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Encyclopedia of Electronic Music (Russia)
The first track is called "H3O". It sets the stage with floating
synthetic pads and rich symphonic textures. Soon wonderful sparkling
arpeggios appear, reminding me on the glory days of Mr. Jarre (circa
"Concerts In China"). However, it's not long before a pumping
rhythm appears, taking things to modern EM territory. More arpeggiated
synths are added for a rich, trancey electronic sound. I must admit that
at this point the music is much more similar to your typical Trance / Goa
affair, but fans of New Berlin School will find a lot to enjoy here.
Needless to say, all sounds are of very high quality and programmed with
great care. Sounds come and go and overall, "H30" is a driving,
energetic and danceable piece of music. Some screaming analogue textures
appear towards the end. Great stuff. "Halo" begins in a more
mysterious way, with resonant, droning synths and screaming arpeggios. A
sequence starts as a menacing bass line supports the flow. A soft rhythm
starts and a nice piano melody is heard. This is much
closer to your typical EM - melodic, flowing and quite atmospheric. Nice
music, this one. "Mare Imbrium" is one of the longer tracks of
this album. It begins with a really deep cosmic soundscape. A slow rhythm
appears as the track retains its mysterious aura. Some bright sequences
surface and gradually take over. I enjoyed the flow and the mood of this
track but to my mind it was a bit lacking in variety. The title track is
next. Samples of voices give way for a bubbly sequence and a relaxed
rhythm. And then come the pads. And what pads! Perfectly programmed,
gentle, emotional textures. A string melody is also a perfect extra. This
track kicks some serious ass. It's warm, emotional and comforting,
reminding me on Klaus Schulze at his most gentle and introspective. New
sequences are added, all of them perfect. This is by far the best track of
the album. I just love those distorted melodic sounds (guitar or synth?)
that appear around the 9-minute mark. "Elements" kicks off with
wonderful mysterious sounds like
some bells tolling in the distance. A bass line gradually forms on the
blanket of mysterious pads. An upbeat rhythm starts, bringing some focus
to the composition although "Elements" remains rather
minimalistic compared to the other tracks. It was also one of the least
interesting ones for me. "Deep Quest" brings in the
"chill" element, with its gently rolling, slow rhythm and
melancholic pads. I enjoyed this electronic ballad a lot. It's relaxing,
emotional and above all, full of great, sparkling sequences, some of them
of the acidy, TB-303-like variety. The final track "Flight to
987" is no less relaxing. Once again we are confronted with a slow
rhythm, reflective pads and gentle sequences that lull you into a pleasant
state of trance. "Wavedancer" is very diverse musically and it
is difficult to place this album into any particular EM category. I
suppose that "general melodic / rhythmic" will do but
"Wavedancer" will appeal to most EM fans, regardless of their
stylistic preferences.
Artemi Pugachov, 2009
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Progessive Newsletter (D)
Ein weiteres 1-Mann-Projekt. Hier vermute ich mal, dass 'e' für
electronic steht und Bia den Anfang des Nachnamens des Künstlers
darstellen soll. Das macht zusammen: ebia.
So nennt sich jedenfalls der Musiker Jörg Bialinska, der mit 'wavedancer'
nach 'elosophy' (2004) und 'star voyager' (2006) nun bereits sein drittes
Album auf SynGate vorlegt.
Zwar geht es auch hier recht rhythmusbetont zu, aber bei weitem nicht so
extensiv wie beispielsweise bei Driftin' Thoughts - Nightshifts', das ja
bisweilen schon Technocharakter besitzt. Nein, so weit geht Bialinska
nicht. Die insgesamt sieben Kompositionen mit Spielzeiten zwischen 6 und
12 Minuten bieten unspektakuläre Synthesizerkompositionen, die durchaus
auch melodischen Charakter haben.
Jürgen Meurer, 2008
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