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AMAZING SOUNDS No.101 / March 15, 2001
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CONTENTS:

NEWS

CUSCO, SOUTH AMERICAN SOUND FOR THE NEW MILLENIUM. After about
twenty albums and the same amount of years, the band Cusco has
succeeded in reaching a well-merited position in the international
panorama of the alternative musics with a peculiar style whose
most successful trend is the one based on the folk roots of South
America to embark on the paths near to pop and classical
symphonism.

REVIEWS:
ASHRA TEMPEL: "GIN ROSE AT THE ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL" Manikin
ASHRA TEMPEL: "FRIENDSHIP" Manikin
RAMP: "FROZEN RADIOS"
SPYRA: "HOMELISTENING IS KILLING CLUBS" Manikin
DANIEL PEMBERTON & CHARLES UZELL EDWARDS: "ENHANCED ENVIRONMENTS"
Subversal Records
VARIOUS: "COUSTEAU'S DREAM" Real Music
VARIOUS: "ESM - ELECTRONIC SPANISH MUSIC" Lightnet Music
VARIOUS: "ELECTROACOUSTIC MUSIC VOLUME VI" Electroshock

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NEWS

NEW RELEASES / RE-RELEASES / DISTRIBUTIONS
(For more information and sound clips, use the links)

Deuter & Dunster & Kamal & Anuvida: "Journey Into The Light"

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004SGS4/thesciencebookbo

Deuter: "Garden Of The Gods"

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004SGS4/thesciencebookbo

Mario Vaz De Mello: "Bamboo Shadows"

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000056PZB/thesciencebookbo

====================

CUSCO, SOUTH AMERICAN SOUND FOR THE NEW MILLENIUM

After about twenty albums and the same amount of years, the band
Cusco has succeeded in reaching a well-merited position in the
international panorama of the alternative musics with a peculiar
style whose most successful trend is the one based on the folk
roots of South America to embark on the paths near to pop and
classical symphonism.

Although several artists have collaborated with Cusco both as
composers and performers, the basic nucleus is formed around the
duo integrated by Michael Holm and Christian Schultze, both having
long recording trajectories, and being well known in the world of
the alternative musics. From both, Michael Holm can be defined as
the "alma mater" of Cusco, due to the fact that his degree of
involvement in the project of Cusco is the highest.

A DENSE MUSICAL TRAJECTORY
Michael Holm became interested in music since he was a child.
The family environment was certainly adequate, since his father
and four brothers and sisters constituted a sort of family
orchestra playing the piano, the violin, the flute and other
instruments. From that time, Holm recalls with a special feeling
the role of flutist that in that sextet he was assigned, and he
told me once that the presence of the flute in the albums by Cusco
is to a great extent due to his pleasant, precocious experience as
a flutist.
With this background it is not surprising that the young
Michael would waste no time to initiate his own professional
career as a musician. He did so in 1963, at age twenty, as a
singer and songwriter.
Several years would have to pass until the Cusco project
arose. For fifteen years, Holm worked his path into the musical
world, becoming a successful professional musician, devoted to
diverse musical tasks, including that of production.

SOUTH AMERICA: THE STARTING POINT
In 1978, Holm experienced what would lead him to the creation
of Cusco. That year he travelled throughout South America. The
contact with the culture, the peoples, the landscapes, deeply
impressed the musician, exciting him and providing him with strong
doses of inspiration. The human side of the inhabitants of the
places he visited was, in a special manner, a decisive factor:
"The peoples treated us in such a friendly, warm way, that I
believe that the feeling of warmth in the music by Cusco is a
reflection of the great friendship and the good heart these people
welcomed us with".
Until 1979, Holm had mostly been in charge of the production
of numerous releases. Then, his desire to explore new musical
aspects by means of synthesizers, led him to plan the production
of his own compositions, either solo or with the collaboration of
other musicians. The experience lived the previous year in south
America determined to a great extent the stylistic orientation of
his initiative.
Holm counted with Rainer Pietsch, Kristian Schultze and other
artists for the project. He had been in contact with Schultze
since 1976, the year when the creation of a sort of embryo of what
Cusco was to be can be placed. The music, composed by Holm and
several of these musicians, integrated "Desert Island", the first
album of the band.
Despite all the success that Holm had had with his pop
productions, he faced many difficulties to release the album. He
only found a small Japanese label interested in the project. Under
this one the CD was released. It harvested enough success to
guarantee the continued releases by Cusco. The two next albums
also had in Japan their main means of diffussion.
In 1986, another modest label, this time in North America,
became interested in Cusco. The same phenomenon that had occurred
in Japan was repeated in the United States. Cusco became a famous
name, a synonym of alternative music that at the same time turned
out to be available for a wide audience.
This success meant an important impulse for Cusco, although
Holm points out the fact that "This did not influenced the way we
developed our style". Another curious aspect about the
international acceptance of the band is, as Holm remarked to me,
the fact that Europe and most specially Germany, are the two
places where the difussion of their music is most scarce. It looks
like an obvious case of those that underline the truth in the
saying that "No one is a prophet in his own land", that is,
artists are usually valued more outside their country than in
their homeland.

