&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
AMAZING SOUNDS No.140 / August 15, 2004
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

To UNSUBSCRIBE from the list, send a blank message to:
amaze-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

You can subscribe sending a blank message to:
amaze-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

More info here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/amaze

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

CONTENTS:

NEWS

REVIEWS:
CONRAD SCHNITZLER: "CONTAKT" Margen Records
MICHEL HUYGEN & FERNANDO JIMENEZ DEL OSO: "ASTRALIA" Neuronium Records
MICHEL HUYGEN: "IN SEARCH OF MYSTERY" Neuronium Records
CONSTANCE DEMBY: "LIVE IN TOKYO" Neuronium Records
GUILLERMO CAZENAVE: "AQUI" Astral
PSICODREAMICS: "AZHDARK PASSION" Margen Records
ALIDAN: "NEBULAE" Margen Records
UNIVERS ZERO: "IMPLOSION" Cuneiform Records
MEHDI: "INSTRUMENTAL HEAVEN 7" Soothing Music
ODRACIR LAVID: "THE TEMPLE OF DREAMS" Neuronium Records
COOL WIND: "SOUND EXPLORATION" Neuronium Records
PAZ DEL CASTILLO: "MOODS FOR PIANO" Neuronium Records
JEREMY: "FRUIT TREE" Jam Records
CAZENAVE & FRIENDS: "TOWER" Astral
CAZENAVE: "UN ESPACIO MAS" Astral
CAZENAVE: "DOS ESPACIOS MAS" Astral
CAZENAVE & ANTHONY PHILLIPS: "ALL OUR LIVES" Astral
GREG SEGAL
LESLEY SPENCER: "JOY GARDEN" Gabriella Music
DAVE BAINBRIDGE: "VEIL OF GOSSAMER" Open Sky
LARGE NUMBER: "SPRAY ON SOUND"
ELECTRIC BARBARIAN: "ELECTRIC BARBARIAN" Exco
HONEYROOT: "SOUND ECHO LOCATION" One World Music / New World Music
DAVID WRIGHT: "CONTINUUM" AD Music
SURFACE 10: "BORROWED TIME 2000" Space for Music Records
RILEY LEE & MARSHALL McGUIRE: "FLOATING WORLD" New World Music
THE PRIME TIME SUBLIME COMMUNITY ORCHESTRA: "A LIFE IN A DAY OF A
MICROORGANISM" Corporate Blob Records
BACK TO EARTH: "COMFORT MUSIC 2" Real Music

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

Note: If mail to you bounces. you will be automatically removed from the
list. If in doubt, re-subscribe. If you're already on the list from the
same email address the second subscription will be rejected as a duplicate.

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

Attention: Long links can work badly when trying to click on them if they
appear cut into two or more lines. In case you cannot use them directly
because of this or other reasons, we reccommend you to copy the COMPLETE
link (including each one of its fragments) at the location window of your
browser. The link must appear in its entirety in a single line.

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

NEWS:

Dom F. Scab is finishing the music for his new CD. It will be released on
Margen Records label. The album will be titled "Crosswords". Scab continues
within his usual style.

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

REVIEWS:

CONRAD SCHNITZLER:
"CONTAKT"
Margen Records
With Conrad Schnitzler one must always expect the unexpected. His sonic
adventures will never cease to amaze us. Each one of the twelve
compositions that integrate "Contakt" is a shocking sonic experience. The
style of the release flows along different avantgarde aspects of Techno,
Industrial, Ambient, Trance and Space Sequencer Music. Using hard,
impressive electronic sounds, the artist take us into an unexplored
terrain, displaying his imagination. The result is a journey through
hypnotic sonic worlds, that appear to have been taken out of surrealist
dreams. Another important aspect that can be appreciated in his music is
the great experience he has in the musical arena and the control of the
possibilities that an electronic equipment allows for. In this occasion,
Schnitzler counts with Dom F. Scab's masterization.
EDGAR KOGLER

