BODDY, IAN
330427
CD
BOX OF SECRETS
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SPACE/COSMIC (SYNTH)Prior to this album, the debut release on DiN, this veteran of the European electronic music scene has produced 13 albums since the late 70s. By the end of this album you will be left asking yourself “if only there was more where this came from” – Of course we know now there was more to follow, but what a sensational start-up disc it was. Musically you get 7 tracks that offer up almost an hour of classy ‘Ambient’ meet ‘Synth’ music that takes in a whole host of varied sounds along the way. You’ll hear swirling arabesques of analogue synthesizer sounds, fractured rhythms and dense clouds of texture and grain. There’s masses of slowly building atmospheres, exotic synth lead lines, Mellotron flutes, distant choir effects, cascading percussive rhythms, haunting passages and there is plenty of dreamy atmospheric moments too. Infectious rhythms, wicked bass undercurrents and decelerated drum 'n' bass rhythms make the music modern, without ever becoming dance related. It also manages to get pretty melodic at times, with some beautifully delicate, crystalline floating synth backdrops helping form what can develop into really lush, choral musical landscapes. At times, the album enters ghostly atmospheric passages of real “out there” space music, and it contains a 13-minute track that is arguably one of Boddy’s finest works to date. It tends to peak at just the right times, one such piece being the album’s final, where a real belter of a track takes the form of a glorious slice of melodic/rhythmic grandeur, with a powerful multi-synth climax that’s built to thrill! Overall, there’s not a bad second on this CD and it surely one of Boddy’s his best ever releases. When it was released in 1999, this was (and still is) essential listening for ‘Synth’ and ’Ambient’ fans alike - A classic example of ‘real’ ambient synth music.
‘Frozen Web’ begins the album with twittering synths to which edgy synth/percussive rhythms are added, then the whole atmosphere slowly builds, managing to be melodic at times, without using any tunes as such. It’s modern without any dance connotations, but the overall effect is very atmospheric, with a haunting melodic feel running through it, and, for those who can't get by a review without some frame of reference, it’s a bit like ten minutes of Namlook/Schulze in a parallel universe with no seventies references and no dance elements. Track 2 is ‘Box Of Secrets’ itself, and it starts out way slower - in fact you're four minutes in before the rhythm starts to break through the electronic mist the lingers just above the surface. All this time a beautiful soaring synth backdrop is floating silently at the back, while again, a variety of sounds and layers are being added, although they are almost unnoticeable as the fade into the mix here and there. Again, this is melodic, with only the merest semblance of a tune, but with the added effect of lush synth choirs it does become engaging in the extreme sense of the word, with a forming musical landscape that is both solid yet crystalline, modern and old at the same time. ‘Shadows In The Sand’ is the 3rd piece on ‘Box Of Secrets’, and it starts with nearly three minutes of beautiful chiming space music, before a sprightly, lurching rhythm enters and quickly mutates into a decelerated mix of Can and Kraftwerk with a bit of drum 'n' bass on the side, while lead synth lines weave delicate patterns into the skies. The infectious rhythm drops away slowly into a backdrop of haunting atmospherics, but now it is in a slightly different setting. It picks up a new slowly lurching rhythmic foundation and heads off to parts unknown in the company of distant synth choirs and fragile exotic synth leads, all over the crispest of Eastern-influenced synth/percussion rhythms. The piece builds and layers to great effect, fading toward the end at nine minutes with just the rhythms gradually heading off into infinity. Track 4 is an abstract two-minute that’s called ‘There’s Something In Your Attic’ and it proves to be a difference, but neat intro in track 5... ‘Walking In The Slow Path’ which has a four minute cosmic Mellotron flute intro that moves into a soundpool of cascading percussive and synth layers, picking up a gently galloping rhythm base and clipped layers of flowing, lightly echoed synth lines. Again, more electronic layers are added slowly and deliberately as the piece continues with a lightly melodic and purposeful feeling, but with a strength and originality that separates it from any other synth music around. As a thirteen-minute piece of superbly flowing and melodic synth music, it is one of Boddy’s finest pieces. ‘Nobody’s Home’ hisses and whispers its way in with a wicked bass undercurrent, amid slowly flowing space synth layers, emerging into a melange of synths and samples that are like a barely heard distant conversation - A lot like the stark yet haunting musical landscapes in the final section of the '2001' film - A real gem for space music fans. Finally, ‘Hive Culture’ ends the CD with a heavy sequencer rhythm that bounces and drives, but it turns into more of a galloping synth rhythm as it sets off through layers of electronic effects and synth textures that bubble up all around the central rhythmic framework, always changing shape as the piece continues, and this all adds to the enjoyment of the composition. Eventually it turns into a supreme slice of melodic/rhythmic grandeur and rises, phoenix-like, to a powerful multi-synth climax that will thrill synth fans big time!
Weight: 150.00 g
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