alexone
@ 04-06-2009, 11:11
Steamin' Soundworks is a young dynamic independent music company based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Michel Banabila is a composer, producer and musician best known for his album 'VoizNoiz', which received critical acclaim internationally. In addition to acoustic instrumentation Banabila uses electronics, field recordings, recordings taken from radio, television and film and recordings made with vocoder plugs. His music is often described as cinematic and atmospheric. Banabila also makes musical contributions to film, television, theatre, video art and dance. The albums 'VoizNoiz', 'VoizNoiz 2' and 'Spherics' were released internationally on Tone Casualties (Los Angeles) and Pork Recordings (Hull/London).
Releases with new work by Banabila become more sparse in the last few years. His last one was 'Traces' (2007 ), an album of already known compositions in new jackets. Now it is again the turn for Steamin' Soundworks to release work by this established ambient magician. The first CD of this double album contains pieces taken from earlier albums, especially the 'Voiznoiz'- and 'Spherics'-series. If it is so that these albums are hard to get, this compilation makes sense and brings a nice overview of the respective series. Personally I'm more interested in the second CD. With the exception of two tracks everything on this album is new. I don't need further evidence for the craftsmanship of Banabila, but will he be able to surprise with new solid compositions or convincing soundscapes? The answer is yes and no. Some of the tracks contain too much sugar for me, and come too close to easy listening, like the track 'A Man in a Room'. Happily there is also a more interesting and even new side of Banabila. The album ends with three lengthy soundscapes that really go deep. Abstracted from melody and rhythm, Banabila designs his most abstract paintings up till now.
'Night' is a true ambient piece, attracting no special attention but simultaneously it really works as a perfect piece of ambient music. 'Crime Scene' starts with a long intro with sounds generated from gongs and percussion. Halfway Vloeimans enters the scene with this Hassell-like trumpetplaying, and a beat is added. 'A Moody Guy's Audible Dream' sounds like a nightmare. It is the most noisy piece, if it ever comes that far on Banabila albums, filled uneasy and detailed sounds. We have to add that all the pieces on this second album were functionally composed for theatre plays, video and documentaries like the music on that other double compilation album 'Hilarious Expedition' (2005). This is where Banabila makes his money I suppose, as a deserved international breakthrough is still to be awaited...
Banabila is assisted by his old companion Yasar Saka, playing loud in 'Yasar-Salar session' and Eric Vloeimans on trumpet in three tracks. Specials mentioning deserves the guitarplaying by Anton Goudsmit in 'Ears tell us where we are in space'. With the help of these and other musicians, Banabila does it again: an album of warm and well constructed global ambient music.
