Wouldn't
it be boring if everything in life was the same color? Wouldn't it all get
so dull if love, hate, rage, elation, joy were all the same color, no matter
how beautiful? Yes, of course everybody has their own favorite color, but
variety is the spice of life, as they say. Variety is also what keeps an
artist’s creativity alive, since an artist - just like anybody else - has
many different facets that need expressing. We all love Berlin School music,
classic EM, and all that, and none of us would ever want to do without it.
Still, it’s a good idea to keep our mind open to al the other forms of EM
that can bring some new colors into our musical life.
“Orange” is the color of this unexpected facet of Syn;
this album is very different from his usual BS stuff, and it is extremely
interesting precisely because of this. I was lucky enough to listen to it
before it was released and I loved it instantly. Syn calls this kind
of music “minimalist techno” but I think of it as “cybermusic”: I
find that the chilling atmospheres generate cyberpunk film-like images in
the listener’s mind, and I do think that lovers of flicks such as Matrix
or Ghost in the Shell will fall in love with it at once.
Nothing seems to happen in these tracks, but that is exactly what actually
happens. If you think this is a difficult concept to understand, then just
listen to it in a relaxed environment and in the darkness, if you can, and
you will get what I mean. Tracks such as the beautiful “Connected”
or the penetrating “Within my mind” will drag you through a
virtual landscape made of data and impulses; if you have ever wondered what
the inside of an android’s mind sounds like, listen to “Thought
Patterns”.
You will also witness the encounter of classic EM and modern music in the
surprising “Human Spirit”.
“Orange” will give you a new perspective on the talent of this
artist from Scotland, who is not only capable of delivering some of the best
classic EM around, but some of the best new EM as well.
Do yourselves a favor and add this new color to your life :)
Mac of BIOnighT, 2004
Cover designed by Lothar Lubitz w/ photo (Elbsee Sunset) by Roland Hank
Used by courtesy of www.roland-hank.de
Electroambient Space
(USA) Orange
is David T. Dewdney’s attempt to break away a bit from his signature Syn
sound of Berlin school electronics, shifting into modern electronica. The
change in style is evident from the opening track “Connected.” A brief
vocal sample gives way to crisp percussion and a contagious rhythm. A short
looping phrase repeats in a trance-inducing fashion. Somewhat static, but it
has energy and makes a good starter. “In the Void” starts with ominous
pads and a single low hovering drone behind it. Edgy modern percussion again
drops in, shadowed by a simple bass line. The rest of the track is good, but
that bass line never changes, and threatens to drive me slowly mad. Less
obtrusive but just as repetitious is the bass on “Inside My Mind,” which
runs for nearly 10 of its 13 minutes. I find myself latching on to elements
here and there throughout Orange that I wish had been toned down or
eliminated entirely, although a lot of the sounds do work. “Human
Spirit” starts with haunting choirs, sounding more like classic Klaus
Schulze or Tangerine Dream at first, but the electronic beats again give a
more current air to it. “Transcend Your Limitations” goes into very
techno-trance realms. It reminds me of how Pete Namlook is usually very good
at straddling the line between techno and retro, but occasionally plants his
foot too far forward, thinking more about the dance floor fan than the
cerebral listener. Also, the voice sample gets too talky too often here. My
favorite track is probably “Plakk,” with a catchy groove and a lighter
touch on the techno factor. While Orange is a mildly interesting side
of Syn, and may add some new elements to his future projects, I will look
forward to him going back to class in the Berlin school.