http://www.margenmusic.com

MICHEL HUYGEN & FERNANDO JIMENEZ DEL OSO:
"ASTRALIA"
Neuronium Records
Michel Huygen (Neuronium) and the researcher and publisher of enigmatic
themes Fernando Jiménez del Oso have united their artistic efforts in this
unusual album. Huygen has composed the music, whereas doctor Jiménez del
Oso has written some texts he recites with his suggestive, mysterious
voice, in some passages of the release. Both in the musical and in the
literary aspects, the theme that has inspired the release is the astral
voyage beyond the borders that separate the earthly from the cosmic, life
from death. It is presented as a sonic adventure, between the majestic and
the enigmatic. Jiménez del Oso describes a series of paranormal
experiences, his voice being distorted by means of atypical sonic effects.
"Astralia" also has the peculiarity of showing the darkest, most disturbing
musical aspects in Huygen. Although he does not completely abandon the line
of his last albums, much of the music is icy, ghostly, radically
electronic. There is a passage of violent percussion that appears to
re-create the very same dance of death. This re-release of "Astralia" has
been made with a 32-bit digital remasterization.
JORGE MUNNSHE

http://www.neuronium.info

MICHEL HUYGEN:
"IN SEARCH OF MYSTERY"
Neuronium Records
The soundtrack of the TV series "In Search of Mystery" ("En busca del
misterio"), composed by Huygen, is released in this CD that includes a
total of 14 pieces. Michel Huygen is one of the most sophisticated flagmen
of the electronic music currently being created. In this album, he delights
his followers once again, as well as all the lovers of melodic Space Music.
This is an evocative release where the melody, wrapped up in floating
textures, goes through a universe of legends, magic and mystery.
Synthesizers displaying timeless sounds shape an electronic cocktail that
looks backwards, back to the ancient past. The music flows in a consistent,
uninterrupted stream of cosmic soundscapes, communicating a wide range of
feelings and emotions. Although the songs have a melodic make of a very
diverse nature, it maintains a vital coherence that leads the listener to
think of wide, pure, natural spaces. No doubt, this is an impressive album,
highly reccommended to those who seek something more on the line of current
Space Music.
JORGE MUNNSHE

http://www.neuronium.info

CONSTANCE DEMBY:
"LIVE IN TOKYO"
Neuronium Records
This CD was recorded live during a tour in Japan in 1992. The new digital
remastering at 32-bit has been done by Michel Huygen at Neuronium Studio.
"Live in Tokyo" is a magnificient opportunity to witness the deep
sensibility that this artist has when performing live. This album takes the
listener to an intense space voyage throughout the universe, evoking
starscapes of a mysterious beauty. With majestic orchestrations, of a great
warmth, ethereal melodies are being carefully woven. All the compositions
have a powerful strength that impresses the listener from the first moment.
As in her previous works, Constance not only shows her talent as a composer
but also her mastery in arrangements and performance. An intense creative
task can be appreciated throughout the entire album.
PASCUAL JURADO

http://www.neuronium.info

GUILLERMO CAZENAVE:
"AQUI"
Astral
Guillermo Cazenave creates an electronic music full of esoteric and
meditative elements, but you can also find many external influences.
Symphonic rock, Pop and even space music can be found in this beautiful
album. His surrounding melodies and sumptuous orchestrations will surely
invite you to let imagination run free. Some of the ten tracks include the
collaboration of such artists as Layla Bell (piano) and Ronald Lloyd
(oboe). This CD is a re-release, with new themes and remixes.
MANUEL MONTES

http://www.guillermocazenave.com

PSICODREAMICS:
"AZHDARK PASSION"
Margen Records
Psicodreamics offers in this album a collection of romantic melodic
compositions that confirm it in his position as a highly talented composer.
The artist offers us his mastery at creating a work full of beauty and
mystery, with themes that in some occasions tend to be of a melodic
romanticism, while in other instances they have an enigmatic, or even a
dark air. A general trait of the album is the fact that the music happens
to be very intense, vital, as if reflecting strong emotions. All the themes
have been composed by Psicodreamics, except for "The Garden of Strange
Beings" (Psicodreamics & Alidan) and "Morning Light" (Psicodreamics &
Priscilla Hernandez) The ethereal vocals provided by Priscilla Hernandez in
"Morning Light" contribute in a remarkable way to make of this piece a true
delight for the ears. The grandiosity of the music and its symphonism make
of the listening of "Azhdark Passion" a complete experience. Psicodreamics
has released such an extraordinary album that it cannot but awake enormous
expectations on what the musician will be capable of doing in the future.
No doubt, this album is highly reccommended to those who seek something
more on the line of current New Instrumental Music.
HECTOR JORDAN

