Imogen Heap: Propeller Seeds

To date, the English artist Imogen Heap has released just three albums in a career spanning 14 years but with every release featuring a distinctive take on the Singer Songwriter style of composition which utilises at points highly advanced application of electronics. In 'Propeller Seeds,' the first single form her highly anticipated sequel to 2009's 'Ellipse' album, the entire track has been written and mixed binaurally in collaboration with Nick Ryan, an audio specialist, to create an immersive 3D soundscape, placing the listener in the shoes of the performer.

Imogen Heap - Propeller Seeds from Imogen Heap on Vimeo.

Listeners are advised that the 3D effect can only be perceived when listening on headphones.

As is typical for Heap, the instrumentation is purposefully limited to a small number of instruments to let the singer's voice shine through. The piece begins with sampled tuned metallic strikes before Heap enters alongside a number of background voices which create the impression of an audience providing a commentary of the music as it slowly unfolds. As the piece develops, instrumentation thickens to include various percussive elements and a bass line, mixed to create a pleasing character to the music.

As with much of Heap's work, the music takes on a complicated structure rather than the typical verse-chorus structure used by many of her counterparts. The artist does however choose to add extra emphasis to the lines

"What’s happening here? 

I’m growing roots through my toes 

And leaves from my fingertips"

                   as they are the only lines to be repeated in the music, giving it otherwise a free-verse impression. While this could be considered to be a naive subversion of commonplace musical form, it is a technique central to the artist's aesthetic and is accomplished in a truly laudable way. Through the complicated musical structure, Heap creates a very interesting narrative arc which draws the listener in and sustains their interest until the piece's ultimate conclusion.

With the release of this single, fans are undoubtedly highly excited for the next Imogen Heap album and based on the quality of this single, rightly so.

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ElectroCelt: Ocean Reef

As part of The Sonic Music Review's ongoing championing of original electronic music talent, it is with great pleasure that we feature 'Ocean Reef,' a 2011 EP by the electronic artist Geoff Keogh, better known by his recording name ElectroCelt. The artist's career began with the release of the 2008 album 'Digital Fields' which led to the subsequent release of further material. Having signed to Bubblectro Records the artist released the 'Ocean Reef' EP, featuring material from the upcoming release 'Strange Elements.'

ElectroCelt: 'Ocean Reef'

The artist in their biography, available here, contextualises their creative practice within the aesthetics of acts such as Tangerine Dream. These acts themselves have frequently featured on The Sonic Music Review, setting a fearsome standard for artists influenced by them to achieve. The first track, 'Emerald Sand' even goes as far as to reference Tangerine Dream tracks, for one with an introductory sample highly reminiscent of the imitative birdsong in Tangerine Dream's 'White Clouds' and later with an overt reference to 'Stratosfear' as the track approaches its conclusion.

Much of the material on offer fuses sequenced synthetic elements with well programmed percussion and a large number of complementary musical textures which combine to give a highly cinematic quality to the work, at times informed by the aesthetics of ambient music and at other points the music takes on several core characteristics of european music, creating a great degree of excitement and dynamism which captures and sustains the listener's avid interest.

Timbrally, much of the work boasts great sophistication, a production value inherited from the various acts which influence ElectroCelt. Considering the quality of mixing, an area often complicated greatly with the interaction of multiple musical layers, the artist once more deserves praise for the clarity of the material on offer.

ElectroCelt during a 2010 live performance

As the album draws to a close in the final track, 'Subzero Limits,' the artist displays commendable consideration for the narrative arc, shaping the album through the evolution and development of musical moods. This particular track largely consists of synthetic pads and electric guitar, underpinned by the soft movements of a sequenced bassline. This combination is brought together to create a very soothing work which functions well as ambient music.

Overall, the 'Ocean Reef' EP displays a great talent from the artist, with a sophisticated and conscious approach to composition that many artists would do well to note. It has been a great pleasure to feature on The Sonic Music Review and we wish ElectroCelt every success with their future endeavours. To find out more, their Reverbnation page can be found here.

