This review is part of a bunch of reviews of older material that we haven't had time to review before but which is still available at the label's mailorder. We apologize for the inconvenience.
The ninth release in the "Material Series" (please read the review of Heimir Bjorgulfsson's record "Machina Natura" in this section to understand what this series is all about and how it is presented to you) is Austrian Pure's "Low". Pure is into video experimentation and even released a self-programmed audio software last year.
His stuff is droning experimental music in the best tradition of Staalplaat. He also released vinyl and 3" Cd and CDs on different labels and has been performing live since 1991.
Even though this is part of the "Material Series", it comes as a full lenght CD. The four very long tracks, whose names all start with the word "Low", have looped low frequency tones, drones and hums as their common denominator and have little and slow changes throughout the recording. What is interesting is that in the fourth Low-piece there are hints of orchestral sounds layered over a sweeping analogue sound.
If you are curios about what material has been used for this release you'll be pleased to know that it's two nice sheets of nice and fine copper gauze. What a great idea!

Second release for Geir Jenssen's label, BLACK SMOKER is a very good ambient record. Remembering me the first Biosphere's records the sound of Opdahl is dark, pulsing , hypnotizing, deep and intense. The fourteen tracks melt one into the other in a perfect way (there's no fade in and fade out) and they seems one the direct consequence of the one before. Discovered by Geri Jenssen himself (he listened a demo tape Tom sent him and immediately he decided to produce his first work), Tom Opdahl released a perfect record which balance rhythmic tracks with spacey ones. Mellow sounds, echoes and synthesizer's pads duel with light bleeps and intriguing atmospheres giving to the tracks a touch of mistery which make me like this CD each time more. Try to get your hands on this record because you won't be disappointed: you bet!

First full-length cd by this German trio, after a self-released mcd and a few compilation appearances on Black Rain and Nightingale samplers. Cyborg Attack cross electro with low-pitched, quasi black/death metal vocals. My main problem with this kind of crossover is that, besides being not that attractive per se, it seems very, very hard to do it well without being kitsch (while there are examples of good taste and sobriety both in electro and metal, of course). And, moreover, I think this cd gets really repetitive after a couple of tracks, which is not a good sign. Ok, electro is almost always like that, tun-tun-tun etc., but maybe coupling monotonous gruffy vocals is not the best way to make it more varied. Sorry, this was really not my thing.

I'm really not sure if Rasal.a'sad are a Ras.Al.Ghul side-project, or if someone else is involved, but besides being issued by their label This.Co, I think this cd does have some link with the typical Ras.Al.Ghul sound. Strangely enough, because along the years RAG have mainly worked with rhythms, skillfully blending kraut-electronica, dub, d'n'b and IDM, while this pleasant cd has no beats at all. What it does have is a true feeling of "cosmic music", in this case stripped of any rhythm and expanded in 4 long tracks reaching 50' of length. "Space.Scape" is a beautiful voyage through gulfs of time-erasing sound movements. Only synthetic layers are used, with slow changes and progressions; no external melody or element comes to break the surface. A really accomplished cd of abstract ambient, in the vein of some '70's cosmic courier or even late Coil.

Lys is Prikosnovenie's producer Frédéric's creature, here issuing its first full-length work (after the Nang-Faa project) on the subdivision Lytch, devoted to electronic, trip-hop, ambient and ethnica. Fred takes care of voice, samples, percussions, composition and engineering, with a tribe of guest musicians including Von Magnet's Phil Von, GOR's Francesco Bianchini and Christian Wolz. I must say I was a bit skeptical when I read the "ethnic-trip-hop" definition on the press-sheet, but the cd is definitely a nice surprise. While it actually has an electronic component, the ethnic characteristic (Northern African and Arabian music mainly, I'd say) is prevalent, and it's played with evident passion and good taste. Think of the non-medieval Dead Can Dance, Lisa Gerrard, or Von Magnet – it's remarkable how the acoustic played parts perfectly merge with the programmed ones, and the latter don't sound like an alien element. A good record.