CUSCO ON THE INSIDE
Holm describes his personal artistic goals as well as those of
the band with these words: "We intend to improve ourselves by
creating romantic melodies and warm sounds that constitute
acoustic brush strokes to paint images". With respect to this
"visual" capacity present in the compositions by Cusco, Holm is
convinced that "the style by Cusco is specially suitable for the
creation of movie soundtracks".
Cusco, through Holm and the other musicians that collaborate
in the project, utilize a wide variety of instruments in the
performance of their music. Nevertheless, Holm's preferences are
mostly directed, as he admitted some time ago, towards the
keyboards, the guitar and the percussion. These are the
instruments he works most comfortably with, and the ones that
provide greater possibilities for expression to the musical ideas
usually present in Cusco.
Before the question of whether he is aware that other
stylistic influences, apart from the South American one, are
present as well in the music by Cusco, Holm admits that it is so,
and he does not hide the fact that the most important ones are
classical music and German folklore, together with pop, rock, and
even Techno.
In one occasion I asked him about the contributions to Cusco's
style that have been made on the part of the musicians who have
collaborated together with him and Schultze. Holm pointed out the
work by Johan Daansen (guitar), Curt Cress (percussion), and the
Symphonic Orchestra and Choir of the State Opera of Munich,
stating that: "their performing styles are very well adjusted to
my artistic concept of Cusco".

(By Jorge Munnshe)

If you wish to purchase any recordings by Cusco you only
have to use this link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/artist-glance/94094/thesciencebookbo

====================

IN THE VIRTUAL SHOPS OF AMAZING SOUNDS AND AT-MOOSS RECORDS YOU
WILL FIND A SELECTION OF INSTRUMENTAL ELECTRONIC MUSIC MADE WITH
ANALOGIC AND LAST GENERATION SYNTHESIZERS

http://www.amazings.com/mailorder.html

http://www.arrakis.es/~at-mooss

====================

REVIEWS:

ASHRA TEMPEL:
"GIN ROSE AT THE ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL"
Manikin
On April, 2000 a singular event took place during the Cornucopea
Festival, in London. A concert by Ashra Tempel with basically the
original members of the year 1970. Since Manuel Gottsching has
been the only permanent member during all these years, this
concert featured Klaus Schulze as well. The third founding member,
Hartmut Enke, retired from the musical world since almost thirty
years ago, was doubtful, and in the end he chose not to take part.
Schulze and Gottsching performed a large suite with experimental
passages, whereas others were symphonic. A work not lacking in
rhythm that showed the side of Ashra Tempel nearest to the style
of Schulze. Gottsching played the guitars, whereas Schulze was in
charge of the keyboards and sequencers.
EDGAR KOGLER

If you wish to purchase this recording you only have to use this
link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004WLFW/thesciencebookbo

ASHRA TEMPEL:
"FRIENDSHIP"
Manikin
In this album once again we find Klaus Schulze and Manuel
Gottsching in Ashra Tempel, the band they founded in 1970 together
with Hartmut Enke, and which has continued to be functioning
during all these years with different members under the tutelage
given by Gottsching. Three long pieces are included in the CD.
Gottsching is in charge of the guitars,whereas Schulze is the one
who deals with the synthesizers, sequencers and effects.Throughout
the album the style nearest to Schulze predominates in a special
manner.
EDGAR KOGLER

If you wish to purchase this recording you only have to use this
link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004WLFV/thesciencebookbo

You can find more information about Ashra Tempel here, in Amazing
Sounds, at:

http://www.amazings.com/articles/article0005.html

If you wish to purchase any recordings by this band you only have
to use this link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/artist-glance/153942/thesciencebookbo

RAMP:
"FROZEN RADIOS"
Ramp
Frank Makowski and Stephen Parsick are the members of Ramp, a duo
of electronic music in the most powerful, cosmic path. In this
album they make an impressive display of futuristic sound
constructions. Powerful rhythms based on complex sequencers,
melodies brimming with mystery and drama, and a turmoil of
atmospheres, are the master guidelines of a solid work that shows
a display of fresh ideas, enthusiasm and a great energy.
JORGE MUNNSHE

SPYRA:
"HOMELISTENING IS KILLING CLUBS"
Manikin
Throughout nine track we embark on a journey to the most vital
areas in the meeting of the philosophy of Techno and that of the
School of Berlin. Thanks to the perfect fusion of elements of
both, the result posesses its own personality, of a very peculiar
nature. The rhythms, very elaborate as they are, have a primary
role, even if there are very static passages where the melody or
the abstract environmentspredominate. On the other hand, the
architecture of the themes veers off from the more conventional
structures, therefore providing the listener with the always
agreeable feeling of being voyaging along unexplored soundscapes.
EDGAR KOGLER

