Titania Moon Slipstream Play: Lo-Fi   Mid-Fi   Hi-Fi   Download: Lo-Fi   Mid-Fi   Hi-Fi (Excerpt from track 'Central Zone')

Titania Moon have been around for some time releasing cassettes on the Music & Elsewhere label. They sound as if they are influenced by the Berlin School but have a much harder edge than bands like RMI or AirSculpture. This is moody music rather than pretty. The sequences act as something of a constant within the tracks varying little from beginning to end, letting other elements come and go around them. They also dispense with intros or tailored endings. No time is wasted, they get on with it and when they have said what they want to say they finish it. Its a different listening experience than what most people will be used to but for the adventurous and at this price it could be worth some trying out.

We begin with the title track. An energetic sequence pulsing on top of big synth pads which break like the sea crashing on to the shore. It all goes together to make a very dense and uncompromising sound. The different elements involved stay fairly constant throughout but their relative weights ebb and flow. A slow throbbing sequence gets 'Sanctitudel' under way. A metallic motif comes and goes. As with the previous number the sound of waves of white noise breaking on the 'shore' can be heard in the background. Pads with a slight vocal quality to them can be heard deep in the mix sounding rather mellow compared to the rest of the sound pallet being used and provide good contrast. 'Close Encounter' uses a drone whose frequency is constantly shifting over a faint throb. This is dark almost spooky stuff which becomes more intense as the track progresses. 'Flight Simulator' starts of in very Berlin School style with a bass sequence mutating nicely. Other sequences are added to it creating a mesmerizing and almost narcotic effect. Thick pads again come crashing in with the sequences still going full pelt causing an awesome tidal wave of sound. Images of volcanoes vomiting molten rock into the air also come to mind so in short its music to accompany natural disasters.