If you represent original Electronic music talent and wish to submit your music to The Sonic Music Review, please get in touch, we'd love to hear from you.

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Ex Machina: Line Of Time

The Sonic Music Review is always delighted to receive music submissions. Following a recent email from Claudio Chiriatti and Tobias Schwerdt, better known under their recording name Ex Machina, we are delighted to feature their latest work, 'Line Of Time' on the site. This album is the fourth studio work by Ex Machina to be released digitally on the German Fuego label, a detail the act made clear, noting that since their 1999 debut digital distribution and promotion has been their major outlet.

Ex Machina: Line Of Time

For Ex Machina, 'Line Of Time' is the first release to feature vocals alongside the thick electronic textures which constitute much of the act's output. The album begins with 'Head Up (In The Sky),' utilising a somewhat peaceful piano led introduction before introducing various electronic lines alongside the lead vocal line. This piece displays a notable influence from new wave acts and opens the album well, subsequently segueing into 'Dreamer' which features a less imposing sound world, again with a noticeable influence from 80's musical styles.

The album proves an intriguing listen and the stylistic differences between tracks such as 'Garage CLZ' and the softer setting of 'In Grief' which is reminiscent of Tangerine Dream's collaboration with Joycelyn Bernadette Smith for the track 'Tyger' from their album of the same name. The track here combines various synthetic elements with electric piano lines in place of the harsher distorted tones seen in other tracks. Considering 'Glorious,' a more sequenced approach is seen, making this track most comparable to the synthpop movement of the 80's, again, contributing a welcome sense of variety to the release.

"line of time" full length album preview by ex_machina

The album concludes with four instrumental versions of some of the albums best material in the vein of the act's previous work. Under careful listening in isolation from vocals, one appreciates even more the variety in the arrangements and some may prefer these mixes. This inclusion once more adds an additional dimension to the release. For fans of electronic music, Ex Machina's latest offering proves highly intriguing and the recent addition of vocals is a welcome development of the band's sound.

For more information about the band, including previous releases, visit the official website at machina-online.de. If you represent electronic music talent and would like to submit music to The Sonic Music Review, please get in touch here. We would like to take this opportunity to wish Ex Machina great success in their career and thank them for their submission.

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Tangerine Dream: The Island Of The Fay

With the 2011 release of ‘The Endless Season,’ reviewed here, the end of Tangerine Dream’s long running Five Atomic Seasons series was marked. Invigorated by the success and popularity of this programmatic series, the band quickly released ‘The Island Of The Fay,’ the first in a new series, the Eastgate Sonic Poems series, setting to poetry to music. This particular release takes as its basis ‘The Island Of The Fay’ by Edgar Allan Poe, published in 1841.

Tangerine Dream: The Island Of The Fay

The poem itself revolves around a fantasy setting of an island occupied by fairies, ultimately leading to the conclusion in which the narrator compares the death of a fairy with the fading sight of a tree in darkening water. The work ends by depicting the fade into complete darkness.

The album begins with ‘Beauty Of Magic Antagonism,’ which sets the tone for the entire release, one of melancholic optimism. Sonically, the release clearly occupies a similar soundworld seen in the Five Atomic Seasons series, comparable best with the concluding work in the series, ‘The Endless Season.’ The band combine their trademark harpsichord timbres with various electronic overtones and background sequenced elements, presenting a very well rounded and precise sonic palette which is further enhanced by the releases commendable clarity of production.

The band’s output can often be characterised by large anthemic writing using a thick multitude of textures or as more ambient writing with a calculated thinner number of textures. ‘Breath Kissing Matter’s Mouth’ falls into the latter category and is remarkable in the way in which despite being led largely by a long running sequence, the music retains a fascinating element which draws the listener in and retains their attention throughout the nine-minute duration.

The concluding track, ‘Moment Of Floating Into The Light’ finally realises the allusions to optimism which occur as brief references throughout the album. Ultimately however the piece descends into a tone of mystery as the sound finally fades into the darkness Poe so suggested. As the first in a new series, it would be premature to base great assumptions based upon a single work, but this release lays a firm foundation for a number of eagerly anticipated sequels.

