Dean De Benedictis - “Salvaging The Present” CD

Inventive surrealist sound

Veteran composer De Benedictis has been around for some time, and “Salvaging The Present” is a unique melding of elements from various musical streams, gelled into an immersive and uniquely inventive and personal mix that would easily function as a soundtrack to a playful surrealist film.

Opening with the curious “To The Ends Of Elation”, which joins elements of prog-rock with immersive ambiance, De Benedictis brings together unusual and often disparate elements into his hallucinogenic sound stew. “Micro Souls Anthem” has a similarly upbeat and lively vibe with nicely deep mixing. “Pagoda Tiempo” uses a sampled and effected slice of dramatic orchestral strings before drifting into a more celestial ambience. Just beautiful and so very effective. “Never The Sacred Stretch” could easily function as an electronic soundtrack to a surreal interpretation of “Alice In Wonderland”. “The Purity Of Season 279E” brings to mind a rolling Western desert landscape, somehow, whereas “Whisper County” is a gentle reverberation from times past, as remembered from a wooden porch and a rocking chair. “Regret In G (The Sky Remembers)” closes it out with a drifty, almost shoegazey haze. 

De Benedictis isn’t afraid to cross genre boundaries, and calling this an “ambient” album is a disservice. Aspects are there, but “Salvaging The Present” is a modern electronic music journey that doesn’t have limits or boundaries. It’s a journey that I’ll want to make again.

Spotted Peccary Music

De Benedictis site

Paul Ellis - “Moth In Flames” CD

Light sequencer meanderings

Vancouver, Washington-based veteran ambient electronic composer Ellis’s 2015 release begins with the deceptively-titled “In Flagrante Delicto”, a light and airy ambient sequencer tune whose casual and decidedly non-threatening tones have nothing to do with any sort of offense, the least of which being sexual, as that title implies! Not sure if Ellis is being ironic here, but it’s a pleasant track, nonetheless. “Moth In Flames” is another casual and gauzy analogue synth exercise, as is the almost synth poppy “Birds Migrating Over The Prison”.

Ellis admittedly pays homage to the classical Berlin sequencer sound founded by folks like Tangerine Dream, Edgar Froese, and Klaus Schulze, and that vibe permeates his work on “Moth In Flames”. He brings a well-defined melodic slant to his spacey, drifty electronics, oftentimes bringing a blippy, retro kinda vibe that recalls the eighties synth pop heyday.

I find “Moth In Flames” to be a pleasant, if rather forgettable work of analogue ambient synth work, not adding a whole lot to the stew, but not offending, either.

Spotted Peccary

PEllis Bandcamp

Shane Morris & Mystified - “Evolution” CD

Evocative modern primitive soundscapes!

The third piece in a trilogy, this 5-track, 60-minute album charts organic life as it, well, evolves from the primordial stew into complex life forms. Using predominantly electronic instruments, Morris and Mystified (aka Thomas Park) craft sounds that evoke the imagined “proto-music” of primitive man. Basic percussion, tribal drums, minimal scratchings, gongs, and the sounds of the natural world all around are here, haunting, mysterious, and somehow alluring.

The “music”, or perhaps more appropriately ambient sound, on “Evolution” is subtle and quiet, but never static. The elements of mood and texture are all present, and even semblances of near-melody. But don’t expect a wistful set of cheery background sounds. This is a heady, rich, and immersive sound-stew that conjures vivid mental imagery, like a gradually-moving cinematic experience.

“Fire Gathering” is a dark night-time ritual — lighting torches in a ravine with the ocean breeze wafting along the treeline. “Growing Into New Territory” combines light percussion with the sounds of water running, and deep drones — like a tentative visit into an undiscovered cavern under a clear, starry night. It’s lovely music really, with a swell of wonder and a tingle of darkness. 

“Evolution” is a wonderfully rich and subtle (yet heady) work of electronic ambient sound sculpture. It’s a spacious travelogue to times long since forgotten. Fully recommended.

