|
Modern times are not conducive to delicacy, so Markus Reuter's Monde trilogy may seem an indulgence - too luxurious and attuned to the long-view of life to have much of a message. Yet, past its overt calm we may feel something urgent running beneath this music's smooth surface. Each one of the three disc set's 27 tracks feels newborn, yet somehow ghosts beckon from every piece. On the Monde trilogy Reuter reclaims those silvery strands from the neglect of New Age and Ambient Music, and weaves them into an atmosphere so sensuous that we may easily lose ourselves within, but of such potency that we may just as easily find our self once inside. The sedated, softly sonorous string sounds, derive their sonic bloom from a learned balance of intuition and restraint - which Reuter commands after decades of studio experimentation and concert execution. His realizations were made in real-time performances with an electric guitar, and the associated processing effects, under quiet listening conditions. In touch with streams of creativity powering his mind, by way of the currents of electricity running through his guitar, Reuter's compositions are honed, but not overworked. He has designed a gorgeous palette of textures and tones, arranged in pastoral consonance - which makes for our constantly renewed aural interest. From a single point of charged spark, to an expanse of the ether, this music shines in the brilliance of its imaginative scope. Aligning with the values of good Spacemusic it bestows a mental state that runs counter to that of the world outside. So long as we remain open to the seduction of Monde's understated drama and beautiful natural sound, may we enter its eerie darkness, to return later... up through reassuring light.
- Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END 18 July 2019 |
