What Are You Listening To?

[Jerome]

Oxygene 7-13 Starts off great, then gets a little too busy for my liking after the halfway mark and finally ends on a fantastic note. Quite a good YT video of this being played live towards the end of this concert in Paris. https://youtu.be/M_3v_tfwfzA

[Jerome]

Equinoxe Infinity - JMJ - a couple of sampler tracks on YT - I prefer the original album but the tracks I have heard from the new one so far have their moments too. Production is superb as always.

[Jerome]

Got my copy of Equinoxe Infinity in the mail today. Not bad. Some nice tracks but he is pandering to the new generation with some questionable tracks. And it lacks the flow that the original Equinoxe had. It's bits and pieces stuck together but does not really have a conceptual feel to it at all. Pity - it could have been so much more. Not an album I will be playing much. It's well below par for Mr. Jarre. Oxygene 3 was much better.

Oh well, another stylish looking beer coaster for the collection.

[CRAZY-HORSE]

UNDERWORLD & IGGY POP "teatime dub encounters" - EP

release date: 27th July 2018:

chart high: no chart placings

EDM duo Underworld recruits the Godfather Of Punk ….
four track "ep"....
so, the story of their interaction goes like this...
both artist's music was used in the film Trainspotting...
a mutual admiration was struck and they agreed to, at some point, in the future
maybe get together and see where it took them...
so, all these years later Underworld were in the same place at the same time as Iggy and they 
agreed to meet in a motel room and discuss the possibility of a collaboration, unbeknown to Iggy,
the EDM guys already had some music ready for him, so when he arrived they presented it to him and
said, "this room is our studio, you need to put lyrics to this music", to which he obliged...
not sure if the spoken work ditties are from actual events in Iggy's life but they sure could be...

I LIKE THIS "EP" 

worst track: trapped
best track: bells and circles





tracks:

1....bells and circles ***
2....trapped *
3....i'll see big **
4....get your shirt ***

3s - 2
2s - 1
1s - 1

rating: 2.1

[Ruby]

ROGER ENO ~ Dust of Stars


 
Brian’s little brother is a natural multi-instrumentalist but is noted for his piano work. Aside from contributing to several projects with Brian, and with others, he is also a solo artist and a well-regarded composer of things ambient (and sometimes not so ambient), in his own right. It’s not new – was released in June – there were just no clips or links available, so I couldn’t listen at the time. Finally got around to doing so!
 
This album definitely showcases the piano along with the mandatory synths and one or two other instruments along the way – the sax being one of them. I would define it as ambient/neo classical/post rock. Discogs says jazz which I think is a bit of a stretch.
 
Cinematic pieces alongside more minimal works – great big swooshes of that crystalline, almost airy sound which to me typifies ambient music, but there is melody too. What draws me to his work (that with which I’m familiar, which is far from all of it) is that he somehow touches the heartstrings, well mine at any rate! However, rather less romantically, it’s probably a question of physics - resonance – as though the sounds are tuned to the frequency of the body – a match to whatever vibration is holding gazillions of atoms together - which it obviously must be! The same wavelength - simple as that. I don’t think that this is about hearing or listening, per se – it’s almost about absorbing sound. Not gonna be everyone’s cup of tea but I’ll have to add it to my albums of the year list. 

A link to the full album - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OL...8OGbFeT_vM
 
It will sound strange, I know, but this piece makes me feel as though I’ve been in the cool, clear, sparkly, salty ocean … odd  since it's the track after this that's titled "Salty Tears"! There's no accounting for flights of fancy ...

[Jerome]

Looks interesting. Will give this one a whirl later.

[Jerome]

ROGER ENO ~ Dust of Stars


 
Brian’s little brother is a natural multi-instrumentalist but is noted for his piano work. Aside from contributing to several projects with Brian, and with others, he is also a solo artist and a well-regarded composer of things ambient (and sometimes not so ambient), in his own right. It’s not new – was released in June – there were just no clips or links available, so I couldn’t listen at the time. Finally got around to doing so!
 
