ethereal

Sunday Synth Jam: Traffica Voca Electronica comes via JeffreyPlaide:

This track is a very unusual composition in that there are very few musical elements in the assemblage. Small samples of sound are spliced together to form various loops. Ethereal sinewaves connect various noises to the vocoded spoken word passages.

The spoken word segment is actually the voice of Peter Zinovieff, whom with his EMS synthesizer company in Britain in the early 1970s produced the classic VCS3 range and Synthi 100 voltage controlled synthesizers. He is actually speaking about the advantages of making sequenced electronic music rather than by cutting up magnetic tape of recorded sounds

Today, it is much easier for the experimental musician to create music with computer software and editing techniques than it was in the late 1960s when Peter was experimenting. This sound collage represents a kind of special tribute to Peter Zinovieff and EMS, albeit in a very unusual arrangement of un-related samples and sinewave tones, culminating to the vocoded spoken word conclusion.

Sacred Skies is the second “best of” collection from AD Music, a  UK label that specializes in melodic electronica. Their artists vary from new age to electronic world music to new age.

AD’s first “best of” collection, Ocean of Light, managed to introduce listeners to a wide range of artists, but the tracks were effectively selected and ordered to create an CD that managed to be coherent, too.

Sacred Skies brings together previously released tracks and a couple of new tracks from a wide selection of artists, including Bekki Williams, Code Indigo, Robert Fox, David Wright, Witchcraft, Enterphase, Callisto and others. While there are a ton of artists on the CD, the music gels together well, perhaps because label honcho David Wright is a member of several of the groups, along with Robert Fox, or maybe just because of the label’s “ear”. 

We’ve talked about several of the artists and tracks in previous reviews, including Code Indigo, David Wright, and Callisto, who fall into the broad world of orchestral electronica that should appeal to fans of classic synth music from groups like Vangelis, Tangerine Dream and Jarre. The CD also has tracks by Bekki Williams. The Plains has a spacious orchestral electronica feel. This is followed by Nandana, by Catalin Marin, which combines wordless vocals and world electronica in a manner similar to some of Vangelis’ more recent work. Synth freaks will enjoy the CS-80-esque riffs throughout the track.

Witchcraft contributes the ethereal vocal track Angel Dust. The female vocalist’s singing is heavily effected with reverse reverb, filters and echos, giving the vocals a lush instrumental quality. The CD hits a high point with Raviv Gazit’s Jumping Air, which has the most modern feel – moving the CD closer to an electronica/dj vibe.

Overall, Sacred Skies  is a great follow up to Ocean of Light, and great introduction to the various artists of AD Music. AD seems to be developing into one of the major labels for melodic instrumental electronica. If you like this genre, Sacred Skies will provide a relaxing listen while also highlighting a wide collection of artists.

Track Listing:

• The Plains
• Nandana- Paradise of Indra
• Angel Dust
• Fallen
• Over Turquoise Seas
• Taiga
• Call of the Earth
• Under the same Sky
• Sacred Skies
• Flame Sky
• Iceberg
• Jumping Air
• Night Flier
• Three Sisters
• When the Morrow Breaks
• Setisphere Part 1
• Cathedral
• Code 11