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Scenic: The Ones

The outcome of more Twitter prowling - it is a great pleasure to feature the debut composition by Scenic, a DJ and progressive electro artist from Los Angeles. 'The Ones' as the artist notes from their various Twitter updates (@iamscenic) that this is their first original release which, when one considers the accomplished compositional and production talent which is clear on this track, seems remarkable. The polish seen throughout this track is clearly the result of many hours' work and a wealth of experience within the field.

Scenic - The Ones (Original Mix) by scenic

Taking into account the stylistic origins of this track which lie within progressive electro/house aesthetics and the artist's work as a DJ, the inclusion of an extended introduction is not unexpected. Given that this is not an edited version of the track, it seems only fitting. The craft seen in the construction of the introduction is worth note, given that a large number of Scenic's contemporaries often neglect this section, much to the detriment of their own work. The inclusion of a recurring melodic melodic idea which transitions from the background throughout this section gives clear shape and avoids the cliche of using a solitary looped drum pattern to constitute an introduction.

This track runs at over ten minutes, with enough material to possibly even construct a short EP from. This inevitably creates an interesting musical structure throughout which Scenic weaves musical references to the thematic material of previous sections. The writing is typified with the use of thick synthetic instrumentation reminiscent of Deadmau5 and other House music writing. The whole structure plays upon two clear soundworlds which later reconcile, those being the clear House/Electro sections seen at the beginning and the softer excerpts which borrow stylistically from trance music such as the fall at 2:02 ("We are...").

Scenic during a 2010 DJ performance

Following the build up led by the vocoded vocal samples enters a very professional patchwork of material forming a further section which is reminiscent of both Daft Punk and Pendulum, a highlight of the track. This is echoed later having created and resolved various [musical] structural tensions, drawing attention to the calculated approach to instrumentation which varies throughout to add interest. At this point it is worth noting the commendable regard for mixing seen throughout this track, a credit to Scenic as a producer.

 From its conception, The Sonic Music Review has always been intended to act as an outlet where original works by upcoming artists can feature and get the recognition they deserve. It is a great pleasure to feature today a remarkable first original work by Scenic and we wish the artist the greatest of success.

If you represent an electronic music act and would like to submit your music, please get in touch here or find us on Twitter @SubsonicWinter.

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The Human league: Credo

Just when everyone assumed that The Human League had called it quits in the studio with their waning relevance to popular music, 2011 marked the release of ‘Credo,’ their first studio album in ten years, following 2001’s ‘Secrets’ album. As a point of interest, this album comes an incredible three decades after their storming debut ‘Dare.’ This album presents further refinement to the band’s output, both compositionally and in terms of production.

The Human League: Credo

This album reconciles a refined take on 80’s synthpop in terms of soundworld with a partially reinvented style which on the surface would appear to combine Kraftwerk with latter day Pet Shop Boys aesthetics. That said, the album remains quintessentially Human League by nature through the minimal yet accomplished synth writing accompanied by Philip Oakey’s unsubtle yet smooth vocals leading several tracks but frequently employing the vocal talents of Susan Ann and Joanne Catherall who complete the trio’s lineup.

The album opens with ‘Never Let Me Go,’ decadent in references to the band’s early days in terms of timbres chosen but further adorned with contemporary techniques such as auto-tuning. ‘Never Let Me Go’ is the second single to be released from the album and is quickly followed by the premiere single ‘Night People,’ released several months prior to the album, largely as a call to fans that “The Human League lives!” The 5:30 runtime of ‘Night People’ draws attention to the way in which the band have accomplished an extended form to the majority of the tracks on this release while maintaining heightened anticipation by the listener, avoiding the typical boring cliche of 8 bar loops rising and falling.

