John Rose Cosmogenesis Play: Lo-Fi   Mid-Fi   Hi-Fi   Download: Lo-Fi   Mid-Fi   Hi-Fi (Excerpt from track 'O.B.E.')

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I already know listening to this CD that it is not purely "typical" SMD fare, but that isn't going to stop me from wholeheartedly recommending it, anyway. Far and away one of my favourite discs of 2001, I find it to be a truly brilliant, original work. If you must start with a pure sequencer fest, then go right to the last track on this CD, 'O.B.E.' It is one of the best pieces in the spirit of Bauman-era Tangerine Dream that I have ever had the pleasure of hearing. Just like TD did in the glory days, an almost classical piano solo begins simply enough, and then in the smoothest of transitions, dreamy electronics gradually, almost imperceptibly take over the music, just the way it happens in the opening of minutes of 'Ricochet Part Two.'

After some restrained but excellent synth soloing, the best sequencing I've heard in a long, long time comes right at you. It's fast, it's delicate, it's fantastic. Play this one over and over again. I can never describe on paper how heavenly it is. Chills are virtually guaranteed. To me, this track alone is worth the price of admission, but there's so much more. Another favourite is 'Dream of Life,' a great example of music that sounds alive and spontaneous, yet is clearly conceptualized. Themes are carefully laid out, transition perfectly into each other, and then fall back in on themselves. Beginning in eerie fashion, eventually a lone pulse stutters its way in. It recedes to silence, as if to stop there. The pulse returns in double time, then it fades again. The entire track has a deliciously ominous feel to it, a bit murky but in a good way.

The slower pulse in the same stuttering rhythm returns to bring things full circle. 'Axis' sounds like a guitar piece, but it's more likely Rose playing his electric iron dulcimer, one of many cool toys at his disposal. A deft, creative touch is evident throughout. Looping hypnotic guitar-like sounds at the beginning of the 18-minute epic piece 'A Space Within' sound like vintage Ashra, but it also features stunningly beautiful piano passages in the later going. 'Hypnogogia' uses great synths and sequences, in a mellower, subtler manner than most, making a very good understated beginning to the CD. Hmm, I reviewed the last track first, the first one last. That seems fitting, because Cosmogenesis definitely bowled me over. (PD)

Here's what the composer John Rose has to say about the track 'O.B.E.'...

The structure of it all is quite simple from a harmonic standpoint. The tricky parts lie in the textural elements of the piece. It is basically four seperate tracks using multiple layers of instruments within those tracks. The piece begins with a thunderstorm recorded at my home in Lexington, KY in the summer of 1987. The piano solo is a fragment of a Chopin Nocturne in C Minor. As I didn't have an accoustic piano at my disposal then, I layered several instruments together and processed them a bit to give them a sort of distant watery quality, and also to hide some of the electronic quality of the sound.

I used a Roland MKS20 piano module, a Yamaha piano module and a Roland D-20 keyboard all layered together to get the desired effect of a somewhat acoustic piano. I then crossfaded a somewhat chimey electric piano sound from a Roland MKS80 module. The resonant filter with sharp attack sound that appears from time to time in the piece also comes from the MKS80. The sequence was created as a whole other track and was played live. I used pedals to get crecendos, sustains and some of the fade in's and out's and ran the whole thing through some delay, playing rhythmically off the delay.

I midi'd several instruments together so I could fade things in and out in real time as I played the sequence. It is a rather simple sequence to play as long as you keep a good rhythm and can keep the sonic textures moving enough to be interesting. Lastly, I laid down a seperate track with a simple lead line that is somewhat in the background. I had a band, or rather a duo many years ago called 326 and would play this piece live. It was so much fun to play especially through good sound systems at larger outdoor events. Got to play it for an audience of around 2500 people at a large summer solstice concert here in Lexington which was a real highlight as performances go. This also was the concert where I met both Tony Gerber, and Giles Reaves, which was to pave the way for the forming of Spacecraft a few years later. To sum up, the track is all rather low tech in a way. No sequencers or computers in this piece. The piece is mostly improvised with a basic harmonic structure to hold it together. The Chopin Nocturne is the hardest part of the piece to play!

Nederlandstalige versie

Deze CD is niet "puur typisch" SMD gericht, maar dit houdt me niet tegen deze met mijn volle hart aan te raden, hoe dan ook. Dit is één van mijn favoriete CD's van 2001, een echt schitterend origineel werk. Als je wilt aanvangen met een echt sequencerfestijn ga dan direct naar de laatste track "O.B.E.". Eén van de beste stukken in de geest van het Bauman/ TD tijdperk dat ik ooit hoorde. Juist zoals TD deed in zijn gloriedagen, begint het met een bijna klassieke, simpele pianomelodie, om dan met de kleinste bewegingen, dromerig elektronisch de muziek over te nemen, zoals dit ook gebeurde in de eerste minuten van 'Ricochet Part Two'. Na een wat ingehouden maar erg ingehouden synthsolo begint de beste sequence die ik in lange tijd hoorde. Snel, delicaat, fantastisch. Dit blijf je draaien. Op papier kan ik nooit beschrijven hoe mooi dit wel is. Kippenvel gegarandeerd.

Voor mij is deze track alleen al de investering waard, maar er is zoveel meer. Een andere favoriet is "Dream of Life", een mooi voorbeeld van levendige en spontane muziek, maar met een zeker concept. Thema's zijn mooi en voorzichtig uitgewerkt, gaan mooi in elkaar over en komen dan terug op zichzelf. Beginnend met een akelig gevoel worden er eenzame klanken toegevoegd. Dit valt terug op stilte, alsof het stopt. De klanken komen verdubbeld terug en faden weer uit. Deze track is zo heerlijk onheilspellend, een beetje duister maar dan in de positieve zin. Dezelfde klanken komen nogmaals terug en maken de cirkel rond.