“Seelenwanderer is a fascinating journey around the ambiences of the world with an exquisite music which unifies both of its poles”
1 Nachtstaub Intro 2:44 2 Zwischenspiel I 1:05 3 Tag der Spinnen 5:12 4 Der Gesang der Steine 10:17 5 Schattenspiel 10:30 6 Zwischenspiel II 0:45 7 Tropfsteine 5:48 8 Zwischenspiel III 1:10 9 Der Schwarm 6:40 10 Elysium 2:54 11 Wandernde Seelen 5:44 12 Höhlentraum 5:42 13 Zwischenspiel IV 1:22 14 Folge dem Ruf 4:47
15 Nachtstaub Outro 3:20
(CD-r/DDL 68:05) (V.F.) (Ambient tribal music)
At first sight, the name of Traumkraft will tell you absolutely nothing! But if we look at it closer, we see Wolfgang Barkowski's name (Alien Nature) attached to this project. And when we see Wolfgang Barkowski's name, we know for sure that the project will be highly interesting. SEELENWANDERER (Wandering soul) is the 2nd opus of the duet which also includes the German musician native of Herdecke, Marc Iwaszkiewicz, a spiritual master who specializes in gongs and percussions of the world as well as in esoteric reverberations; 3 main elements which forge the atmospheres and the tribal rhythms of this album. Discreet but how much effective, Wolfgang Barkowski supports this album with a sequencer which mixes skillfully its beats to the various clanic percussions and with some very sibylline effects of synth and of which the gloves of black velvet wrap up the ambiences and the essences of this 2nd collaboration between the latter and Marc Iwaszkiewicz. A first album, Traumzeit, passed under the radars at the end of 2011 and this time the division Luna of the German label SynGate sees that SEELENWANDERER will receive all the attention which it deserves.
A distant buzz gets tie up to our ear lobe, introducing this fascinating inter continents. This line of drones shakes some spasms, creating the first illusion of rhythm in Nachtstaub Intro. A meshing of percussions and pulsations gets graft to this structure ambiosonic which is finely jerky, forging a rhythm as linear as a test of cardiac arrhythmia which will lead us to the very dark and glaucous ambient passage of Zwischenspiel I. It's Tag der Spinnen which will seduce in very first our ears. On very restful layers of violins and the ambient airs of a very ethereal flute, the music pounds delicately with percussions of any kinds and a line of bass sequences which makes roll its palpitations in perfect anesthetizing cycles. And if we are not convinced yet of what we have between ears, Der Gesang der Steine shows it to us for good with a long ambiospherical structure where drones, flutes, percussions and effects weave these clanic sound panoramas that Steve Roach developed in his famous Dreamtime Return phase.
SEELENWANDERER unveils its ambient tribal music with some very blazing effects of reverberations which glitters of the music of the five, or seven it's according to, continents. In a long fresco of 68 minutes, where every title is very solidly connected from each other, the duet visits the rhythms and the ambiences of India with Schattenspiel and its notes of Sitar blocked in the turbulence of winds and percussions, of Asia with the quiet Tropfsteine and its beautiful fluty lullaby, of the peoples of Australia with the much ambient Der Schwarm which also suggests a beautiful electronic Berlin mood approach, as well as the landscapes of ices from the deserts of coldness with Folge dem Ruf and its very acute effects of reverberations. Between these phases, SEELENWANDERER proposes some nice moments of meditative serenity, like the Zwischenspiel saga, and also offers us a superb ambiospheric and ambiosonic passage with nice titles like Elysium, Wandernde Seelen, Höhlentraum and Zwischenspiel IV which lead us to the finale where Nachtstaub Outro loops the loop with an end which refuses to die.
Traumkraft signs here a very beautiful album. An album which depicts in all correctness the meaning of its title where we imagine easily a hermit doing a road trip around the world in music. Here, the ambient music and the music of ambiences unify borders in a very beautiful mosaic of tribal elements brought together from the 4 corners of the globe. Marc Iwaszkiewicz is rather impressive in the choice of his percussions and in the inspirations coming from his reverberations. But we should not forget Wolfgang Barkowski's inspiring play which adds a very beautiful depth at the level of the intrusive rhythms and ambiences which take at times a tint of unrealism. A very beautiful album which actually has to receive all the attention which it deserves.
Sylvain Lupari (July 30th, 2016) ****¼*
Disponible au SynGate Bandcamp