http://www.margenmusic.com

ALIDAN:
"NEBULAE"
Margen Records
"Nebulae" is an impressive symphony of mysterious melodies and magical
atmospheres, where the less abstract elements of Space Music merge with
those more ethereal ones from New Instrumental Music. The music is bright,
full of energy. Alidan is one of those artists that know how to take us
into musical landscapes full of melodic harmony. In all, these are ten
themes that reveal the artistic maturity of the composer, his liberal use
of synthesizers, as well as his wide musical vision. Ten themes aimed at
making the listener dream.
PASCUAL JURADO

http://www.margenmusic.com

UNIVERS ZERO:
"IMPLOSION"
Cuneiform Records
The music by Univers Zero is an imaginative combination of elements typical
of Classical Music and others of an avantgarde character sometimes near to
symphonic rock and Jazz, whose result is an imaginative colection
of pieces with a sinister air. The instrumentation and the sonic effects
maintain a disquieting tone throughtout the album, contributing a series of
undescribable sensations for the listener. An album that no doubt deserves
an attentive listening.
ALEJANDRO HINOJOSA

http://www.cuneiformrecords.com

MEHDI:
"INSTRUMENTAL HEAVEN 7"
Soothing Music
Excellent album this one by Mehdi. The ten compositions in it included have
a great strength and an emotional beauty. The music is, on the whole,
melodic, soft, and with clear romantic traits. Sometimes it becomes
festive, and at other times melancholy. The pieces are slow, though not
static, with percussive rhythms typical of Pop. The global style can be
labelled within New Instrumental Music.
VIRGINIA TAMAYO

http://www.soothingmusic.com

ODRACIR LAVID:
"THE TEMPLE OF DREAMS"
Neuronium Records
"The Temple of Dreams" is an album with remarkable and varied stylistic
textures that mix the Eastern magic with the immensity of the cosmos., or
the meditative airs with electronic experimentation. There are themes that
sound mysterious, like for instance the piece after which the CD is named.
Others, like "The Autumn of my years", are romantic ones. Also there are
some traits from World Music and other varied elements that contribute to
enrich these pieces. The use of synthesizers enhances the exotic
atmospheres that appear in some of the compositions, and is likewise useful
as a vehicle for innovative ideas.
PASCUAL JURADO

http://www.neuronium.info

COOL WIND:
"SOUND EXPLORATION"
Neuronium Records
Cool Wind skillfuly utilizes elements from Atmospheric Pop and New
Instrumental Music to combine them into an interesting result that has
little to do with orthodox Pop and instrumental music. His music, eminently
electronic, makes some incursions into World Music and Ambient. Each one of
the themes, although continuing with the general format, gets near one of
the styles mentioned before. For example, "Ley Landscape" and "Dolphin's
cave" are the most magical, ethereal pieces, owing a good deal of their
character to the synthesizers.
HECTOR JORDAN

http://www.neuronium.info

PAZ DEL CASTILLO:
"MOODS FOR PIANO"
Neuronium Records
Through twelve compositions with a complete predominance on the part of the
piano as a soloist instrument, Paz del Castillo creates an intimate
atmosphere, with her romantic music. The composer drinks from classical
sources, yet also from the New Instrumental Music. The music turns out to
be relaxing, at times melancholic, at times blissful, with some mystery
touches, with warm textures and soft colors. A true delight for the ears
from the first to the last theme. The record has been arranged and produced
by Suzanne Ciani.
EDUARDO FONTANA

http://www.neuronium.info

JEREMY:
"FRUIT TREE"
Jam Records
In "Fruit Tree" we find ten original compositions where the piano is the
star -and solo- instrument. This is a fine work that can be labelled within
the New Instrumental Music. There also appear classical elements. The
pieces have an exquisite romantic character. The music is not slow, but it
flows at a medium speed. The rhythmic structure is based on the piano and
harbors the melody within itself. This album is pleasant to listen to and
will no doubt appeal to those who enjoy the piano as a soloist instrument.
VIRGINIA TAMAYO

http://www.jamrecordings.com

CAZENAVE & FRIENDS:
"TOWER"
Astral
Guillermo Cazenave is known as a pioneer synthesist of the New Age movement
in Latin America, yet his style has always gone far beyond that
label, often drifting into the terrains of Space Music, New Instrumental
Music, Symphonic Rock, and even Classical Music. In "Tower" he offers us a
good sample of his powerful creativity and the diversification of his
music. This consists in the recording of some of his live performances
taking place at the Tower of Magdala en Rennes-le-Chateau on July 22
(Saint Magdalena's day) in 1995 and in 1996. Through the pieces that shape
this album, we witness a solid display of beautiful melodies of a classical
hue at times, and typical of Symphonic Rock at other times, complex
orchestrations with synthesizers, guitars and acoustic instruments, as well
as rhythms between Rock and New Instrumental Music. The precise combination
of the different elements means that "Tower" will equally appeal to the
followers of Space Music, Space Rock and New Instrumental Music in general.
Musicians Ronald Lloyd and Juan Puñet accompanied Cazenave onstage.
JORGE MUNNSHE

