AIRSCULPTURE: Travelling Light (2018)

“Travelling Light must be the best of both worlds of the Berlin and the England School, which meet here in an impressive and rather explosive EM cocktail”

1 Travelling Light 59:32 2 Convoi Exceptionel 13:10 Airsculpture Music

(CD/DDL 77:42) (V.F.) (Berlin & England School)

Recorded at the E-Day 2015 festival in Oirschot, the Netherlands,

TRAVELLING LIGHT takes us back to the intricate structures which have made up the essence of Graveyard Shift. Either be with a long track of almost an hour where Adrian Beasley, John Christian and Peter Ruczynski develop an electronic music always faithful to the signature of Airsculpture.

An introduction of atmospheres where we float with Mellotron nebulous pads and lot of chthonic voices. Beyond these sound shadows rises a synth song whose nasal tone imitates that of a saxophone with tenderly moving solos. A thin line of distortions opens an avenue for beautiful pads of an old organ around the 10 minutes. The processional movement becomes more austere for a short moment, the time that the sequencer gets out of its silence to structure the first rhythmic phase of Traveling Light. Under white noises, radioactive effects and ectoplasmic chants, the structure of the sequencer extends a good rhythmic bipolarity which reaches a vertiginous peak rather quickly. The movement is frenzied with tones of both wooden and metallic balls twirling on a conveyor manhandled by mechanical spasms. Fog patches spread the usual mysticism effects at the Berlin School as synth lines bicker a tonal intensity with the distortions of a guitar. The rhythmic structure continues its spasmodic phase with sequencers as frenetic as a dozen hands beating tense skins without rhythmic cohesion, while the scenery is composed of synth lines which twirl and twirl in banks of mechanized fog. Breathless, the beats reach an exhausted point in these benches around the 32nd minute, establishing the first ambiospherical phase, I'm not talking the introduction, in Traveling Light. Misty and fluttered tunes pass through this 5-minute passage where another rhythmic structure gets to try building a new life. Less explosive and nevertheless persistent, this 2nd phase emerges more vividly around the 45th minute with clear sequences which leap like Bambi's feet on a frozen pond. Always woven tight, the ambiences evaporate when sequences filled of organic radiations give an unexpected heaviness to a final that justifies its length by the addition of good solos, guitars and synths, but also with a sequencer on the edge of exploding so much its roars vibrate of distortions. This is some good Airsculpture that won't disappoint their fans.

Convoi Exceptionel is an excellent title that is more easy to taste in its shortened envelope. From the opening, a pulsating rhythm is densely covered by clouds of shadowy synth and by sinusoidal waves. Distorted keys bursting with ectoplasmic tones get in this dance for one-legged people on steroids that decorative elements unique to the universe of EM cover in a shroud of sonic oddities. Synth solos pierce this soundscape and fly over a rhythmic structure which crumbles under the weight of its elements. And if the rhythm reaches a harmonic fluidity, some keys remain shadowed by distortions until Convoi Exceptionel reaches a saturation point around 6 minutes. A phase where a more conventional movement of the sequencer makes its keys palpitate in an analog heat and where Convoi Exceptionel flies to a solid Berliner electronic rock filled by chthonic humming and by sequences which jump so strongly, even with shadows of white noises clinging to their palpitations, in order to crash in a rock final such as a Deep Purple without Ritchie Blackmore nor Ian Paice.

TRAVELLING LIGHT is another solid opus from Airsculpture. It's a big electronic rock where the rare moments of atmospheres are hardly quieting down neurons excited by these rhythmic designs always elusive. And these tones eroded by white noises and by distortions bring the convoluted rhythms of the English trio to levels comparable to the best of both worlds of the Berlin and the England School, which meet here in an impressive and rather explosive cocktail of these 78 minutes of TRAVELLING LIGHT.

Sylvain Lupari (July 3rd, 2018) ***** SynthSequences.com Available at Airsculpture Bandcamp