The Oratory Of Divine Love - "Meditatio" CD

An alias of prolific sound-architect John D. Gore, this new project is a single 51-minute track of subtle, reverberated sound. It all begins as a dark and spacious machine drone (or is it a collage of natural environmental recordings?), echoing infinitely in all directions. 'Meditatio', from the onset, seems almost too dark to be meditational music, as the sound-leviathan here is massive and all-encompassing, leaving little room for any light to shine through. However, over the course of this long piece, the sound manages to open itself up to a more open, and dare I say, even spiritual vibe. Here, the piece evolves into a chorus of what seems to be effected voice-sounds and crystalline tones -- a transformational journey, unquestionably. As the oppression is lifted, an almost joyous feeling permeates the recording. Whether or not this is the intended outlook, I don't know, but it works. Kudos to Gore, as this is a straight DAT recording with no overdubs -- he successfully creates a journey that, with some patience, is handsomely rewarded. (Diophantine Discs)

JDG - "Living Underground" CD

When he's not releasing fine experimental sounds via his own indie label Cohort Records, John D. Gore creates his own. 'Living Underground' is a collection of 'manipulated field recordings', and this proves to be a fairly oppressive and gray set of textures. The opening cut reminds me of the sounds of machination and automation - like a subway tunnel mixed into oblivion. It's like a strange kind of dirty static. And with the album's title, it's not hard to believe that these recordings did originate from a subway tunnel. The lengthy second cut is more ambient, and brings a sort of drone underneath the distant rumble. Track 3 is more of a shrill drone/noise - the higher pitch seems to signify faster motion, perhaps. I can almost feel the ground move from the force of the trains, somehow. This ends up with a collage of sirens, which only enhances the stressful environment of 'Living Underground'. Overall, a fine set of urban soundscapes - definitely not a relaxing listen, but more one of kinetic energy and big-city unease. Industrial ambience, indeed! (Cohort Records)