Various Awakenings 2010 Volume 1.5 Play:    Mid-Fi   Hi-Fi (Excerpt from track 'Live Science' by Analogue Kid) Please go to the Store to buy this item.

CDR / 7 tracks / 80 mins

For those who don’t know, the idea behind volumes1.5 and 2.5 of the Awakenings series was to concentrate on the subtler ambient end of Electronic Music. Volumes 1 and 2 however dealt with the more dynamic end of the genre. All the tracks are cross-faded into each other to form one long uninterrupted listening experience. Spiraleye was one of three acts on this album that were new to me. ‘River Rain’ is an excellent piece of Picture Music which sums up its title very well. It’s all rather soft and serene as overlaying tones come and go, fading into the distance. Everything is punctuated by little guitar note droplets that are as soft and delicate as you could hope for. Sampled rain does arrive but it is soothing rather than storm like. A high hat rhythm enters in the sixth minute and the guitar takes a greater role but this is still fairly relaxed stuff. ‘Live Science (excerpt)’ by Analogue Kid features a soft rhythm and lovely gentle tinkling sequence which slowly mutates from one delicate pattern to the next, increasing and decreasing in intensity. We get little piano touches to finish. ‘The Ritual Live (excerpt)’ is by second new name to me, Ethereal Electric Elixir. It is a dreamy piece that mainly seems to be made up of guitar textures, both as backing and lead flourish. The final name I hadn’t heard of before was Phobos. ‘Decaying Mind’ is rooted in dark ambient territory. It’s all to do with mood and textures created by multi-layered drones swelling, subsiding and mutating as things progress. This is not happy stuff; instead it is spooky and somewhat sinister, though it does lighten up a little for the second half. Edge Effect’s ‘Cemepka’ sees the return to more obvious structure, as faintly melodic bubbling pulses are the main focus. ‘Human Heritage Buried Deep Inside’ by Phrozenlight is full of solar winds, subtle percussion and a two-note pulse very low in the mix. It is as if the bedside alarm is sounding but we are still so deep in sleep that we can hardly hear it. There is then the faint sound of what could be traffic. The pulse disappears and the swirling windy effects become more storm-like. On the edge of it all, more notes can be heard. There are just too many subtleties here to mention. It is a track which demands quite a lot but is well worth the effort. An excellent piece of music. Russell Storey’s ‘Bastion Against The Mists of Time’ has a somewhat metallic and crystalline sound to the pads and thus possesses a rather cold though not unpleasant feel. A nice way to finish the album. DL

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