Gordon Rhyne & Zero Ohms Ecstasis

Klik hier voor de Nederlandstalige versie

Well, I'm put off even before I insert this one in the player. Artwork that states 'Ambient Sleep Music' and 'This music can be used as a sleeping aid' makes it another one of those CDs that is trying to turn music into something deeper, more meaningful than it warrants or even worse 'medicinal'. To me it's all a load of bollocks. Music should be listened to and enjoyed, or not, for what it is. It's music pure and simple please don't try and elevate it onto some sort of higher plane- it will always get my back up. There are many CDs I have listened to that make me want to fall asleep and what nearly all of them have in common is that they are simply tedious. Does the music found here work simply as music or does it bore me to tears?

I won't review the tracks one by one as they all sound fairly similar and use the same sort of formula. It's all pretty much on the same sound level with, as you would expect, very little in the way of dynamics. The sound created is actually rather pleasant, combining Overtone Vocals (sort of wordless textures - not easy to do I'm sure) with drones, flute and very subtle percussion. What it reminded me of most though was a vacuum cleaner- all be it a very mellow one- more Dyson than Hoover and also much quieter. The tracks went by one by one with me rarely realising that one had moved on to the next. I am not easily bored but it made TD's 'Zeit' seem like heavy metal. This sort of thing might work in California, and I am sure the musicians really believe in what they are doing but in Yorkshire England it comes over as a load of tosh. (DL)

Nederlandstalige versie

Wel, het bevalt me eigenlijk al niet nog voor ik deze cd in de cd-speler steek. Een boekje dat vermeld 'Ambient Sleep Music' en 'This music can be used as a sleeping aid' maakt deze cd één van de velen die muziek iets meer willen toeschrijven, met een diepere boodschap of zelfs medicinaal. Ik geloof daar allemaal niet in. Voor mij moet muziek beluisterd worden en moet je er van kunnen genieten voor wat het is. Als ze op deze manier de muziek proberen op te trekken, hoeft het voor mij al niet meer. Ik heb al naar meerdere cd's geluisterd die me slaapneigingen gaven en wat ze bijna allen gemeen hadden was dat ze vrij saai waren. Werkt dit als muziek of doet het me bijna in tranen uitbarsten?