clocking in on average at five minutes, most the songs go through simple structures, retracting and extending the rhythm section through lulls and swells with interchanging instruments. It sticks to a tone and sees it through with a lack of remark-ability beyond the character of the smooth vibrations it conjures. Good for a while but lacking a memorable depth.

 

Rating: 5/10

Suspended Memories "Earth Island" (1994)

 

Reuniting to follow up on the entrancing dusky spells of Forgotten Gods, the trio tread lukewarm waters, unable to spark the temporal magic that sung before. Failing to find fresh distinctions, their worldly disjointed percussive lines and ancient cultural chants rub up against airy atmospheric synths in a mediocre affair. With soft keyboard driven ambiences, its smooth, cloudy synthetic chemistry resides in a lofty yet unassuming place. Danger and mystique or awe and wonder rarely engulf quite like before.

Hinted strongly in naming and presentation, the album cover, Earth Island yearns for a cosmic perspective, yet even the brief chatters of astronaut communications nestled in doesn't sharpen this vision. Melting World offered immersion, a grade above the rest, but it also marked a shift. The initial human link between stars and stones shatters as a darkly brooding unease encroaches before the final two songs break pace again.

These ambient works often feel subjected to mood and fatigue more so than other genres. So i'd take my words lightly. One can hear the trio trying to move the Aztec inspired soundscape out of its shadowy realm, turning to an uplift, brighter in spirit, yet earthly and deep. The two ideal either don't gel, or lacks execution. Subsequently, the gravity that came before is illusive despite the mild meditative calm it conjures.

Rating: 5/10

Suspended Memories "Forgotten Gods" (1993)

Fancying another foray into the works of Steve Roach, a musician with too many records to count, I couldn't help but notice its popularity on Spotify alongside the pivotal works of Structures From Silence and Dreamtime Return. The latter leaves its legacy on Forgotten Gods with the consistent jabber of worldly, cultural and ancient percussive sounds. The construct, like before, is beautifully disjointed, deconstructed and abstract from the norms of groove and rhythm found in western music. Although in any moment its strikes and hits seem free and sporadic, its arch find a meditative pace, holding the atmosphere together with a steady, easy temperament.

Suspended Memories is the name for Roach's collaboration with fellow ambient artists Jorge Reyes of Mexico and Suso Saiz of Spain. A cultural tie to the Aztecs feels beyond relevant. With distant native chants and baking dusty echos, the musical pieces delve into the shamanic mystique the mysteries of lost civilizations can conjure. Both warm yet nightly, one can envision the blistering heat of desert sands, secrets laying in wait under weathered tombs. Equally, its drafty tone and dreamy presence has the cautious calm of night. Dangers lurk in the shadows yet the listener is always safe within the ambience. These contrasts co-exist, allowing one to hear their own adventure within the music. It may not be intentional but has been remarkable.

As the title Forgotten Gods hints, its theme evoke celestial wonders lost to the decay of time. As expected the record explores a variety of temperaments. Snake Song and Mutual Tribes appealed strongly to desert vibes I initially thought of as Egyptian but on further study, the inspiration was likely a historical middle American. Ritual Noise was the darkest track on offer, a lone song where a nefarious presence gets a little to close for comfort. Despite its devilishness, all the music is beautifully soothing and meditative. I've heard these sounds encroached on prior, yet the trio handle it so masterfully. This is absolutely another favorite for the ambient collection.

Rating: 8/10

Sons Of Kemet "Your Queen Is A Reptile" (2018)

This past month Ive been enjoying the sounds of British quartet Sons Of Kemet from our capital city London. This record, their third, is a busy Jazz scenario of unsettled landscapes in flow, occasionally smooth but mostly agitated, engulfed by worldly sounds and vibes that surface their identity. Its cover may be a link to a tribal heritage, something I don't quite hear in the music directly. For all its obvious cultural influences most of the music feels like the madness of a city whirling around an individual.

The ceaseless drums shape up every living moment with lively, energetic pacing that constantly bursts with frantic fills and moments of disorientation that always fall back on the rhythm. Armed with a deep, soft and brown restless Tuba tone, it pumps and plods away with binary pacing that leaves gaps for the Clarinet and Saxophone to fill. On tracks like Angela Davis it becomes quite fast, clustered and maddening as the intensities build with little respite. It is always the Sax that seems to find a human narrative in the atmosphere, sounding rooted as its jam rises above.

