REVIEWS reviews...... sounds...... pictures...... words...... links...... info written by Phil Derby, a writer for Wind and Wire The Foundry MOTE The Foundry (1999) Time: 56.53 The Foundry is a fascinating label with unique, experimental music and sound collages. Most if not all of the music is created by the label's founder, Michael Bentley, under various pseudonyms, depending on the style of music. For example, his eM project is experimentation in the extreme, using static, feedback loops, noise, and samples. On the other hand, releases under the name Rhomb (Bentley again, along with Nathan Kreisberg) are quite accessible, with synthesizers arranged in a more melodic sense. As The Apiary, Bentley records in yet another plane of ambient music, more accessible than eM but decidedly different than Rhomb. If this doesn't make much sense, it may after listening to Mote, a collection of material which spans the musical spectrum. The disc is carefully arranged in a continuum, beginning with the strangest experiments and ending with more melodic pieces, though all of it is richly complex and interesting.        The 46-second title track opens things with assorted odd noises, very reminiscent of the album Greater Than One Less Than Zero, a truly unique abstract painting of noise. Certain things are so unique that perhaps only the artist himself understands the message, and I won't try here. For fans of frightful dark drones and experimental ambience, "The Bridge" is a scary but thrilling 10-minute ride through the oddest assortment of electronic textures, combined with haunting violin by Susan Worland. When I say haunting, don't take the term lightly. If you thought Robert Rich and Lustmord's Stalker was too light and airy for your taste, you'll like this. I honestly don't think I could play this one at night, ever. This is richly intense music, almost too much for the senses. Heaven help me, I think I like it! The rest of the disc consists of much shorter pieces, not nearly so frightening. "Subaqua" is a blend of noises and synthesizers, or perhaps treated guitars. It is similar in character to Biosphere's Substrata disc, which is one of my favorite CDs. Next comes "Reverie," which strikes me as having a humorous tone. Though it has a lot of layered unusual sounds with a somewhat dark tinge, there is a lightly bouncing bass line that just makes me giggle.        "Occluded Forms" is a standout piece of ambience, in the finest tradition of Eno and others who first recognized the power of quiet music. Soft and subtle, breathtakingly beautiful, but far from new age. Practically the definition of ambient music. "Shoals of Stars" is virtually certain to appeal to fans of drone music, particularly in the style of older Robert Rich. Even the smaller tracks, at one to two minutes, are gems. "Dark Passage," like some of Rhomb's other work, reminds me a bit of Patrick O'Hearn's textures. "Rods and Cones" is an interesting sound experiment. I can almost imagine the neurons firing in my eye would sound something like this. If you are a fan of truly experimental music, you will like the first few tracks best. If, like me, you like somewhat unusual music, but not too weird, you will like the later tracks better. In any case, all of it is a fascinating listen, and it holds together surprisingly well, considering the diversity of musical ideas presented. It will be a CD that will attract a lot of attention, I think. It is a very bold musical statement from a label that continues to fascinate me.