Software Electronic Universe

This album (as well as 'Chip Meditation' also by Software) and a handful of other recordings in the early to mid eighties were responsible for making me realise that there was much more Electronic Music out there than my then diet of Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze. Little did I realise at the time where these early explorations would take me.

You will either love or hate the first track but even if you dislike it you will probably enjoy the rest of the album. The clincher to if you like the opener or not will depend on whether you go for synth flute in a big way as it contains loads of it but its the only track on the album which does. 'Fluting Electronic Universe' begins very quietly with shimmering drones over which flutey synth is played, a different flute sound coming out of each speaker. Its extremely tranquil but then at the three minute mark a slow tinkling sequence is added providing some structure and driving the track onwards. Another sequence is brought into play and we get still more flutey synth. A third of the way in a slow rhythm falls into pattern alongside the sequence and then fades away with it momentarily leaving the flute melody on its own. With seven minutes to go a slow sequence forms over lovely gentle pads. A faster sequence rises in the mix to join the first then drums are added finishing the track on something of a high. 'Surfing Saturn' begins with synthesized wind and wave sounds giving proceedings an appropriately other worldly feel. Quite a storm is whipped up.

A really nice melody is gently 'touched' over the top nestling amongst the shimmers. This is already fantastic stuff but it gets even better as a sequence emerges amongst still more cosmic twittering and effects. More synth waves violently crash submerging the sequence. We enter another area of space on the back of an extremely rapid sequence and more effects. This sequence then departs leaving us to float amongst the shimmers. Water drops can now be heard as if we are in a cave, each drop echoing into the depths. Another excellent sequence then arrives, a second melodic one being added to it and with the help of a drum line we start to move along at quite a pace. This is an excellent exciting track.

'Dancing Venus' initially takes us into deep space floating on soft gentle pads. In the sixth minute we get a lovely repeated melodic motif but its still 'well out there'. We then get an out of control sequence, notes darting this way then that. It soon disappears however as we drift into another area of the cosmos on the back of more melodic motifs forming into a delicate sequence which mutates through one blissed out change to the next until just before the end. 'Cosmic Calimba' is a fantastic little track full of bright bubbling and very melodic sequences.