| Various Artists Album: Cryosphere Released: June 2006 |  |
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If it were not know that Cryosphere (79'23") was an anthology of various artists, one would think that its tracks were all by the same musician. So sharp is the focus on the premise upon which this CD is based, the nine artists involved seem as one in their aural portrayal of penetratingly cold boreal lands. The music here is sometimes as harsh as the tundral climate which inspired it, yet equally wondrous in its vast and slowly changing, minimalist landscape. Works by Lightwave, Tuu, Oophoi, Netherworld and five others comprise this disc. Their hybrid electronic realizations swirl and shift in a timbral restlessness and draws upon imagery of arctic desolation, the capabilities of music technology, and sonic invention. Dark drones, slowly moving pads, strange modulations, an evolving tonal ambiguity, and the constant morphing of one sound into another provide Cryosphere with an icy calm and achieves a superior level of stylistic innovation. The music is quietly epic while exquisitely bleak, and crafts a fascinating and integrated sound picture.
- Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END 22 November 2006 | |
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