Some tracks, such as ‘Egomaniac’ are particularly notable for their ability to evoke new moods alongside the generally [purposefully] disjointed quality of several pieces, for which the band first found fame. In this track for example the key vocal harmony is interspersed between dark synthetic writing and urgent electronic percussion. The chorus of this song also proves to be particularly effective, enforcing the maintained dark theme.

While much of the album veers toward the heavily sequenced, mechanical musical style pioneered by Kraftwerk many years previous, brief instances exist such as ‘Breaking The Chains’ which exhibit a greater reliance on strong grooves, a mainstay of earlier Human League output. In this particular track, the brief uses of stuttering and other common modern day effects add to the listeners interest. This album certainly marks a welcome return to the studio for the band.


View Tracklisting

Tracklisting:

1. Never Let Me Go
2. Night People
3. Sky
4. Into The Night
5. Egomaniac
6. Single Minded
7. Electric Shock
8. Get Together
9. Privilege
10. Breaking The Chains
12. When The Stars Start To Shine

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Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto: Summvs

Following the release of multiple collaborative EP’s between Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto, including ‘Insen’ in 2005 which is reviewed here, the latest release in the series, ‘Summvs’ presents further refinement in this highly unusual combination of improvised piano performance and digital processing. This album also sees a more experimental approach of writing with a more sophisticate soundworld achieved through the digital processing of far more dissonant piano performance compared to some of the earlier releases in the series.

Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto: Summvs

The release contains 10 tracks, running at approximately an hour in length. Some of the most interesting material lies within the trio of compositions entitled ‘Microon I’, II and III which illustrate a curiously ambient approach from Alva Noto who is best known as a proponent of the burgeoning glitch electronica tradition. As alluded to briefly earlier, throughout these tracks Sakamoto’s piano performance incorporates a more experimental approach to harmony, employing extended passages of dissonant chord constructions.

The ambient treatment of Sakamoto’s piano performance continues through to other tracks beyond the ‘Microon’ trio, tracks such as ‘Halo’ continue in this vein. In this track for example Noto creates extended sustained drones from a piano performance that at first could be mistaken as a Debussy work. From even a brief listen to the material on offer, the progression in terms of timbres achieved electronically from earlier releases in the series is conspicuous, as is an improved approach to audio production.

Having noted the enhancements to timbre achieved throughout this album, it is pertinent to mention in particular ‘Pioneer IOO’ which acts as a very interesting ‘missing link’ between Alva Noto’s glitch and ambient aesthetics, incorporating various glitch elements alongside the drone-based processing seen in other tracks. This occurs while Sakamoto creates a piano performance around a somewhat ‘bluesy’ scale set, later also using prepared piano techniques, originally introduced by John Cage, which blend well within this psudo-electronic setting.

This album proves to be one of the finest releases in Alva Noto’s series of collaborations with Sakamoto and remains highly original in its conceptual origins.



View Tracklisting

Tracklisting:

1. Microon I
2. Reverso
3. Halo
4. Microon II
5. Pioneer IOO
6. Ionoscan
7. By This River
8. Naono
9. Microon III
10. By This River - Phantom

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Daft Punk/Various: Tron Legacy - Reconfigured

Following the completion and release of some of the finest house/electronic film scores of the past year, Daft Punk's seminal score to the Disney film 'Tron: Legacy,' reviewed here, a remix album entitled 'Tron Legacy - Reconfigured' (stylised as 'R3CONF1GUR3D'), containing 15 remixes of some of the most popular tracks in the soundtrack, including remixes by big names of the club scene, such as Paul Oakenfold and Moby.

Daft Punk, Remixed By Various: Tron Legacy - Reconfigured

The release as a whole captures Daft Punk's aesthetic aims in producing an exciting and varied programme of largely house music but frequently recontextualizes the duo's creative practice, in many cases adding a much harsher edge, such is the case in the Teddybears' remix of 'Adagio For Tron' and the Boys Noize remix of 'End Of Line.' This inevitably attracts a new kind of audience who naturally veer towards alternative forms of electronic music which strives for a harsher sound world than a typical House artist for example.

