DUB ATOMICA 
985196
CD
AUTONOMIC (IAN BODDY'S AMBIENT DUB CD)

AMBIENT (SYNTH)

This is the fourth DiN release, and it is one of the best of them all! Veteran of the European electronic music scene Ian Boddy in collaboration with beats-master guru Nigel Mullaney from Best Before. “Listen to the world within the world of sound as critical beats career and collide with ethereal vibes and tones to produce an eclectic, minimalist dance floor, chill out sensation”. Well, the 55 minutes of ‘Autonomic’ features 5 lengthy tracks (varying between 8 and 14 minutes) and most fall into the rhythmic category. It touches on ambient-dub at times, but it is an infectious style of the genre, with flowing hypnotic rhythms that beg further plays - The workouts are expansive, both in length and breadth and it’s the kind of music that hangs around in your head long after the disc has finished. The keyboard melodies and layers flow like wine, all encapsulated into fine atmospheric textures and addictive rhythms. There are elements of 70’s kraut rockers Can in there, and, we even spotted a sound similar to that of old 70's group Absolute Elsewhere at one point. The sensational 90's multi-rhythms are crisp and clean and the compositions are original, moving from relaxed ethereal space music through to vast soundscapes and on to bright lead lines and sprightly electronic rhythms. Here’s a few other critics comments: "Stripped down, minimal and expansive - A hybrid of Fila Brazillia and a sullen Brian Eno” - “An elegantly crafted electronic vision, awash with titanic tracks” - “The perfect balm to soothe away those early morning blues” - “Dub-wise vibes provide the cohesive thread through which you pass icy moodiness, minimalist futurist ethnicity, lilting hip hop, and mutating, phased reverb” - “As murky as its cover, as soothing and tranquil as a flotation tank”. No matter how you describe the music on this album, it exudes pure invention, class and quality from every pore and is the most non-dance oriented, home-listening, foot-tapping, spine-tingling, heart-warming set of infectious rhythms and synth textures that you'll hear anywhere right now.

You really have to hand it to the two musicians involved here, because anyone who can produce a predominantly rhythmic album such as this, and turn it into one of the most relaxed and original statements in the field of ‘Ambient’ synth music as it stands right now, has to has to be fully congratulated. Track 1 is ‘Atomicity’, and immediately if offers up solid, sonorous dubby synth rhythms allied to deep, deep synth bass and electronic drums that scatter themselves all over the musical horizon. Synth melodies and layers flow effortlessly over the top, and it is both musically satisfying and sounds totally timeless at the same time, and the whole thing is just so relaxed it’s not true. ‘Soylent Green’ is a fifteen minute piece that starts out spacey and goes through a riveting set of rhythms overlaid with some fine atmospheric textures, before gradually phasing out the rhythms and ending with sea of cosmic synth work that is just gorgeous. The near eight minute ‘Rhodeo’ is, for me, the killer track of the album, with a set of rhythm layers that just has to be THE most addictive rhythm track on an electronic music CD for years - there's elements of Can in there; the bass is solid and vibrant, the drum work so tasty it's positively sinful, while the lead synth layer that soars overhead is nothing short of breathtaking - This is a fantastic track that you will not tire of hearing - It's got that rare quality of being both instantaneous and yet timeless in terms of its sheer enjoyment factor, with a feel that spans 1970's Absolute Elsewhere ('Earthbound'…remember that one then?) for it’s similarly gorgeous synth melody line, and the rhythm bases of the 1990's for its crisp and clean soundscapes that make the rhythms just so sensational. It is worth the price of the CD for this track on its own. Next comes another rhythmic offering in the form of the eleven minute title track, and yet another variation on the lead rhythmic foundations that constitute the majority of the album, whilst still retaining the outer space feel of the music that flows right through the heart of the album. The good thing about this track is the way that the landscape changes so much, whilst still retaining heart and soul as a dependable feature. Wherever these musicians take you, there is nothing to fear - It's a journey where you just sit back and enjoy the ride. Again, there is plenty of drums and bass rhythms bouncing and gliding effortlessly all over the mix, with added effects and synth layers filling out a sound that is deceptively stark yet warmer than any other ambient dub style album around today - Another amazing track and that's for sure.  The final eleven minutes are taken up by ‘Ionosphere’, a track that could easily be described as ‘rolling ambient dub’, and it’s a corking example of ambient dub-meets-synth music that is done absolutely spot on. It's got the right amount of feel, atmosphere and style, added to the sheer quality and depth of the multi-layered rhythms. The pure originality of the composition and the way it twist and turn the lead layers from ethereal space to giant bubbling cauldrons of sonic soup through to sparkling lead synths is monumental. That said, it is still a relatively relaxed set of electronic rhythms, and even the massive dubby bass line that drives through the heart of the mix is simple, yet it has a wondrous effect.

Weight: 150.00 g