It is always a pleasure receiving a new release by Phillip Klampe of Homogenized Terrestrials, even if 'flon' isn't necessarily new. It was previously released back in 2019 as a digital download only, but now is available on CD for a mere 8 bucks! Let me tell you that for enthusiasts of abstract soundscapes, I cannot think of a better way to spend this paltry amount of money. If you are an HT fan, you may already have some idea of what to expect; the signature melding of drones and exotic electro-acoustic sound incidents and events that Homogenized Terrestrials is known for. Unlike other reviews that I've done about this project's releases, I'm not going to try and describe tracks. There aren't enough onomatopoeic words in the English language to adequately describe the clinking, clanking, zizzing, whirring, squinching, squelching, kalunkeling, etc., of the sonic events interlaced in these 11 tracks over 48 minutes. Most of it falls into the non-musical realm, or traditionally non-musical in terms of melody, harmony, meter, counterpoint, rhythm, etc.; however, there is a subtle musicality sewn throughout. It's hard to call it ambient either, as ambient sort of implies a familiarity with the atmosphere on some level. Perhaps if you were an insectoid space traveler you might call it ambient, but for us human terrestrials, this is more of a collection of experimental soundscapes, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, there are few besides Klampe that do it so well and make it so engaging for the listener. (I have listened to this CD at least 10 times before writing this review.) Compared with other HT releases, this is a subtle, yet surreptitious one. It is low-key for the most part, yet conceals things of a more profound nature - memory, the collective unconscious, maybe even metaphysical mile markers. In my previous remark about the non-musical, there is one notable exception - "Suulan" (track 8) has some passages that could be construed as abstractly melodic sounding as a dreamlike wonderland for a while. 'flon' has the capability of evoking an unearthly sci-fi atmosphere, or a soundtrack exploring the deepest depths of the ocean. It is neither light, nor dark, but somewhere in-between; a nether region in extra-dimensional space usually inaccessible to us mere mortals.

It's hard to believe that Homogenized Terrestrials started 35 years ago, and Mr. Klampe has indicated that he might be putting together a retrospective sometime in the foreseeable future. I don't envy his task; with that much material to choose from, it seems rather daunting to me. In the meantime, pick up 'flon'. It's a gem of an album that has lots and lots of replay value.