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| TRACKLIST |
| 1. Winter Mouvement . . . . .8:06 2. Crystal Travelling . . . .9:30 3. The Empty Night. . . . . .7:54 4. Echoing Delight . . . . .17:41 5. Narrow Gloom (Part 2) . .10:07 6. Glass Splendour . . . . .14:55 |
| SPOILER! |
| SPOILER! |
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| Forums > Electronica & New Age > Vidna Obmana - Echoing Delight (1993), WavPack - CUE, LOG, Covers |
| Posted by: alexone on 01-09-2009, 08:24 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Posted by: alexone on 01-09-2009, 08:26 |
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Vidna Obmana, the project of Belgium-born Dirk Serries, practiced electronic soundpainting on the ambient trilogy begun with Passage In Beauty (1991), but Echoing Delight (1993) shifted the emphasis towards spiritual and tribal evocations. This is the genre in which Serries gave his most original and poignant works, first Spiritual Bonding (1994), a collaboration with Steve Roach and Robert Rich, and then Crossing The Trail (1998). Serene atmospherics that emerge from the cavernous depths as sonic waves. These sounds are created by the use of synthesiser, samples, didgeridoo and a variety of ethnic instruments, formed layer upon layer. Amidst this density are combined percussive instruments, sometimes subtle and seductive, other times prominent and punctual. It is this considerably large palette of sounds that makes Echoing Delight a significant release for Belgian composer Vidna Obmana. Whilst the use of synthesiser and other electronic sources has become the foundation of his work, ethnic instruments are featuring more in the music. This expands the range of moods and textures that are experienced on Echoing Delight. An album to permeate the space around you when played at low volumes and when played loud, offers a kaleidoscope of music to explore. Electronics, percussion, bells, gong, vocals and found sounds meld in a meditative stream. Vidna Obmana has enlisted the talents of fellow Belgian musicians Djen Ajakan Shean, for drum programming and percussion on "Narrow Gloom (part two)", and Tom Kloeck, for pottery shells, rainmaker and gong on "Winter Mouvement". Vidna Obmana's live performances throughout Europe continue to be enjoyed by more and more people, with the Echoing Delight concert already being favourably received in Belgium. Vidna Obmana has been acclaimed by audiences and critics alike for his collaborative undertaking, "Terrace of Memories", with Sam Rosenthal on the Projekt label, U.S.A. He already has an impressive list of solo releases, with the commissioned work for the Belgian Aquarium also a highlight. You're floating in an unearthly atmosphere; a bit foreboding, yet strangely relaxing. Beautifully abstract sounds radiate and shimmer around you. Either you've died and are undergoing some heavenward journey, or you've popped in this Vidna Obmana disc. Out of the silence something slowly evolves (the opener, Winter Mouvement, fades in so slowly you'll be checking your volume control) and even when it reaches its full strength, it's a very quiet, yet very living entity. Vidna Obmana is an electronic musical artist in the truest sense of those words; his works are created with "electronics, loops, processed tapes, drum programming, percussion, voice and didgeridoo". The music swells and swirls; it seems almost gaseous, a vapor of sweeping tones. All the tracks are in fact built of the same amorphous material and follow the same cycle of fading in and out. Honestly, it doesn't do these pieces justice to dissect them; they're meant to be experienced, not scrutinized. My clumsy efforts cannot reveal the ambience that flows and washes over me during this tranquil hour. Crystal Travelling continues the ethereal shimmering, but also adds a light third world-ish beat and cymbal. The swirls of sound fade in and out, but always seem distant, unreachable. The aptly named Empty Night reminds me more of outer space than the others. It's beatless, a duet of starshine and void. It's also the CD's shortest cut at 7:50. The title track, Echoing Delight follows that now-familiar pattern (for 17 and 1/2 minutes). Slow fade-in, shimmer/swell with subtle percussion. The beat seems ancient, weathered, and the long sweeps sound faintly like angelic choirs this time through. The rhythm is more active, yet still quiet and subdued in Narrow Gloom (part two). Drum programming and percussion are handled on this track by Djen Ajakan Shean, perhaps that explains the comparatively busy beat. Glass Splendour is more of the same, with less percussion this time. Yes, the tracks are very much alike. It may sound tedious in print, but it's like having six days of perfect weather in row... they're all wonderful for the same reasons. So what if the only difference is that the breeze is blowing from a slightly different angle? Though I love this stuff, it's not just anyday listening material; but when I want something soft, mysterious and unobtrusive, it creates a perfect atmosphere. You may or may not feel the same way. For overall artistic ambient achievement, I'm bestowing both thumbs upon this work. |