The Release itself begins with a remix of 'Derezzed' by The Glitch Mob. This particular track is also seen later, remixed by Avicii also. While The Glitch Mob's remix takes on a similar sound world to the original, as the original track itself is comprised mostly from a single musical idea of the meandering, leaping and falling synth riff, The Glitch Mob proves slightly unconvincing as little new material is added by the remix. Contrasting this with the later Avicii remix, which employs a 'lighter' and non-threatening trance-influenced sonic palette and adds several new musical ideas, relegating the main riff to a background track for continuity's sake, the Avicii remix proves far more convincing. It should be noted that the disparity in styles means that the two tracks  do not compete for the same audience per se, rendering such a comparison as unfair for the dedicated followers of one of the styles in particular.

With such a wide and varied track listing, it is hard to note all the worthy tracks but the Com Truise remix of 'Ecom Part 2,' Pretty Lights remix of 'Solar Sailer' and Crystal Method remix of 'The Grid' are all noteworthy for their own individual musical achievements. Overall, this release serves as a great expansion upon Daft Punk's original work.

View Tracklisting

Tracklisting:

1. "Derezzed" (The Glitch Mob)
2. "Fall" (M83 vs. Big Black Delta)
3. "The Grid" (The Crystal Method)
4. "Adagio for Tron" (Teddybears)
5. "The Son of Flynn" (Ki:Theory)
6. "C.L.U." (Paul Oakenfold)
7. "The Son of Flynn" (Moby)
8. "End of Line" (Boys Noize)
9. "Rinzler" (Kaskade)
10. "ENCOM, Part II" (Com Truise)
11. "End of Line" (Photek)
12. "Arena" (The Japanese Popstars)
13. "Derezzed" (Avicii)
14. "Solar Sailer" (Pretty Lights)
15. "Tron Legacy End Titles"

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Kilo: Baker Street To Ibiza

Having recently joined Twitter [@SubsonicWinter], the progressive house artist Kilo was quick to ‘follow’ The Sonic Music Review. Having investigated the DJ/producer’s Soundcloud page, we are pleased to feature ‘Bakerstreet To Ibiza,’ one of the most original cover versions to be featured on this blog, the track itself being an instrumental cover of Gerry Rafferty’s anthemic ‘Baker Street.’

Baker Street To Ibiza by Kilo


The track in question is not uncommon in being a cover of ‘Baker Street,’ with big names such as the Foo Fighters producing cover versions, but the Trance-influenced House setting seen in Kilo’s mix is far unlike any other cover of the song. While the premise of covering such an iconic song seems absurd at first, upon hearing Kilo’s interpretation of the lead theme on a euphoric trance lead synth, it seems meant to be.

Kilo notes on their website, available here, that Deadmau5 proved both highly influential and inspirational, the track ‘I Remember’ motivating the producer to the feat of producing over 50 original works within 6 months. The Deadmau5 influence upon Kilo’s work is most evident through the clever drum programming and timbrally therein as well. The syncopation of the main melody works particularly well against the strong 4/4 beat laid out by the various percussive elements.

As is typical within the genre, the arrangement runs at quite a lengthy 7:19 but by virtue of well considered arranging by the artist, the track maintains a listener’s attention despite the limited musical material afforded by the original track. The tempo runs at a steady 125bpm which could, and in likelihood would, be increased when played to a live audience by a DJ, but the track would be right at home at the dancefloor, unsurprising given the extensive DJ experience Kilo notes in their bio.

This highly original work is well worth a listen for any fans of house or trance music and is downloadable for free via the artist's Soundcloud page. Readers are also encouraged to listen to the other work by this talented artist which is hosted on the official Kilo website here.

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Eyethought: Suburbia (Original Mix) Review

The Sonic Music Review is proud to feature once again music submitted by an unsigned artist to the blog. Eyethought is an electronic music producer from Mississauga, Ontario who according to their bio has been "producing beats for the last 5 years," also performing at a variety of events across Ontario as a beatboxer. The track here featured is entitled 'Suburbia,' a recent composition of the artist.