http://www.guillermocazenave.com

CAZENAVE:
"UN ESPACIO MAS"
Astral
In "Un Espacio Mas" we have a sample of music created regardless of
commercial dictates. Leaving aside the artificial barriers among trends,
Guillermo Cazenave circulates with a full freedom amongst New Instrumental
Music, Space Music and a classical-like symphonism. Besides, this album
offers the wonderful chance to have all of a series of brilliant, disperse
themes gathered in one CD, which formerly had little circulation, coming
from old casette releases, live performances, and marginal masters. This
musical journey through the different periods of Cazenave reflects once
again a first-rate creator, an initiator of new trends, yet at the same
time someone who is able to escape from the most common labels.
EDUARDO FONTANA

http://www.guillermocazenave.com

CAZENAVE:
"DOS ESPACIOS MAS"
Astral
A magnificient double CD where we enjoy an imaginative collection of
pieces, mostly from the eighties, which have been compiled from casette
releases, live performances, and other material with scarce or no
circulation. As happens with highly-talented composers, the creativity of
Cazenave greatly surpasses the level of quality required to release, and
many jewels are kept asleep in his audio archives. Pieces which, in the
hands of less talented composers would become whole albums, for Cazenave
are short, half abandoned themes that in the best of cases may some day
become part of retrospective compilations like this one. An incredible
wealth of ideas can be appreciated throughout "Dos espacios mas". Without
falling into arid experimentation, Cazenave opens countless avant-garde
paths, an transmits feelings and sensations with an almost magical
expresiveness.
PASCUAL JURADO

http://www.guillermocazenave.com

CAZENAVE & ANTHONY PHILLIPS:
"ALL OUR LIVES"
Astral
An excellent double CD where diverse collaborations between these two
legendary artists of the avant-garde taking place during the period
1995-2001 are gathered. In "All our lives" we have the most symphonic side
of Space Music, merged with the grandiosity of an approach of Progressive
Rock near to a classical nature with the strength of a Greek tragedy. There
also appear some pieces of an intimate nature, in the key of a Rock ballad,
sung by Anthony Phillips, with a guitar accompaniment.
EDUARDO FONTANA

http://www.astralweb.info/

GREG SEGAL
In the most recent albums by Greg Segal ("The Eye That Shines In Darkness",
"Standard", "In Search Of The Fantastic", "An Awareness Of Frameworks",
"Intext" (& Chrissy Barr) and "Asleep Or Somewhere Else" (& Eric Wallack)
we have a perfect example of experimental music elaborated regardless of
any concession to commercial dictates. Greg Segal is an artist whose
creative processes when it comes to composing are developed in areas
outside those of most musicians. The result of his task constitutes an
intriguing sound experience, which will shake the imagination of those
listeners avid of new auditive sensations.
ALEJANDRO HINOJOSA

http://www.gregsegal.com

LESLEY SPENCER:
"JOY GARDEN"
Gabriella Music
Fifteen themes of a romantic nature, mostly with an optimistic focus, in
the hands of this composer of an exquisite sensitivity. Starting from an
approach near to New Instrumental Music and Symphonic Classicism, Lesley
Spencer unites elements from these and other trends, shaping pieces where
the melody is at all times remarkable. The music has in the piano its main
vehicle of expression. This composer displays a great performing strength
with her chosen instrument.
VIRGINIA TAMAYO

http://www.lesleyspencer.com

DAVE BAINBRIDGE:
"VEIL OF GOSSAMER"
Open Sky
In this solo album, Dave Bainbridge, the founder of the charismatic band
Iona, shows an exquisite sensitivity to shape pieces of a great emotional
strength. Most remarkable is above all the ease with which the composer
knows how to shape warm melodies of Folk reminiscences, Celtic as well as
Classical, over rhythms more or less typical of Symphonic Rock and
Atmospheric Pop. In this album, Bainbridge has counted with the
collaboration of a wealthy cast of musicians, complemented with the fine
vocals by Johanne Hogg, Rachel Jones, Mae McKenna, Troy Donockley and Chris
Hale.
PASCUAL JURADO

