Various Artists Ambient@hyperreal.02

In many ways this is double CD selling at a single CD price is very much like the first volume in the series. Most of the names will be unknown to Synth Music Direct readers but there are some excellent tracks here, ranging from pure drifters to others (though only a handful) that are really quite energetic. The running order as with volume one is excellent making it a proper album in its own right rather than just a sampler.

The first track by Gas called 'Microscopic' is superb. Some very quiet morse code type bleeps can just be heard through the drones then we get some faint NASA samples. A gentle sequence starts up. Another more purposeful one joins it, drifting in and out of the mix. At almost the half way mark a really nice (not thudding) base rhythm starts up accompanied by gentle lead. It becomes more melodic as we progress. What a corker to start the album with. Of the more atmospheric numbers Mikael Hillborg donates the appropriately titled 'Nights'. As is very tranquil, soft tones and pads just being left to float in the air, the combination of sounds used mixing exquisitely together. 'Subterranean Bells' by Isomorph sums itself up in the title. You get bell chimes echoing as if in a cavern with strange water type sounds gurgling in the background. Some percussive structure (a bit like hitting pots and pans) was added later on but the track didn't really do anything for me. 'Nimeton 1' by Harri Hameenkorpi and Jussi Vaisanen' is initially extremely ominous and foreboding its very filmatic, you can just imagine it to be used in some sci fi epic with some visuals of a non too pleasant alien landscape, near the end though there is a very well done transition as the mood lightens with the introduction of a really nice rhythm melody combination. Its a very good track indeed. Ashera give us a bog standard floater called 'Expectations'. Yes the changes between one section and another are good and there are some nice sounds chosen but really there is only so much you can say about drones.

Similar comments could be made about 'Something in the Moonlight (remix)' by Forrest Fang but there is at least the faintest hint at melodic colouring. 'Immerland' by Tonelab begins with the sound of the wind a bell chime and faintly ethereal effects. A really nice sequence then comes in to be replaced by an excellent splashing rhythmic loop and lovely high register meandering lead line. The rhythm cranks up still further, the lead line becoming even stronger- highly infectious stuff. It just gets better and better- a belter! My earlier comments about drones is even more relevant for 'Half Life of Long Memory (remix)' by Stephen Phillips. It probably took hours of careful crafting to create this track- and it sent me to sleep. 'Ascent' by Farfield mixes the drones with natural sound samples from Glastonbury- running water, foot steps, voices- that sort of thing. There is also some tabla type drumming which keeps coming and going.

One voices (saying something like 'Steven') was repeated far too many times- really got on my nerves. Images of people having great fun going native in a New Age becoming one with nature sort of way came to mind, you know how much a just love that sort of thing (heavy dose of sarcasm intended). 'A Dwan in the Emptiness' by Jason Sloan mixed bright pads with some very nice piano detail which did conjure up images of the title very well. 'Galaxies Like Graines of Sand by eM is an uncluttered track, the odd sound here, note there mixing with sparingly used drones to create very subtle but highly effective space music. Its the best non rhythmic track over the two CD set.

'A Silent Haunting' by Numina is back to more typical floating ambience but as with the opener but not to quite the same extent the temptation to over clutter is resisted. 'Isflaks' by Jonathan Hughes is even more subtle, the main feature for me though being the reverberations of the vaguely metallic sounding drones forming a warbling pulse of their own which sort of massages the brain- fascinating. 'The storm Within' by the very hip sounding dreamSTATE with cheryl o mixes a sample of a storm with synth atmospherics and an amazing processed deep string sound, chello or even double bass I think. Its a very descriptive track and one of the most inventive here- and its extremely effective. 'Measured in Kelvin Part III' by Musical Nature had a dark apocalyptic feel to it with the sparing use of a deep but only just heard demonic voice. It s also a fantastic cosmic trip however the sounds chosen making one think of the vastness of space. 'Ra's Playground' from Amongst Myselves as with many of the tracks here had some nice combination of sounds but didn't really do enough to hold my attention even when some female vocal samples were added.