Maybe it was her tenure as a singer songwriter that provided
Janet Robbins with the ability to express complex emotional
themes in the few succinct musical moments permitted by the
conventional venues of commercial radio and nightclub touring.
The audience for these showcases expect their entertainment to
be administered in easy to swallow portions of three to four
minutes each. CARRYING THE BAG OF HEARTS -
INTERPRETING THE BIRTH OF STARS Vol. I (22'58") is her
three song EP. While each track may seem fleeting when
compared to other more sprawling works within the
Contemporary Instrumental genre, Robbins' works effectively
build and transmit their emotional content in the span of several
minutes. It's through this tight compositional structure that the
music remains engaging even after repeated listenings.
CARRYING THE BAG OF HEARTS came about as Robbins
found herself at a point in life where conventional musical ideas
and concepts were unable to communicate or convey to others
her inner life. Produced in a well-equipped electronic music
studio, this EP is the result of an artist's encounter with music
technology. Showing restraint, Robbins avoids cluttering up her
pieces with unnecessary layers of sound to realize three deep
and spacious works of electronic music. The opener, "At the
Heart of a Spiral Galaxy" (8'42"), with its staggered arpeggios,
strident rhythms and shifting details, is cinematic in scope.
"Voluntary Exile" (5'42") wanders through an indistinct ambient
terrain until the scene sharpens into a lyrical piano study. And
finally, "In the Beginning" (8'37") is a floating sound collage that
churns and rolls in all directions in a slow restless drift. Melodic
and musical when it needs to be... still and atmospheric
everywhere else, CARRYING THE BAG OF HEARTS presents
three multi-faceted jewels from the recesses of Robbins' being.

Tune in to STAR'S END this weekend for music from CARRYING
THE BAG OF HEARTS by Janet Robbins

For more on Janet Robbins, access: http://www.janetrobbins.net

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from 1am-6am (EDST) on:

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Chuck van Zyl
Host of STAR'S END Ambient Radio
http://www.starsend.org