“Vanderson left the comfort zones of ambient Berlin School and purposes a trip to the lands of Boom-Boom, Doo-Doo and Tsitt-Tsitt”
1 Children of Andromeda 11:08 2 Outer Space 8:05 3 Reality 7:19 4 Underwater World 13:46 5 Invisible Contact 8:03 6 Sense 6:34 7 Time Travellers 9:01 MellowJet Records | cdr-va1701 (CD/DDL 64:11) (V.F.) (EDM, IDM & Techno)
A cosmic wave arises from the East. Chirping of birds welcome this cosmic layer filled of comfort and serenity. Quite smoothly, Children of Andromeda begins like these small moments of tenderness which overflowed from the horns of plenty in the time of New Age. A great movement of serenity where even flows these small swash of sequences … But there you have it! Since Vandisphere Vanderson has undertook a Dance, a Techno and even a Trance bend. And if we had forgotten it, it's with tact that Maciej Wierzchowski reminds it to us because Children of Andromeda goes from ambient melodic to a very Berliner movement of the sequencer which is chewed and, eventually disemboweled by flickering sequences sucking of ambiences and by percussions in Techno mode. The movement transits then from Techno to Ambient House with short ambiospherical phases where the sequences flit around like keys without direction in a rhythmic which is always reborn of its ashes. Children of Andromeda is the warning shot of an album which aims to be merciless for the fans of Berlin School who savored the first opuses of the Polish synthesist. Except that we have to throw an ear behind these furious rhythms, because beyond all Vanderson tempts a union between these styles which feed Electronica and Berlin School.
Which is not completely the case of Outer Space and its very Ambient House introduction with a touch of the 80's (Frankie Goes to Hollywood). Slow but filled of a ambiospherical heaviness, this rhythm is encircled by a line of stroboscopic sequences and decorated with a really catchy melody which is thrown by a synth more creative than lobotomized. The 2nd part is more lively, more energetic with thin lines of epileptic sequences which show more quickness. Reality is my first crush in BEYOND TIME STRUCTURE! After an introduction in the kind of sci-fi, the sequences fly lightly with hesitation before forming a slow and heavy aerial rhythm, as I like them, decorated with small jolts and with these small hoops which collide and form a line of jerky sequences. The percussions get fit to the beat and the union between them and the sequencer creates a light movement of gallop that a synth decorates of nice electronic syllables, as those in Outer Space. Delicious from start to end which livens up with more liveliness. Underwater World is in the very Dance style. The intro is always imagined with electronic tones which evaporate in a phase of atmospheres. The lines of sequences are held in suspension, like these spatial squadrons which wait and flutter before diving towards an intergalactic war. They wait for a line of bass which gallop slowly and percussions which hammer a static rhythm with elastic doom-doom. This introductory spiral dives towards a steadier structure and wrapped with an approach of electronic effects which flirt a little with the model psybient. The more Underwater World moves forward and the more we feel this attraction towards a Goa Trance a la Jean-Michel Jarre, Électronica era, with chords which spin in a circular and jolting approach. A little less long and that would have been better! Like with Invisible Contact which is slower, and which is decorated with good solos which flee from the movements of acrobatic spirals. Sensible is in the kind of thing that I like, either a good slow beat with nice harmonies whistled as a walker admiring the landscapes. Certainly, there are Techno and dance effects as well as with robotics percussions and stroboscopic strands.... but that remains a music of electronic dance and that passes better in this little less wild approach. Time Travellers is the least energetic title of the album! It always stays in the kind EDM, but with a slowness which flirts with E-rock.
BEYOND TIME STRUCTURE proposes a new opus of Vanderson which isn't anymore the one I discovered with Visions in 2011. But one has to evolve! No? And on MellowJet Records, and with the complicity of Bernd Scholl, Vanderson's EDM approach is deliciously well structured, mixed and mastered with highlight by all the knowledge of the boss who adores working on these links between EDM and the electronic rock side of Berlin School. It took me some listenings, but I finally succumbed to the charms of some titles.
Sylvain Lupari (June 18th, 2017) ***½**
Available at MellowJet Records