As noted by the brief description which accompanies the YouTube upload, the track here featured is constructed around a single highly syncopated riff, which sees a clear initial exposition at the track's beginning, which is quickly superposed onto a steady rhythmic backing of programmed beats and modulating string textures which steadily rise and fall within the arrangement by virtue of side chaining.

The arrangement later develops to introduce additional synthetic timbres and, at 1:46, the character of the piece takes on an altogether more sinister tone which is, to an extent, also purposefully disorientating, contributing well to the music as a whole and particularly apt for this style of writing. The synthetic chords introduced at this point provide much stronger functioning harmony to the section. Small variations in the rhythmic elements add further interest, although the use of stutter editing circa BT or Daft Punk's 'Derezzed,' part of their electronic house soundtrack to Tron: Legacy, reviewed here, could add to the effect.

As the piece reaches its conclusion, the original riff returns, along with the most overt melodic material seen in the arrangement. As the off beat synth idea reappears and various elements drop from the musical texture, the piece ends, running at a 5:36 runtime in total. The music benefits from an interesting arrangement with several subtle variations throughout though the production of a radio edit may make the track more accessible to new listeners. In any case, this is a very welcome addition to the features seen on The Sonic Music Review and we would like to wish Eyethought the greatest success in the future.

If you represent an unsigned electronic music act and would like to submit your music to be featured, please get in touch with The Sonic Music Review.

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Praise To The Machine: Everything Is Noise

The Sonic Music Review is glad to once again feature an unsigned act who have submitted music for review, in this case, the swedish electronica group Praise To The Machine. As described in their brief bio which accompanied the group's submission, the group first started as a duo in 2009, later adding a third member in 2010, also contextualising their creative practice within the aesthetics of the late 80's/early 90's synth pop scene.



The heavily influence of the 80's synthpop movement on Praise To The Machine's output is notable, rendering a musical style which is particularly comparable to Depeche Mode due to the synthetic instrumentation, style of writing and strong baritone lead vocals. The piece begins with the various synthetic elements which underpin the majority of the track - electronic percussive elements and gated bassline.

The track proves particularly interesting as it develops into the chorus section which adds several more synth parts. The heavily sequenced impression given by the various gated synth parts draws further reference to various examples of Depeche Mode or New Order's output which epitomised 80's synthpop writing to a large degree. The use of instrumental sections later add interest, breaking up a verse-chorus based structure which forms the basis for the track's structure.

In terms of quality of production, this piece once more references the techniques and values seen in much of the musical repertoire of the 80's. Each of the track's elements are clearly audible amid the thick synthetic orchestration and the use of the stereo field is accomplished, as is the depth of field seen between the vocals and synthetic elements. The application of reverb and use of vocal backing harmonies further suggests a heavy influence of the 80's production style on this track.

This track is a welcome throwback to the music of yesteryear and, to the faithful children of the 80's, many will prefer the band's compositional and production values to that of contemporary synthpop artists such as La Roux or Little Boots, who draw heavy influence from the same repertoire while writing and producing in a style which panders more to the popular music audience of today. The band's output is well worth a listen and further releases are very eagerly anticipated. For more information and to listen to the band's music, visit the band's official page here.

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Depeche Mode: Personal Jesus (The Stargate Mix)

Depeche Mode are known for their iconic synth pop and fame as one of the seminal acts of the 80's. Recent remixes of past works have bought their sound up to date with contemporary pop and dance music. This particular track, 'The Stargate Mix' of 'Personal Jesus' from the band's 'Violator' album, reviewed here.

Depeche Mode: Personal Jesus 2011

'Personal Jesus' at the time of writing back in 1990 was the first single from 'Violator.' Fiercely promoted, it became one of the band's biggest singles. This remix introduces a synthetic soundworld in place of the guitar led alternative blues style of the original, the new style being comparable to many works by the band themselves.