These songs drive and evolve like jam sessions, starting with a certain intensity and temperament that moves from one degree to another other the five to seven minutes they last. Occasional obvious grooves emerge but mostly its a bustling jive of instruments jabbing their voice into the fray to be heard. On its smoother cuts the toned down nature lets the lead Sax have a flow of melody but otherwise these notes swing rapidly between instruments. The calmer demeanor is always preferable.

The different degrees and flavors between songs will have you plucking favorites but the album makes a flash with two songs. On Marrie Phipps Clark and Doreen Lawrence a London Caribbean accent brings some social political commentary through recited poetry that gives focus to the instruments. These parts strips the music of its sometime monotonous tone and opens up to its other dimension, the song titles, all of which are names of female social-political figures. Ive enjoyed this record quite a lot but a smoother degree of Jazz music is more to my liking.

Rating: 6/10

Dead Can Dance "Dionysus" (2018)

Blessed we are to have another Dead Can Dance project on our hands. After a six year absence the duo return with a mid length, sweet and exotic piece of music. Its around seven songs split into two sixteen and nineteen minute tracks. Through the journey of this blog I have been digging into their catalog and unearthing several gems, Aion being the first. They compose and perform meditative, spiritual music inspired by historical, cultural and worldly sounds. Time has not been a hindrance, this release is fondly inspired and fit to sit among the best of their wonderful discography.

The first act is luscious, exotic and wild. A modern production doesn't particularly give the duo anything they couldn't achieve already but its crisp and silky aesthetic has the percussion popping. Earthly choral singing over viola strings sounds dazzling too. It has a warm climate feel that plays out with powerful melodies conjuring deep earthly moods, reinforced by vocal cries of emotion from under the building layers of exotic instrumentation. Its a very primitive and rooted experience, a scenic interlude of rain, howling and chirping of wildlife grounds the link between these songs as its final piece goes into a primitive trance. One can envision star splattered night skies, camp fires, ritualistic dancing and singing around the glowing flickers of flames.

The second act feels colder and humanistic, the pace and tone turn to a nightly setting and Perry brings mysterious language to his singing. Brooding cultural voices and dazzling melodies stir up a climatic build up on the following song. Its another engrossing atmosphere and then The Forest really throws things back in time with a warm, upfront and gently bouncing baseline giving the track a Post-Punk feel, going back to their roots as a band. The singing is gorgeous, enriched by worldly travel. Its the albums peak as the following song slowly winds things down quietly as the record drifts back into the shadows from which it came. Its a brilliant record that does the best of what these two are known for with exquisite execution. The inspiration is ripe and with that a wonderful thirty plus minutes of riveting music has been birthed.

Rating: 8/10

Steve Roach "Dreamtime Return" (1988)

American composer Steve Roach's third major release, Dreamtime Return, has been lavished with praise, finding its way onto many essential listening lists, especially within the Ambient community. I share in its appraisal but must also put my trust in the critics who cite the records significance. The ideas on this record are not new to me, its execution however is stunning and to put yourself in the mindset that this is the first emergence of these new approaches to sound creates little more excitement. It barely elevates the already metaphysical experience at hand, which is truly transformational music at heart.

Temporal, meditative and deeply spiritual, the sonic pallet of spacey, exploratory electronic synths advance into the winds of life as the beating heart of mother earth pounds through slow, vast tribal drums and percussive instruments. They form a disconnected experience as their tempos are stretched by the lack of any measurable groove. In sway deep, engrossing sounds, phasing in and out of existence around the illusive anchor to reality. The atmospheres are large and engulfing yet with the percussive backbone they feel earthed by scale, as if primitive man gazes in awe upon the unending lands of earth he can explore eternally.

It is simple to dissect and understand the musics formula yet the power and persuasion it has over a willing listener is the work of a master. Dreamtime Return lasts over two hours and there are some sections that will appeal more than others but its length is testament to the metamorphosis it takes into the roots of our culture-less heritage. In my personal experience I see baking red deserts, vast savannahs and tropical paradises, all beautiful and deadly, the life of an apex predator far from the emancipation of civilizations neutering.

