alexone
@ 13-05-2009, 21:21
From the first tracks of this carefully moulded and shaped ambient album, it becomes clear that the composer Tadeusz Luczejko has invested a lot of attention and time to the outcome. "Cold" is a gently morphing and flowing textural piece of work which comes in 13 "parts", breathing a beautiful soft glowing and vibrant brightness. The nicely layered dreamy soundscapes also occasionally feature some Polish spoken words, melancholic undercurrents and environmental/nature sounds. The fifth track is something rather different with its rather confusing, weird electronics mingled with shouting/animal sounds. Fortunate enough after that, things slow down again to shimmering, vibrating ambience, with rough, grainy edges & twists. Later on, some sustained Eno/Budd kindred piano returns, again weaving a soft cascading tapestry of mesmerizing sounds. I wouldn't characterize "Cold" an easy ambient recording, as it shows quite some contrasts, adventurous elements and minimal structures. But those who give it some thorough and attentive listens will soon discover its intrinsic beauty and craftsmanship. ~ by Bert Strolenberg, Sonicimmersion
Calm electronic clouds are forming and gathering slowly. Then there appear some half-nature, half-electronic sounds. This is how this enthralling album begins. After a while additional tonal spheres are to be heard, they are always coloured and layered over one another with a fabulous sense of atmosphere. We are strolling through a forest and then become entangled in mysterious green depths; the sounds are on the one hand doubtless electronic, whilst, on the other hand, they seem to be so close to nature... Until the end of the third impression Aquavoice leads us through dreamy landscapes with his gently flowing, fabulous ambient combined with ambitious, indeed visually suggestive relaxing music; with the fourth piece, there comes a slow, majestic ostinato, to which some melancholic piano chords and fascinating synthetic sparks ceaselessly cling - if it still be ambient, then only to such an extent, to which we are dealing with this genre in Klaus Schulze's "Blanche". Weird, murky, jarring fifth miniature puts an end to the dominating becalming mood, but in the final part it brings some very soft woven, optimistic chords, distorted through such surrealising filters as those appearing in Sylvie Marks' "Baby I'm Electric". Until the very end of the album we are surrounded with a slightly-electronized piano-contemplative mood, softly and yet interesting intermingling with recurring nature sounds and additional tonal sweeps which enlarge the room to feel this music. One may obviously recognize influences of Harold Budd, Brian Eno, Tetsu Inoue (especially on the splendid twelfth track!) as well as those of Michael Stearns and even (the utmost contemplative) Kitaro; Aquavoice manages nonetheless to serve all his musical ideas in a fresh, fascinating and, last but not least, convincing way. "Cold" is a very specific, soothing and nevertheless challenging and even disturbing variety of ambient music, whereby Aquavoice uses tonal systems which are characteristic also for other sophisticated - and not so abstract - electronic genres. All in all, this is a highly recommended album. ~ by Igor Wróblewski
