DE FRESNES, ROBERT 
739805
CD
ATLANTIS

STYLE/LINK:VANGELIS

“Beyond The Pillars Of Hercules and the mists of time lay a land full of riches, silver and gold…Atlantis?” That is what this fifty-six-minutes/10 track album is all about. Musically, it is from the same league of music that the likes of Vangelis and Andy Pickford were operating in at the same time. It is grandiose, epic, anthemic and filmic. Some tracks evoke spectacular images and others more serene, of fantasy places that only ever appear in big-budget sci-fi movies or in the imagination of fantasy book writers. The whole album is very well put together, played & produced. You hear everything from lavish, sweeping synth sounds to textures of the more delicate variety, sampled voices and heavenly choral choirs, powerful rhythmic forces and those that are more gentle and flowing plus a more than ample display of themes and melodies (yes, this guy can really write a good tune). The album tends to be dynamic and dramatic for the first half and more laid-back for the second. It is performed in a style of symphonic synth music that is ideally suited to film and television work, but it is also perfect for those of us who prefer to creat their own mind-pictures in a darkened room, tending towards being synth music that’s in that symphonic half-way house between the worlds of instrumental rock and classical music. Basically, fantasy symphonic music does not come too much better than this. Click on the ‘More Product Information’ link for an extended review with a track-by-track description.

The journey over the ocean begins with ‘Atlantis’ - a mix of massed string synths and heavenly siren-like voices, with a steady rhythm that has the effect of transporting us at speed (although the music is not fast paced as such) across the seas to this distant fantasy world. ‘Discovery’ opens in a gentle misty, celestial place with sounds of icicles chinking in the background, then a rhythm strikes up and a gorgeous infectious melody line comes in and is builds layer upon layer for just over six minutes, and by the end, it is a very grandiose piece indeed with rolls of percussion taking the string synths to lots of mini crescendos. ‘Poseidia (the sirens call)’ is gorgeous! – It creates some fantastic ethereal imagery where a sire-like voice sweetly sings wordless tones over a gently rippling seascape, and then a shuffling rhythm emerges and takes the drifting female voice on a journey over the calm waters surface – A very dream-like track that will haunt you every time you hear it. ‘Dolphin’ comes in to sampled sounds of the mammal (eek!) but don’t worry it doesn’t fall into the new age trap here! It is a seven minute, kind of drifting track, that flows very peacefully for a while, then acoustic guitar samples create a soft melody which is later joined by a shuffling, but equally restful rhythm. The track doesn’t actually do a lot, but it does provide a pleasant few minutes of relaxation before entering the mystical watery world of ‘Kimmeriou’, which rolls in to the sounds of soft, misty synth textures. A spiralling synth pre-empts another of Robert’s evocative melody lines, and this remains static whiles the other slowly circles that position and then slowly moves off into a foggy patch that brings a cold and foreboding atmosphere to the soundstage. ‘Alcinous’ is a near six-minute track that starts with a passage of melodic dreamy string synth textures and develops a reflective piano melody line and slow, but tight, deep bass undercurrent as it goes. ‘Visions From The Past’ drifts in on the dying embers of a distant storm; with soft flute melody and heavenly voices all around as the skies clear and allow space of beams of coloured sunlight to shine though. As the clouds part further, large areas of red and orange sky become more evident and the music becomes more exotic in feel. We are brought to the ‘Gateway to the Gods’ as the flute samples and storm clouds pass, and here we are met by a lone female voice chanting to the heavens, followed by gothic Gregorian male choir, then a fantastically infectious, almost toe tapping sequencer line really gets the body rhythms going as it builds and develops it’s course. The voices also remain as a vital part of the track’s highly infectious driving force too. ‘Requiem’ starts the closing sequence of the album with a cold atmospheric fog bank, and then a slight sombre piano melody rolls through the mist with some distant mixed choral voices and chiming bells in the background. The effect is both eerie and uplifting as the piece gradually fades over the sound horizon after just over four minutes, and moves into ‘Dolphin (reprise’) where a gentle, evolving rhythm rises from the waters with a crystalline synth melody taking the album to a close in a more relaxed rather

Weight: 150.00 g