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On Slide (56'21"), Ian Boddy transforms raw energy and experimentation into nine sharp, shifting songs. Whirling dervishly or hovering as space creating sound-images, his compositions posses an eerie beauty. With each release he presents new features in an already amazing vocabulary. Utilizing the unique attributes of an innovative keyboard controller, and his natural gifts as a melodist, Boddy's passionate synth leads slide between notes - and compare well with (yet remain distinct from) the glissando of steel guitar, a musical saw blade being bowed, or the clear voice and emotive vibrato capable of a theremin. This new toy allows Boddy to take his playing into areas barely imagined beyond the expressive use of the portamento and vibrato mods on a classic synthesizer - and is prominent against the backdrop of sequencer runs and drum loops. Ian Boddy has always had a knack for concision and song structure. With rhythmic finesse he moves confidently. Whether an untamed torrent of electronic grooves and weighty keyboard solos, or curious atmospherics meant to externalize the intimate, at the heart of this moving sound tapestry is the unknown and mysterious. Each work on Slide is a piece of art in motion.
- Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END 27 November 2008 |
