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With the release of No Beats for 1 Hour (59'58") Spyra establishes himself as one of the most versatile musicians on the Electronic Music scene. Already highly regarded among the sequencer Spacemusic crowd by way of his SeQuest and Future of the Past CDs he has demonstrated an equal command of the IDM vocabulary through a series of solo and collaborative releases for the Fax label. With his album Octane 91 Spyra shows that he rules the synth-rock domain as well. So on No Beats for 1 Hour his public may be very impressed as Spyra delves into even lower levels of energy than those found on his album of cosmic music Meditationen. No Beats for 1 Hour lives up to its title as there are no overt rhythms or beats present throughout its duration. This means that Spyra boldly relies on other more abstract concepts to further his musical ideas. Occasionally presenting pieces aligned with the avant-garde and experimental, this work seems to feel its way out into various quadrants of the cosmos rather than just creating and then filling up a static space. Spyra succeeds in creating a sustained atmosphere, but in a true dream-like manner - as the mood is constantly changing shade. No Beats for 1 Hour features many of Spyra's signature stylings such as lush synthesized strings, resonant bowed metal and dramatic harmonic shifts. But with its distant voices, ticking clocks, clarinet solo, strange modulations and unique transitions between movements, No Beats for 1 Hour also seems nearing the surreal - yet in spite of these strange forms and tilted planes it never falls into incoherence. Spyra provides a wealth of dramatic potency and musical color along the arc of this intriguing musical journey. Expanding in all directions yet still possessing a cerebral inwardness the weight of this music will rouse its listeners - enough to become aware of themselves.
- Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END 23 December 2010 |
