Aythar | Cosmic Resonances
Carpe Sonum Records (CD/DL)
Carpe Sonum Records overlapped and picked up from where Pete Namlook (Kuhlmann) left off with his phenomenal Fax +49-69/450464 around the time of his untimely passing in 2012 as they were originally the North American distributor’s for Namlook’s imprint. Now going on a half dozen years they have been consistently releasing electronic music in many splintered subgenres including Cosmic Resonances, the new one from Budapest’s Aythar (Tamás Károly Tamás). It’s a world of wavy ambient synthesis, as chill as can be.
Lengthy passages carry the torch of constantly evolutionizing the already obtuse boundaries of what ambient is and can be. Recorded between 2010 and 2017 this is mastered by David Morley with a nod to both Namlook and electronic pioneer Tetsu Inoue, dedicated to the memory of Stephen Hawking. And yes, this embodies that futuristic sound that once made the ever-changing face of Tangerine Dream famous, as if you are on a space bus in the stratosphere. It glows of subtle melody and enigmatic mystery, imbuing its title with a hint of truth, and plenty room to breath and weave new realities.
Cosmic Resonances Pt 1 to 3 are a trio of tracks in succession that run about twenty five minutes, and have this almost translucent coating over the deep-tunnel echoes and slick chill. It’s a sublime, meditative soundtrack that hosts immersive lows and emotional, soaring symphonic-adjacent highs. By the third part the listener is left in a bit of a limbo state, dangling in a looped cycle of sedation.
On Glowing Comet there’s a sense of re-emergence with a bolder cadence that voluminizes before your ears. The synths are tight with sober guitar squalls that are barely recognizable. This hums in the depths of space, planetary and of the mind. The one point where the atmosphere shifts dramatically is on Icedrop, almost indicative of its title. After an exuberant rise and drop in energy, here Aythar presents a glacially soft work that is gently paced, lost to slumber. Its sensual in its signature and reverence to the elements.
In the end we are floating on a cerebral cloud in Rem Phase. I’m reminded of sounds I’ve heard while experiencing stone massage, and drifting off. I’m reminded of an kaleidoscopic amalgamation of ambient and regional works through time, of elusive references so fleeting that I’m forgetting in mid-thought, letting go as this writhes deeper and deeper into the psyche. With hints of Hungarian folk music, a speck of Middle Eastern eloquence, and lots of futurescape flair – this is one of those records that takes you far from the here and now.
toneshift.wordpress.com 