This album definitely showcases the piano along with the mandatory synths and one or two other instruments along the way – the sax being one of them. I would define it as ambient/neo classical/post rock. Discogs says jazz which I think is a bit of a stretch.
 
Cinematic pieces alongside more minimal works – great big swooshes of that crystalline, almost airy sound which to me typifies ambient music, but there is melody too. What draws me to his work (that with which I’m familiar, which is far from all of it) is that he somehow touches the heartstrings, well mine at any rate! However, rather less romantically, it’s probably a question of physics - resonance – as though the sounds are tuned to the frequency of the body – a match to whatever vibration is holding gazillions of atoms together - which it obviously must be! The same wavelength - simple as that. I don’t think that this is about hearing or listening, per se – it’s almost about absorbing sound. Not gonna be everyone’s cup of tea but I’ll have to add it to my albums of the year list. 

A link to the full album - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OL...8OGbFeT_vM
 
It will sound strange, I know, but this piece makes me feel as though I’ve been in the cool, clear, sparkly, salty ocean … odd  since it's the track after this that's titled "Salty Tears"! There's no accounting for flights of fancy ...





Finally got round to listening to the whole album - I like it. Will be buying for sure. It's a lot easier to process than some of his brother's latest efforts. 

[Ruby]

^Oh good! Glad you like it.   

Steve Jolliffe - Warrior



Instrumental, lots of electronica – I would say world music, rather than ambient, and somewhat progressive – maybe new age fits too. I’m assuming everything on here is down to the man himself, but I could be wrong - can’t find album credits anywhere – oh wait – yep – all him. There’s a lot to explore in Jolliffe’s discography and I haven’t even scratched the surface; an ex Tangerine Dream alumni, also connected to Rick Davies way back in the day, and has collaborated with Klaus Schulze. I found him as a result of the BOTD thread, which he didn’t make it on to due to various distractions, but I did listen to some of his stuff and have been intending to hear more. His website introduces him as ‘Musician, Artist, Author, Philosopher’. 

The subject matter/theme for this release is the Native American, but it’s purely his interpretation - he doesn’t subscribe to what might be expected to be stereotypical sounds. My kind of music – I really enjoy evocative listening. 

Courtesy of AMG - a review which does perfect justice to this album, I believe, 

“Steve Jolliffe has recorded more than a dozen albums in his 15 years since touring with Tangerine Dream in the late '70s. Warrior, his latest release, is loaded with musical sketches where rich melodies intertwine with exuberant rhythms in a progressive vein. The album is dedicated to the Native American Indian, and many pieces seek to evoke this spirit in majestic, soaring passages that combine the full digital layered sound & nature-inspired touches. Joliffe uses spacey sequential phrasing to complement the orchestral beauty of the synthesizers and amber tones of his flute playing, and he succeeds time and again in finding the most vivid blend. Tracks such as "Ghostdancers," "Brother," "Desert Plains" and "Eagle" typify the vision of this artist as he sculpts his modern telling of time-honored traditions that must live on.”

Some clips - 

The opener "Wilderness" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxIX0PsIQ1M

"Brother" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ongfxhhkgGA

"Sorcerer" (appropriately menacing) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrS7wtYYtI4

and "Desert Plains" ... 

[Jerome]

At the rate you are going you are going to have my budget blown pretty early in the year Ruby. Another one I will be buying - Very different to anything I have. I have always been fascinated by the Native Americans.

[Ruby]

^Oh dear – I’ll slow down! Lol!

Saw your song Jerome – wasn’t able to respond. Very nice – good story.

Not sure if you are familiar with Bill Miller? He is Mohican - toured with Tori Amos as her opening act and is a Grammy Award winning NAMA artist. 

Wind looms large in the experience of the first nations people …