The piece is lively and upbeat and contains a 12/8 feel metre in place of the clear 4/4 time of the origional. Throughout the arrangement, the synthetic timbres develop although greater variety between each verse could be achieved to great effect. With a 3:40 runtime and little variation of timbres between each repeated section, a slight sense of monotony creeps in when actively listened to.

It is interesting that the track has seen very diverse covers and remixes - on one hand, this particular dance and pop influenced remix is crafted for the dancefloor, while on the other hand this piece has been covered by Heavy Metal icon Marilyn Manson among others, presenting a great variety in the musical context of the song. This particular track comes from a recent release of remixed material, when browsing the sheer number of remixes available, it goes to show the great skill of the band and their sustained longevity.

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Lightphaser: Eternity

Following another community submission from the readers of The Sonic Music Review, we are delighted to feature a 2011 EP by Lightphaser entitled 'Eternity,' a highly professional EP of Industrial Electronica. According to the artist's bio, available from the Lightphaser website here, the Lightphaser project first started in 1998, heavily influenced by EBM music, 'Electronic Body Music,' a term to describe a form of Industrial Dance music, first coined by Ralf Hutter of Kraftwerk. Following a hiatus of several years, the project became active once more in 2008, subsequently self-releasing further material, most recently 'Eternity.'

Lightphaser: Eternity

The EP consists of seven tracks, mostly remixes of tracks from an earlier album, 'Flashback.' The EP begins with 'Control (Dominance Remix),' a clear exposition of the dark Industrial style used throughout with an influence from trance music also apparent. The following track, 'Eternity (Nanowave)' continues in this vein, underpinned by a relentless and mysterious arpeggiated synthesiser part, a highlight of the material on offer. For Industrial music, it is curious the way in which this particular track can function also as ambient music may, allowing some comparison to be made to The Orb, which incorporate several contrasting musical styles into their own ambient output.

'Out Of Time (Running Late Remix),' underpinned by various ostinatos which produce a great sense of urgency, features several interesting musical elements. For one, the contrast in tonality between major and minor elements which occurs throughout gives a disorientating quality to the music, complimenting the style in which it is written.

The EP draws to a close with 'Deadlock' which revisits the hint of ambient writing seen earlier in a much more overt manner, intact also employing the arpeggiated synthesiser idea seen earlier. Following an excerpt of uptempo writing, 'Deadlock' begins and concludes with examples of drone based composition.

Overall, the material on offer in 'Eternity' is of excellent quality, displaying great talent from this independent Industrial artist, a fitting example which many in the field could aspire to. For more information and to download the EP, visit the Lightphaser website here.

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Lady Gaga: Judas (Hurts Remix)

Over the past few years, Lady Gaga has established herself as one of the biggest pop sensations of the decade. With her most recent release, 'Born This Way,' she stunned onlookers while delighting her fans with a great development of her dance-based singer songwriter style to a darker method of writing. Of note is a remix from the second single to be released from the album.

Lady Gaga: Judas - The Remixes

This single was specifically chosen due to its deviation from Gaga's more pop-oriented offerings, remixing her hit with a clear low-fi aesthetic comparable in a way to some of Soulwax's output. The track is adorned with groans, distorted bass lines and electronic processing to create a highly unique work.

The Remix begins with the groans which underpin the entire track, accompanied by Gaga's own vocals, processed even more than in her own albums. As is the norm for a remix, harmony has been embellished along with instrumentation, the chorus proving to be particularly interesting due to the noticeable warbling and variable speed of the accompaniment. As the piece progresses, the drum programming becomes frantic and all instrumentation builds to a climax at 3:10 in which the piece deteriorates into a pulsing drone, accompanied later by processed guitar which ends the piece. 

While this is without doubt a great remix which develops Gaga's sound into a new setting, given the great deviation from the type of writing in her 'Born This Way' album, it is curious why such a remix could be conceived. Thankfully, this remix made it out and greatly diversifies the repertoire from this pop phenomenon, bringing it to a new audience of Electronic music lovers.