Spotted Peccary Music

Shane Morris site

Mystified site

DeeperNet - “Impossible Landscape” CD

Superb electro grooves

Portlander Andrew Miles’ second album as DeeperNet continues the deep and dark electro grooves of his fine debut of a couple of years ago. Opening with the exotic “Aether” (which could almost be a trippy Coil outtake, and that is high praise), the album then pursues a more dubby trance groove with the pulsing “Fractal Dimension”.4

The rest of the album is a diverse set of quality electronic sounds, from the melodic “Fluid In Blue” (featuring the ethereal vocals of Zefora) to the upbeat synthpop of “Illuminated By Ultraviolet”. Other standouts include the percussive yet tender “Falling Through” (again featuring the soft vocals of Zefora) and the 10-minute finale, “Quantum Teleportation”, which flows in an astral trajectory with deep near-goa beats. A fine and more than enjoyable album by an artist who knows few boundaries.

Spotted Peccary Music

DeeperNetbook

DeeperNET - "One" CD

Top-shelf electronica

Portland, Oregon-based sound designer Andrew Miles here presents his debut release, as DeeperNET, and it's a well-done mix of trance techno and ambient electronica. Opening with the 9-minute deep goa pulses of "Elementary Particles", the psy-trance elements of "Mind At Large" even harbor some industrial elements alongside the steady 4/4 beats and celestial sequences.

"The Eagle Has Landed" is a nearly 9-minute techno-goa beast, while "Tiny Paper Squares" is another insistent rhythmic pulse, with percolating analogue sequences and intricate programming. "Moksha" opens with a lovely deep-space ambiance, and "Neptune" is darkened black light electro that would fit perfectly well on a club floor sandwiched between Front Line Assembly and some hypnotic trance thumper.

"One" is a perfectly realized album of extended deep club cuts that don't approach any outward commerciality, thankfully. Miles' powerful and clean electro-trance is dark, edgy, and more than enjoyable to these (usually) jaded ears.

Spotted Peccary

DeeperNETbook

Darshan Ambient - "Little Things" CD

Sweet and swirly ambience from a master

Prolific composer Michael Allison here presents his 17th album (and 7th overall for the impeccable Lotuspike label), and it's a lovely set of 12 ambient tracks with a decidedly melodic and rhythmic imprint. 

"The Mystery Of Sleep", for example, uses a lilting mix of swirly, dreamlike voices and strings alongside floating percussion and piano. In fact, fans of so-called shoegaze will find much of this album quite enjoyable, as it does manage a similar foggy, gauzy sweetness. "Shadow Country" unearths a bit of mystery, and even hints at a vaguely Southwestern-meets-Middle-Eastern vibe. "Soft Portrait" is a plaintive and gentle piano-based study, while "Slow Drum" is a gradually-building proto-rock entry.

Allison is a master of moody and emotive ambience, and "Little Things" highlights his approach to warm and inviting, and ultimately human electronic music. Superlative!

Darshan Ambient site

Lotuspike/Spotted Peccary

Darshan Ambient - "Falling Light" CD

Veteran composer Michael Allison has been a staple of the ambient/electronic scene for many years, and "Falling Light" shows him moving ever closer to well-structured songs, rather than simply mood pieces. The title track opens this 12-song, 60-minute journey, and it's an upbeat, even rhythmic bit of light and airy ambient pop. "Small Blue Ones" brings some trumpet and mystery, all the while remaining optimistic. "A Boat Beneath A Sunny Day" sums it up well, another magical and wondrous journey with lovely swells of guitar, synth bass, and piano. "Clothed In Wakefulness" could be a lullaby of sorts, while "The Immense Window" is a drowsy, gorgeously fleeting moment that lasts 7 minutes, complete with choral voices and piano.

"Falling Light" is an album of proto-ambient pop songs, and this set of mature instrumental tunes do well to illustrate that times of hope and positivity need not be sappy nor saccharine. Well-done.

