Robert Rich
(Music from) Atlas Dei
Soundscape Productions
(In its entirety, Atlas Dei is a DVD from Robert Rich. I saw the video at the Gathering’s 30th Anniversary Concert and it blew me away. I could never hope to do it justice with my words. I have reviewed videos in the past but it is not my forte. Thus, I stick to reviewing music.)
(Music from) Atlas Dei is exactly what the title states – the music from the video. Robert Rich created five new pieces and reworked, edited and/or added to eight older pieces to create this masterpiece of electronic minimalism. Heralded as one of ambient music’s ultimate artists, Robert’s music continues to transcend the genre. In short, he has very few peers. (He is also a very humble man – sure to be somewhat embarrassed by these praises.)
The music flows smoothly from the speakers and surrounds the listening area with deep hues and vivid auras. The glurp drips down, up, sideways and inside out. It swims around the biosonic feedback device and settles into its own space.
This music loses nothing outside its original context. It is expansive organic ambience that begs for focused listening and meditation. While there are definite dark elements and deep drones, this is mostly ambiguous in its characterization. The listeners’ states of mind and states of being determine the paths and destinations. There are several journeys to take and each journey has several journeys within. It is an endless cycle of depth and subtlety.
This is Robert at his best! The music comes from his heart and his soul but is for his listeners. This is an amazing experience from an amazing man!
Robert Rich
Illumination
Soundscape Productions
Robert Rich created this music as the soundtrack for Michael Somoroff’s Illumination, a visual installation artwork. Not having seen the installation it is still difficult to imagine that the music loses anything outside its original domain. Like all of Robert’s music, it has depth, character, personality and integrity.
This is an experience in contrasts as Robert combines elements of dark ambience with passages of bright minimalism. The juxtapositions work well as the organic soundscapes envelop the environment and subdue listeners. This music has no innocuousness so it is too interesting to ignore. At the same time it is the perfect background as it becomes the environment. The remaining senses take a backseat as the atmospheres wash over the listening area.
The journeys are, again, limited only by the conscious and subconscious states of the listeners. While these trips might adopt the attitudes of the music, they still belong to the listeners.
Robert continues to push the envelope and continues to create astonishing sounds. This CD is absolutely essential. It is another masterpiece from a master.
Nelson Foltz and Tom Lynn
Still Life, Volume 2
Still Life
Nelson Foltz and Tom Lynn have created “a series of recordings (in) response to the extreme pace of modern life.” Their goal in creating Still Life was to remove the demands of ego, thus allowing the music to develop without an agenda. Indeed, the lack of an agenda gives this recording integrity, life and vision – each stronger than any agenda could provide.
This CD is definitely a labor of love. While Tom and Nelson used some traditional instruments – Tibetan bowls, trombone, douduk, bass clarinet, kalimba and udu – they also used poster tubes, wine glasses, a bath tub half full of water, a clock, a dripping faucet and several “household objects” in their sound design. They used no electronic instruments but they have processed the sounds and samples quite extensively.
This CD is one long-form (52”) composition that has its own definitive pattern. (It has no agenda.) Tom and Nelson allow the piece to morph along its own path as it builds from spars