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Subsonic Winter: Scorched Ice

As part of ongoing reviews of works by independent artists alongside established stalwarts of the electronic music tradition, The Sonic Music Review presents a trio of works by Subsonic Winter. Effectively defenestrating any notion of impartiality with great aplomb but satisfying a desire for full disclosure, the artist here featured, Subsonic Winter, is an alias of The Sonic Music Review's cheif writer, Alex Harden.


CMC CW2 by Subsonic Winter

This trio of compositions begins with 'Scorched Ice,' a track which makes no secret of its influence from Tangerine Dream's output from their Independent years. The track begins with an exposition of a recurring theme, set in a dark and breathy timbre which immediately introduces the overriding brooding mood to this track. As the piece develops, additional musical material is added alongside development of the first section. Later, the piece becomes led by harmonic and sequenced material in place of melodic counterpoint, before returning for a final exposition of the primary theme which slowly crossfades into the following track, 'Wind Of Change.'

This second track takes on a more ambient style, taking a lead from Jean Michel Jarre's 'Geometry Of Love Album' (reviewed here). This track fuses a much slower rate of harmonic change and the extended use of sampled strings alongside various synthetic timbres which create a soothing atmosphere which contrasts against its predecessor. Another key element is the soundscape of singing birds and crickets which underpin the majority of the piece.

The third and final track, 'Aquamarine' exhibits a highly optimistic mood in comparison to the other tracks featured. This track also incorporates elements from trance music which is previously unseen. This short portfolio, lasting just over 13 minutes, was created as part of coursework for a degree in Creative Music Technology. If anyone has any comments or questions regarding this work or its conception, please contact the blog.

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Sepia Filter: Figure Eight

The Sonic Music Review is proud to feature once more the work of an emerging artist who submitted a track for review. The American Electronic artist Blake Miller, working under the alias of Sepia Filter, notes in their bio "Sepia Filter often contains an element of sadness or melancholy, but lately inspiration, hope, and destruction. The music is born out of the battle between these modes." In this particular track, the notion of destruction and conflict between emotion is particularly pertinent.

Sepia Filter: Figure Eight

The Track begins with a grumbly bass riff which continues throughout, quickly developing with a steady  beats in the style of Dr. Dre, whom Sepia Filter notes are a source of inspiration. There also lies a notable Kraftwerk influence through the use of sophisticated timbres and evolving sonic elements. As the piece develops, the composer recontextualises the mood of the piece and introduces new thematic material. While the talkbox-esque lead timbre could possibly be refined to fit more effectively in the mix, it illustrates one of the tracks strengths: suggested melody - the small melodic fragments work best due to the way they create material greater than the sum of its parts.

As the track reaches its climax, the theme of chaos and destruction is shown clearly through the approach to composition which employs multiple competing musical elements. This is reconciled, returning to previous material which develops as the musical elements fade to expose simply a ticking clock. The creation of dysphoria within the piece is achieved well but the variety seen throughout serves as the greatest credit to the artist.

To read more about Sepia Filter and listen to available tracks, click here.

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Solipsism: Let's Watch The Sunrise

Since this blog's conception, it has been a personal aspiration to establish a service to the wider musical community. For this reason, it brings great pleasure to review Craig Murphy, aka. Solipsism's 'Let's Watch The Sunrise' mini-album, following a suggestion by the artist.

The album begins with a synthetic drone based title track, 'Let's Watch The Sunrise' which gradually evolves texturally with gentle overtones and gentle modulation effects. As seen in many New Age music, there is a noticeable Ambient influence and, to a degree, the La Monte Young school of Minimalist music composition.

The second track, 'No Destination In Mind' continues to evoke the calm mood expressed in its predecessor with thicker musical textures. This is also seen in the later track 'Horizon' which employs metallic rings and gently modulating undertones also seen later as the album reaches conclusion in 'MirrororriM.'

While some readers may be unfamiliar with the practices of New Age music, the calming atmospheres in this album make it a very appropriate introduction.

More information about Solipsism can be found at their website, http://www.solipsism.co.cc/.

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