The spiritual side, embraced by the sweeping, windy synths, induces a subtle psychedelic quality that make me think of native Americans on spirit journeys or vision quests, an intrinsically profound experience under the aid of chemicals. There is a strange sense of isolation within the music but it is not loneliness, the hypnotic nature of the record will let one find their symbiosis with mother nature and bask in the awe of insignificance we are as individuals. Where Structures In Silence gazed upon the cosmos, this record gazed internally to the core of our being.

Rating: 9/10

Dead Can Dance "Into The Labyrinth" (1993)

After a string of five records, Australian duo Dead Can Dance take a little longer to get their next effort out with a compilation released just a year after Aion. It follows a familiar construct of the two exchanging the lead roll as a sole voice over enchanting, cultural instrumentals. Two mesmerizing accapella's make an appearance in the eleven tracks mainly distinguished by an Mediterranean persuasion. First heard in slapped bongo grooves and steady tambourine alike percussion it grows with the record as the melodies feel increasingly sun soaked and the rich tapestry of instruments grows increasingly exotic and foreign with a desert sand tinge.

Its mostly Gerrard who indulges in these traveled voices. Sublime might be an understatement, her singing was under no contest but one has to be taken back by the cultural echos she inhabits with an ever expanding set of voices. Rich in texture and flawless in execution a emotional resonances illuminates her songs. Perry on the other hand often pulls the record back to the mystical, fantasy, medieval side of their sound, choosing to sing on the tracks rooted in sounds previously explored. They two are equally enjoyable but certainly fitting into whats been heard before.

Into The Labyrinth has little surprise. The excellence and inspiration this band can achieve is performed again and perhaps where they could of fully dove into new territory they have tread the lines between two strong ideas for an album most excitable when exploring the aforementioned cultural sounds of heated climates. With balanced measures of complimenting instruments, they once again muster together another set of magical songs to transform your imagination and take you on a journey through other worlds, times and beyond.

Rating: 7/10

Delerium "Semantic Spaces" (1994)

Id not heard of Delerium before receiving this recommendation, however I had heard the Tiesto remix of their famous "Silence" Trance song. I'm also familiar with Front Line Assembly a Canadian Industrial group who flirted with Metal on their most commercially successful venture "Millennium" released the same year. Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber of the band formed this side project in 1987, a year after FLA, and released a prolific seven full lengths before this release, which is one of three in the year of ninety four. Its a lengthy record of steady moving electronic pieces tinging on ambience and encompassing a eastern, worldly cultural influences, very much reflective of the times.

With an arsenal of synthetic instruments the two line the back bone of these songs with layers of smooth flowing electronics, light and short wanderings of shimmering melodies, a few select sections of composition interwoven to form a dense music current that runs the course of these lengthy tracks. They are steady, smooth, calming and conjure a mellow atmosphere that's slightly juxtaposed to the actual level of instrumental activity. Looping percussive samples and bold, plump baselines hold the repetitions firmly in place, gluing the instruments together as they set the stage.

The magic happens in the forefront, this thick spine of instrumentation goes through the motions, expanding, contracting, coming and going with the flow of the music. Its the airy synths, feminine vocals, soft pianos and lead synths that inspire direction and determine the path the songs take. Some distinct cultural sounds come to this stage, eastern flutes and Gregorian chants sung by monks and choirs give the record an ethnic root that contrasts its electronic and modern persona.

With a firmly nineties electronic sound one can hear all sorts of influences from Trip Hop, to Dub, Trance, Downtempo, House and all between. Its a melting pot of that eras sound and it comes together seamlessly. There's little to criticize, the music is inspired and creates quite the setting for thought and indulgence however its not particularly thrilling. The smooth and easy flow often stagnates in places as the songs strength beyond the seven minute mark with not much more than a repeat of a previous segment. I may return to this one again, It feels like the sort of record you could grow to adore if it were in the background of some game, slowly drilling itself deep into your mind.

Favorite Track: Metaphor
Rating: 6/10