http://www.iona.uk.com

LARGE NUMBER:
"SPRAY ON SOUND"
The music created by Large Number in "Spray on sound" covers with ease
diverse regions of Techno, Pop, Rock, Psychedelia and Industrial Music,
always with an avant-garde focus, not lacking in experimentation.
ALEJANDRO HINOJOSA

http://www.largenumber.co.uk

ELECTRIC BARBARIAN:
"ELECTRIC BARBARIAN"
Exco
The band Electric Barbarian, founded by Floris Vermeulen, makes a peculiar
mixture of Drum'n Bass and Jazz-Rock with strong doses of improvisation and
experimentation. In this album, also participates Kain, a name associated
to the birth of Rap as a musical trend, and to other avant-garde,
transgressor cultural proposals.
DEREK DOARN

http://www.electricbarbarian.com

HONEYROOT:
"SOUND ECHO LOCATION"
One World Music / New World Music
The general approach of this album, mostly structured around Atmospheric
Pop, counts with a fresh, agile focus that provides this work with a
remarkable expressivity. The music made by Glenn Gregory and Keith Lowndes,
the members of the duo Honeyroot, benefits from the long artistic
experience both of them have, and which is supported by the task they both
have developed with such artists and bands as for instance Ultravox, Midge
Ure, and Siouxsie And The Banshees. "Sound Echo Location" is an album that
will no doubt appeal to the followers of avant-garde Pop.
DEREK DOARN

http://www.newworldmusic.com

DAVID WRIGHT:
"CONTINUUM"
AD Music
The suggestive combination of oniric textures and space brush-strokes David
Wright bases the creation of this album on, constitutes a true treasure
trove. According to this and other approaches, the composer succeeds in
shaping a work with a strong power of evocation, which will be liked by the
usual followers of Melodic Ambient, the most symphonic side of Space Music,
or the most ethereal trend of Synth-Pop.
EDGAR KOGLER

http://www.admusiconline.com

SURFACE 10:
"BORROWED TIME 2000"
Space for Music Records
Surface 10 presents here a work that fluctuates between Space Ambient and
Synth-Pop, with fresh ideas and an interesting artistic approach that will
not go unnoticed from those who enjoy the most daring trend of truly
electronic music.
EDGAR KOGLER

http://www.surface10.net

RILEY LEE & MARSHALL McGUIRE:
"FLOATING WORLD"
New World Music
A delightful collection of Classical pieces of a romantic nature, performed
by flutist Riley Lee and harpist Marshall McGuire. Riley Lee is well-known
all over the world as a virtuoso of the ancient Japanese flute Shakuhachi,
and he has been compared in this instrument to Ravi Shankar at the sitar,
and Miles Davis at the trumpet. Brimming with sensitivity in every instant
of performance, Riley Lee, wrapped into the equally inspired accompaniment
by Marshall McGuire, offers us some of the most exquisite jewels of Erik
Satie, Maurice Ravel, Gabriel Faure and other composers.
VIRGINIA TAMAYO

http://www.newworldmusic.com

THE PRIME TIME SUBLIME COMMUNITY ORCHESTRA:
"A LIFE IN A DAY OF A MICROORGANISM"
Corporate Blob Records
This production attracts the listener's attention from the very first
moment, due to the fact that it includes music, sound collages and
dialogues in a curious humoristic approach. The Prime Time Sublime
Community Orchestra, an ensemble created by Paul Minotto, is specialized in
dealing with an infinity of music genres, using music stereotypes of all
kinds to make sound stories full of irony. No doubt, an original proposal
that will have imitators.
ALEJANDRO HINOJOSA

http://www.primetimesublime.com

BACK TO EARTH:
"COMFORT MUSIC 2"
Real Music
In this album we have an exquisite collection of instrumental compositions,
coming from various albums of the duo Back to Earth, the winner of a
platinum disc in Europe. The music made by Back to Earth is rich in
melodies, carefully elaborated, and a romantic character. Another important
trait of the compositions resides in the orchestrations, an element that
contributes much of the emotional strength of the music.
HECTOR JORDAN

http://www.realmusic.com

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

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

http://www.amazings.com

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

More information about Amazing Sounds (activities, projects, services,
advertisement...), here:

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

For further information about this newsletter and back issues:

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

You can access all the contents in Amazing Sounds in our website:

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

All the texts are copyright of their authors, and their partial or total
reproduction by any means, or their re-distribution without the prior
permission of the publisher is prohibited.

**********