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Each time Craig Padilla tends to the ingenious spark within, it grows stronger, setting afire the gifts of his imagination. The more dedicated he is to the process, the better the release, and the greater his contribution to the world. With an indefinable electric quality that sets his solo music apart for his many collaborations, Padilla's Discovery of Meaning (71'38") confers with the spirit to reveal an inner essential light. This is a work difficult to abandon to the background. Sounds flare, then submerge us in shadow. Glowing with a private ineffable fire Padilla plays from the heart. When vibrant and variable textures give way to the tumble and spin of sequencer patterns, the continuous unraveling revels in a high energy excitement. It is here that a gift for melody is highlighted. A kind of narration, the direction of his soloing is always forward - into the future. From the sculpted and soft to the ambiguously toned, Discovery of Meaning at times uses negative space to delineate form - which puts the listener on intimate terms with the present moment. An ethereal human harmony gently undulates and hangs in the air - bringing a beautiful animation to an otherwise Electronic Music. After otherworldly female vocalise is heard sustaining in the soundspace, one of the voices speaks a spell of circularity - how the before and after may not always bracket the now. It feels so good to experience the sonic reality of this album. While most musical ventures cater to the largest, widest possible commercial market, this one aspires to reach, not wide, but deep - to the most essential part of the person. We can think about this music as much as we want, but while it is moving through the air we must feel it - as it reaches the ear, and so permeates the mind. It supposes that the mind is still big, that thoughts are still vast - and offers no option to think small. It is meant for the world, not as it is, but as it should be. After a proper listen to Discovery of Meaning, it will be hard not to hear its strange magic everywhere.
- Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END 10 February 2022 |
