Inside...Musical Starstreams
with ForestWelcome to our monthly column where we share impressions and uniquely evocative (meaning it will hopefully "touch you" in a special way) recordings, worth seeking out and sampling. As the year winds to a close, here's three more noteworthy titles to consider for your collection and a tip of the hat to Lloyd Barde at Backroads Music for assistance with this month's column. Next time we'll list our Top Twenty Albums of 1997, so stay tuned in.
Subtitled "Nu Ambient Grooves," Genuine is from Germany's small developing NinetySix sounds label and music maker Chris Zippel, and falls into the category we might loosely label as electro trance-dance. As composer and performer, Zippel has an incredible knack for the kind of groove-oriented sound that we've come to expect from the likes of the Higher Intelligence Agency, Naid and Sanjiva, all Starstreams favorites. Tracks like "Pulse Dub" get into your bloodstream and before long, without knowing it, you find your hips and feet moving to the infectious rhythms. Zippel's studio expertise is evident as he expertly layers equal parts of ambient and dancey elements throughout the tracks. A generous 74 minutes of music with some "borrowed" samples from famous folks we won't mention here, Genuine seems to live up to its name.
We are happy to announce the music of Norway's Erik Wollo is still available on our shores and, in fact, seems to get better and better. This latest effort is a dazzling piece of work ranging from spacious atmospheric to pedal-to-the-metal upbeat electronics that bring to mind Jean Michel Jarre at his most ambitious self. Although intense at times, you'll also find enchanting and floating moods conveyed throughout Transit. Wollo's magic touch is evident on acoustic and electric guitars, guitar synthesizers, sequencers, percussion and other treatments. One of our favorite tracks, "Northern Lights Alap 2" includes a stunning guest appearance from famous Indian violinist L. Subramaniam, contributing some mesmerizing and searing violin sounds . The album alternates between envelope-stretching kinetics to masterful, moving instrumental creations. Transit is a fine effort from one of Norway's best.
From down under Australia way comes Audioasis and their self titled debut album, passed along to us from our friends at Backroads Music. The opening track is the strongest and sets the pace with a near seventeen-minute magnum opus titled "Sigh of the Zephyr." What makes Audioasis stand out is the tasteful and diverse use of electric guitar elements in the flavor of, say, Pink Floyd, and performed equally impressively by Shaun Pilkington. Soaring yet subdued, stretched out and inventive, the guitar sounds consistently carve new territory while refraining from overpowering the basic electronic rhythms of the tracks. The other member of this newly discovered duo, Peter Beeby, plays a multitude of keyboards, adds a bit of saxophone and fills out the sound of the album with deep, textured soundscapes. Audioasis feels at times similar to Cusco and Vangelis as well as the previously mentioned Pink Floyd, but the uniqueness and understated power of this album clearly stands out on its own. Please always remember that ultimately what constitutes "good" music involves the personal taste of each of us. If we direct you to an album that you didn't know existed and you end up enjoying it, then we both feel a sense of accomplishment. As always, your input is welcome. Feel free to write. FOREST is the producer and host of the nationally syndicated weekly radio program, MUSICAL STARSTREAMS, heard locally every Sunday night from 10pm to midnight on WNUA, 95.5fm and worldwide on the internet. He can be reached at PO Box 1409, Mill Valley, CA 94942. E-mail:forest@starstreams.com, or listen on the web at:http://www.starstreams.com. Musicians or labels wishing to send material for review or airplay are advised that because of the huge volume already received, only compact disc releases will be considered.
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