If you wish to purchase any recordings by this artist you only
have to use this link:

http://gemm.com/q.cgi?rb=AMAZINGS&artist=spyra

DANIEL PEMBERTON & CHARLES UZELL EDWARDS:
"ENHANCED ENVIRONMENTS"
Subversal Records
The combination of the talents of Daniel Pemberton and Charles
Uzell Edwards has given as a result in this album a series of
pieces that travel along the frontier areas of ambient.
Electronics is used to portray the nocturnal loneliness of some
industrial areas, the melancholy romanticism of a rainy evening in
the city, and other sound pictures.The two musicians are not
easily labelled within a given path, but rather work in a varied,
interesting range of paths.
VICENTE GISPERT

VARIOUS:
"COUSTEAU'S DREAM"
Real Music
Diverse artists of well merited prestige are gathered in
"Cousteau's Dream", an album, from whose benefits a part is aimed
at the Cousteau Society and other ecological organizations. As can
be deduced from the title, the music here selected is mostly
inspired by the ocean and its lifeforms. The contents of the album
is as follows: Vangelis: "West across the ocean sea", Kamal:
"Shakuhaji Tales", Richard Burmer: "Sun's Comin' Out", Aria: "Un
Bel Di". Yanni: "Secret Vows", Kitaro: "Nageki", Kenny G: "Theme
from Dying Young", Kevin Kern: "To Sleep on Angels' Wings", 2002:
"Stella Maris", Tim Wheater: "Circle's Edge", Michael Hoppe:
"Lachrymosa", Vangelis: "Eternity", Frederic Delarue: "Future of
the Sea"
HECTOR JORDAN

If you wish to purchase this recording you only have to use this
link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004X0E5/thesciencebookbo

If you wish to purchase any recordings by these artists you only
have to use these links:

Vangelis:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/artist-glance/42526/thesciencebookbo

Yanni:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/artist-glance/33680/thesciencebookbo

Richard Burmer:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/artist-glance/37248/thesciencebookbo

Kitaro:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/artist-glance/45228/thesciencebookbo

Kevin Kern:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/artist-glance/59017/thesciencebookbo

2002:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/artist-glance/59025/thesciencebookbo

Tim Wheater:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/artist-glance/6150/thesciencebookbo

Michael Hoppe:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/artist-glance/123069/thesciencebookbo

VARIOUS:
"ESM - ELECTRONIC SPANISH MUSIC"
Lightnet Music
A magnificient selection of electronic compositions, characterized
by an imaginative, powerful use of synthesizers and sequencers.
Throughout the most cosmic trends, these brilliant creators regal
us with strong emotions and ultraterrestrial sensations. The album
proves the excellent artistic moment that electronic music is
experiencing nowadays. The musicians in this CD have little or
nothing to envy from the famous artists in the genre, except for
the intensive commercial diffussion that ios given to the latter.
Thus we must be grateful for such initiatives as that of Lightnet
Music to provide us with a breeze of fresh air with the release of
sucjçh little jewels as this one. The contents of the CD is as
follows: David Ruiz: "Sincronic", Dom F. Scab: "Sin tesis", Jordi
Coloma: "11.000ºf", Random: "Electro república", Sergio Koval:
"Final departure", Bios: "The dark journey part 1", A.D.S.R.:
"Full Memory", Lightnet: "Black Pulsar", Javier Garcia:
"Parallax", Luis Alberto Naranjo: "Sphera V", Jürgens weird:
"London".
JORGE MUNNSHE

VARIOUS:
"ELECTROACOUSTIC MUSIC VOLUME VI"
Electroshock
In this new compilation of electroacoustic music, the label
Electroshock has gathered pieces from artists from all over the
world, composing with them a mosaic of different paths in
electroacoustic experimentation The contents of the CD are as
follows: Francesco Galante: "El mio presse e la notte", Antanas
Jasenka: "H3ORaj", Pete Stollery: "Peel", Adolfo Nuñez: "Noche
castellana", Carey Nutman: "Rituals do matter", Jorge Antunes:
"Hombres tristes y sin título rodeados de pájaros en noche
amarilla, violeta y naranja", Jukka Ruohomaki: Hommage a Winston
Smith".
DOMINIQUE CHEVANT

====================

We are preparing an international directory of record companies,
artists, festivals, radio shows, zines, webs, journalists,
associations, and other organizations & people working in the
field of electronic music, Ambient, New Instrumental,
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persons or firms wishing to be included can send us a file of no
more than 600 words with the data they consider as being of
interest (contact addresses - snail mail, telephone number, fax,
email, URL... -) and an explanatory text on their activities in
English) to: amazings@...

We are also preparing an encyclopaedia of composers of electronic
music. The artists wishing to be included can send us a biography
(with a list of works and contact address if they wish to) of no
more than 900 words, in English, to amazings@.... Inserts
are free.

The persons or firms having a page in internet related in some way
to the alternative musics can communicate the URL, as well as a
brief description of its contents, to webmaster@..., and
we will set a link from our web to theirs (The insert of a link in
our web is free whenever it is corresponded with a similar link
from their web to our web)

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Our warmest greetings for our readers and until the next edition
of Amazing Sounds.

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