“Indra, a new name that will please any fan of Berlin School and progressive EM”
1 Pole Shift 12:57
2 Great Ancient Gods are Coming 11:30
3 In Search for a New Land 20:46
4 Sinai (original edit) 14:59
5 Magic Circle 12:43
(CD-R/DDL 72:55) (V.F.)
(Berlin School)
When you will look at the front cover of THE CALL OF SHIVA Vol. 1, don't be fooled by this image with a vision of Indian spirituality. Far from being inspired by any Hindu religion, THE CALL OF SHIVA Vol. 1 is a powerful CD with random and complex movements in an overexcited atmosphere. It's one of the good albums that respects the essence of Berlin School, to the furthest of its imaginary borders, that I have heard in a very long time. A timeless journey with the sounds of today that few artists are able to make us relive. Indra persists and signs here another monument of EM. Not really an emerging artist since his music is heard in Romania from the early 90's. It's however since his Echo in Time in 1998 that his music starts to cross out its borders. Since then, this friendly Roumanian synthesist starts to get us used to his little masterpieces.
Pole Shift starts with a line of chiming sequences that flutter gracefully and voluptuously on a spiral movement that gently rises and falls. Clapping, the percussions maintain a nervous pace that subtly changes its course on limpid arpeggios that stand out from the sequenced movement. A good Berlin School with all its nobility on a rhythm which skids to transit towards a vaporous atmosphere, in order to refill its forces and leave with more luminosity. On a cosmic sea enticed by astral mermaids, Great Ancient Gods Are Coming floats on a soft atmospheric movement. The synth cradles its orchestral blades with depth and serenity, while a good sequencer emerges and stirs the swirling tide as it folds into its grooves. In Search for a New Land's intro merges a moderate Polar Shift-like sequence with the steamy quest of Great Ancient Gods Are Coming. A perfect combination that shows the subtlety of Indra's genres. The movement progresses on a discreet mellotron breath until the 9th minute when a short atmospheric pause brings the movement back to square one. It's on intense rolls of percussions and a rhythm of genre Groove and Jazz that the title starts again. Still under the yoke of the Romanian genius, we hear the sequence swap again to become more suave and resume its initial movement with more bite. An excellent track where Indra shows us his ability to move on complex rhythms with limpidity and ease. Sinai starts with a wild sequenced pulse. An unbridled rhythm which is fed by superb metallic sound effects and a synth with Arabian fragrances blowing tortuous solos. Indra plays with the rhythms and develops industrial ambiences on a sound texture with ornaments of a very conservative Middle East. A powerful track that surprises by the spontaneity of the rhythms and mystifies by its exotic beauty. We barely recover from this overexcited sequence when Magic Circle surrounds us with an equally powerful sequenced aura. Nervous, a line of bass sequences snakes a movement playing with its modulations as flexible and unpredictable as a roller coaster. Sometimes frenetic and sometimes moderate, the rhythmic lines intertwine to end in a trance-like anthem. An excellent track to end a hard-hitting THE CALL OF SHIVA Vol. 1 that will please any fan of EM, both Berlin School and progressive.
Sylvain Lupari (October 3rd, 2006) *****
Available at Indra Bandcamp