Lotuspike

Darshan Ambient

Craig Padilla and Zero Ohms - "When The Earth Is Far Away" CD

The third collaboration by these ambient masters goes into uncharted sonic spatial realms, mapping out new terrain beyond the cosmos. 

With 6 tracks of opulent, rhythm-less bliss, "When The Earth Is Far Away" is a relaxing and wonderful soundtrack, full of shimmering celestial harmonies and amorphous sound. "Timelessness", at nearly 17 minutes, is a prime example of the gorgeous atmospherics that Padilla and Zero Ohms focus on. The lovely and flute-laden "Blue Distance" is pure ambience, almost receding it's so subtle. Other tracks echo this direction. A beautiful album here, ideal for drifting off to.

(Lotuspike)

Craig Padilla site

Zero Ohmsbook

Northcore - "Desatero" CD

The premiere full-length from this UK-based duo opens with the atmospheric and mysterious "Looking Glass", which combines a whimsical electronic melody with the sparse spoken words of members Jana Tillotson and Carl Gibbons. From there, the upbeat prog-synth "Jupiter" recalls the German sequencer melodies of Tangerine Dream. "Nocturne" uses Middle Eastern vocals to good effect alongside dubby electro textures. "Green Fridge" is icy ambient electronica ala Biosphere before erupting into a clubby techno beast, while the closer, "Min Ros" is a traditional Swedish song with lovely vocals by Maja Eriksson and a misty ambient backdrop.

"Desatero" isn't an ambient album, nor is it a techno album. It does, however, mix up those styles with elements of ethnic music, classic sequencer sounds, and plenty of unusual found sources. It's a stylishly confounding and surprising mix that works well. (Spotted Peccary)

Northcore site

Craig Padilla - "The Heart Of The Soul" CD

Idaho-based electronic musician Padilla has been a prolific member of the ambient community for some time, and this solo album is one of understated beauty. These sensitive and melodic analogue instrumentals are delicately infused with piano, strings and percolating electronic sequences, and the effect is one of warmth and passion. Expect no ominous or dark-tinged vibes here, as Padilla is definitely going for another angle. The title track, for example, is lovely and elegant, based around a circular piano melody. "Lost In You" summons a rolling drum rhythm to accompany the piano and electronics. The expansive 13-minute "Midnight Encounter" is more mysterious and ambient, while the closer, "Divine Embrace", brings it all back down to Earth with a cloud of gauzy strings and guitar. "The Heart Of The Soul" is a gorgeous and tender album of lilting melody and fragile soundscaping. Quite enjoyable! (Spotted Peccary Music) Craig Padilla site

Darshan Ambient - "Dream In Blue" CD

An ambient electronic homage to Miles Davis and John Coltrane, "Dream In Blue" cruises along with spacious jazz-based grooves, hinting at the exotic Indian and African notes of these masters. Still, this falls more on the 'ambient' side, rather than 'jazz', per se. Darshan Ambient's Michael Allison evokes similar moods to his heroes, while retaining his own identity. Lovely and recommended. (Lotuspike)

Darshan Ambient website

Justin Vanderberg - "Synthetic Memories" CD

Composer Vanderberg's second album is a delightful and wistful collection of deep ambient electronic sounds that gently ebb and flow in a relaxing manner. It's an ambient album with depth and clarity, combining the best of modern electronics with a timeless, Eno-esque quality that works equally as well as background listening or immersive contemplation.

"When I Walk" is a droning, meditational piece with celestial inclinations, while the title track brings a gorgeous collage of serene strings alongside percolating sequencers, like classic Vidna Obmana meeting Vangelis somehow. This is a standout, being simultaneously majestic and mysterious. "The Path" ushers in a heavy rolling rhythm of an almost trip-hop or industrial nature, which works well alongside the crystalline strings."Dusk" shows a hint of darkness around the edges, but remains true to the album's gentle overall vibe. "Synthetic Memories" is a superb work from a composer I'll be curious to hear more from. (Spotted Peccary)

Vanderbergspace