“Another amazing surprise from DiN which offers 60 minutes of soundscapes flirting with all the fragrances of the wonderful realm of EM”
1 Bardo Waves 6:42 2 Vessels 7:34 3 Helix 5:18 4 Crystalline Forms 6:22 5 Subterranea 5:18 6 Dawn Ascent 7:17 7 Tranquility Gate 7:53 8 Resonating Heart 5:42 9 Underground Lakes 6:10 DiN 57
(CD/DDL 58:34) (V.F.) (Berlin School Psybient)
Always on the lookout for new talent that shakes the foundations of a sometimes too quiet EM, the DiN label excels in the art of pulling a rabbit out of its many hat! Either with a finely tuned or totally daring compilation or yet by the discovery of a prolific artist hidden in his studios, the boundaries of DiN flirt with the unimaginable. And sometimes it gives very nice discoveries, like this splendid The Secret Society by Lyonel Bauchet or the suave Music by Mirrors from Mazmoneth. And this time, Ian Boddy introduces us to the world of Bluetech that we discovered on the brilliant compilation Elements and Particles and whose piece Magnetic Lullaby has make vibrated the sensitive strings of my senses. Evan Bartholomew has a good track record with several Psybient-style albums and musical productions for video games and other audio-visual platforms that make him a busy artist who doesn't hesitate a second to get out of his comfort zone. A true master in the music industry created and played with Modular synths, Bluetech offers in LIQUID GEOMETRIES a magical album for sound lovers and to those who are always in a quest of a daring EM very enjoyable to listen.
From the first breath of Bardo Waves, we feel that our ears enter a universe that we know but which is slightly tinted with variances and differences. This breath and the orchestral waves rise in intensity and once the threshold is reached, the fluid movement of the sequencer structure a gentle rhythm where are grafted more noisy shadows. The decor is made of cosmic tweets and of sound texts battling on this structure which goes out momentarily in order to comeback with a greater sonic strength. The mesh of rhythm and ambiences projects impulses until reaching its level of accentuation, while the sequencer feeds our imagination with its analog texture which flirts with the hypnotic rhythms of Klaus Schulze, era Body Love. Vessels also offers a delicate rhythmic approach that progresses stealthily in a blizzard of tones in suspension. The sequences jump in a mirror effect, amplifying a structure that remains motionless. Percussive effects swirl around and effects of big industrial waash are whipping its quiet motion. Here again, the sound texture which envelops the rhythm is perfumed of the great analog years. This analog heat gives a lot of relief to the 9 structures of LIQUID GEOMETRIES, even the most ambient ones. And it's even more delicious in Helix reminiscent of Tomita's best with this fluffy dance that twirls around another rhythmic structure. Crystalline Forms is a little gem! Following the same approach as Helix, the music is perched on a bed of sequences that swarm like violin bows tickling an oscillating waves bank. These melodic spasms shiver like a Morse code dialogue in a sphere where cosmic and oceanic waves weave a fascinating surreal landscape. After a Subterranea frozen in its ocher laments, Dawn Ascent proposes a soft rhythm which wanders in the spheres of Moondawn. The sequencer traces its hypnotic rhythmic valley form with warm sequences that wave like balls of silk on an emerald bed while murmurs and sharp streaks come out from a thick tonal fog. There is more! Fascinating gurgles and percussions resonating like clogs on cement stick to the addictive rhythm of Dawn Ascent and guide it to a second part that ties us up to our headphones with a sound fauna teeming of percussive tones, like in a superb psybient. I believe that it's the pinnacle of the many strong moments of LIQUID GEOMETRIES which plunges even more into a world of psybient without rhythms with Tranquility Gate. Obviously, we are far from tranquility here! Just as with Resonating Heart and its wall of ambiances, made in the bricks of Steve Roach, which encloses and keep silent a rhythmic approach done in a nervous and stormy sequencer. Underground Lakes ends this first Bluetech album on the DiN label with these ambient elements of the American synthesist which wrap a quiet movement structured on layers of breezes as obscure as those which ooze from the walls of a cave.
Offered in manufactured CD and in a downloadable format, LIQUID GEOMETRIES offers 60 minutes of beautiful soundscapes which flirt with all the fragrances of the wonderful realm of EM. The hive of Bluetech is made of sonic honey as sparkling for the ears than tasty for those who demand a vast soundscape which has no boundaries, but which remains nevertheless in a very seductive melodic niche. There are no weaknesses in this album which extends its addictive power listening after listening.
Sylvain Lupari (November 5th, 2018) ****½*
Available at DiN Bandcamp