|
|
news - what's the latest?
|
from AmbiEntrance 10/2002 upload
written by David Opdyke
http://www.ambientrance.org/1002/
Jonathan Hughes - Trillium (The Foundry/Hypnos - 2002)
Trillium's scientific-sounding title is in fact botanical (as the liner notes reveal) so let's just say Jonathan Hughes eargarden blooms with new hybrids of ambient music and interestingly transplanted soundforms.
The swirly synth-cyclonic waves of disc-opener imatra are imbued with a steadily-sizzling cycle of gritty accompaniment. alta ventures forth into phantasmally billowing mists of tonality and atmosphere speckled with particle activities. The seductively soft gauze of lua (10:36) is adorned with sparsely-applied piano twinklings and eventually backed by a slowed-down hip-hop rhythm (and is also laced with those crackly sensations, which here occasionally reveal their origins as shortwave transmissions).
Dreamlike environments and heavy water flows from a mesmerizing droneworld whose irradiated skies ripple with unusual sounds (perhaps the "weird noises" contributed by michael bentley), sparkling notelets and subtle percussion. ganymede rises on deep bass pulsations and textural rhythm grains; the track makes an unexpected detour when lanky slide-guitar sounds suddenly gleam onto the scene... a pleasant surprise actually.
Warmly glowing drones bloom from Jonathan Hughes ' trillium;expect loosely-defined contours and serene sounds and even a few more-"musical" moments. Nicely done. A-
Another winner from Foundry/Hypnos.
This review posted 10.06.02 - AmbiEntrance © 2002-1997 by David J Opdyke