Uwe Reckzeh Altitude 30000 CDR / 5 Tracks / 64.08 mins Play Sample:   56K Dialup   Broadband Download Sample:   500K   1.5Mb (Excerpt from track(s) 'Altitude 30000') Please go to the Store to buy this item.

The striking thing about the opening title track is the gorgeous melody, very reminiscent of 'Stratosfear' (thus the title I presume) that shines out from the very first second. A driving rhythm picks up the pace, the lead morphing beautifully. A second lead line joins it as yet more drums enter, increasing the excitement still further. An excellent start. 'GOES-12' is a satellite I believe, so the rather cosmic start is to be expected. A slow sequence starts up then a second more urgent one comes to join it. Things rapidly become quite forceful with a little melody bouncing amongst all the pulsations. These morph beautifully from one pattern to the next but without ever lifting the foot from the accelerator. Indeed if anything things become even more intense. Mellotron joins the fray just before the half way mark. By the eighth minute however we have returned to the cosmos, a plucked string melody providing just a little peaceful detail before the engines are kicked into life, drum flourishes and a little looped melody hitting the spot perfectly. We finish with more plucked strings and soothing sounds, this time with a faintly Eastern feel. Looped rhythms provide a wonderfully infectious start to 'Tropical Cyclone' but the hooks get even better as a sublime lead line floats over the top, other tinkling melodies providing exquisite support. A rumbling bass line shakes the floor, the track now reaching every strata of the sonic spectrum. The closest comparison I can come up with is 'Le Parc' period TD. A stupendous track. Multiple sequences weave around each other for 'Category 5' as we now enter something akin to 'White Eagle' territory. 'Landfall' initially quietens things down again as soothing whooshes and subtle touches drift through the ether. Then, all of a sudden, a wonderful sequence enters. I thought things were really going to take off but instead we settle into a steady mid tempo chugging pattern. The first sequence departs; another enters, only for the first to make a reappearance as they pulse around each other. Sequences still abound on 'List III - Katia', indeed it features some of the finest over the whole album. It's all quite complex but also mesmerizing. I found it best just to lie back with my eyes closed and let it all flood through my head. Even though the notes descend at quite a rate there is also a subtlety here, especially in the melody department that gives it a stamp of quality. An excellent way to finish yet another winner from Uwe. (DL)

This page is part of a frame set. If you can't see the information strip to the left of the screen then click on the smd logo above.