Vir Unis Pulse N Atmo Play: Lo-Fi   Mid-Fi   Hi-Fi   Download: Lo-Fi   Mid-Fi   Hi-Fi (Excerpt from track 'Rinse')

The title of this CD says it all, really, ' Pulse n Atmo '. Some could be tempted to imagine that this CD is just a sequel to 'Aeonian Glow' / 'The Drift Inside' with drums added. Think again: there must be a reason why this CD has not been released by Greenhouse Music but by Groove.

With 'Pulse n Atmo', Vir Unis remains true to the sound he created for his first two solo releases, but the general atmosphere is more meditative and mysterious. There is something different to it. Obviously, percussions are more hypnotic, faster, crisper and more dynamic. Synth bass lines even make apparitions at times. Detroit style techno was an inspiration, told me Vir Unis. There is a sense of urgency emanating from most tracks, a feeling of tension, stress and excitement. The entire CD is a cinematic experience and that is exactly was Vir Unis wanted. He told me: " The whole idea (.) came from these extensive, what I call, "sound rides", through various cities that I lived in over the past years where I would aimlessly ride my bike through the city's maze and just absorb and meditate upon the various sonic flavours of the particular area. You begin to realize that different cultural areas have their own sonic identity and it's quite a musical experience feeling the sounds as they crossfade into each other, like everything else does in global culture. (.) I tried to incorporate the spirit of those rides into a couple of the pieces."

12 tracks and 71 minutes of very interesting music starting with 'Ghost in the Bubble'. This may surprise some of the readers, but to me this track is similar in feel to TD's 'Diamond Diary' from 'Thief'. Not that there are sequencers here to be found, but Vir Unis uses his percussions like TD uses sequences for rhythmic purposes. It has a mood that is not unlike the 'Thief' track and builds in intensity in a similar fashion. 'Doppelganger' follows, mechanical-like sounds create a sonic tapestry in the background and generate a rhythmic dimension that blends in with a drum machine that fades in quickly. 'Techno' style beats morph into Roach style percussions and voices, rainsticks and effects come and go.

Drums slowly fade out and 'Spoon Bender' begins with the sounds of an electronic bell, water and nature, not the New Age way!! Two complex streams of beats are used, one that is fast paced, the other one slower, and they characterize the dualism of this piece of music, as if two tracks had been mixed together, at two speeds, drawing two realities, but it works harmoniously.

'Black Locust Beach' is next. Electronically modified insects sounds structure the rhythmic skeleton of the track. That's not unlike what Paul Sauvanet did with 'Le Songe du Temps'. The track begins with a synth keeping a note in the lower frequencies: this could have a track taken from TD's 'The Keep' and re-edited 'à la' Vir Unis. 'Good Morning Blowfish' follows and now frogs are used to generate a rhythm and drum machine enter the scene and offer one of the most high-energy piece of music of the CD. A subtle bass line appears and at times you wonder if you are listening to Vir Unis or to Pete Namlook! The track is minimalist, but I don't mind! 'Mind Blink Bike Ride' starts with pulsating synth bass notes, indefinite voices can be heard, children playing, buses, cars, trains, manifestations of the life of the city, and wait until you discover the 'Mind Blink', 'microcuts' as Vir Unis calls them, that break the beat without destroying the rhythm. Daring. And this is only the first half of the CD.