Atmo

The next phase in elegant futurism; evolved from the work of Body Elecric and Blood Machine with Steve Roach as well as Thermal Transfer with Saul Stokes and solo album Pulse n Atmo, Vir Unis refines the fractal geometry of rapid fire rhythms, half time grooves, and mid tempo body pulses with the atmospheric and luminous glow of sound sculptures and psychedelic noise…. Working in seclusion in the bubble studio for nearly a year on Mercury and Plastic, Vir Unis, utilizing a vast array of computer software and analog technology, explored the liquidity and plasticity of digital sound firmly rooted in the organic space of the ambient sense. Acoustic drum kits are interwoven with drum machine and odd bits and pieces of digital glitch, for a tightly woven nest of fractal rhythms and grooves that crossfades in waves through atmospheres and alien landscapes….

The first collaboration between two artists well-known to Hypnos listeners and fans of ambient & experimental music in general. While Intangible has a meditative and tranquil drifting quality, it also incorporates more melodic and rhythmic elements than most ambient music of the present day. Listeners who like their ambience musical will enjoy this as much as those who like their drones deep and mystical.

"dreams" is a very stylish and accessible album of elegant jazzy pop neo-prog music with just a tad of punchy attitude. It sometimes seems too conventional to be a part of a progressive music collection but the more you listen the less you will care. It's very pleasant ear candy combining the catchiness of The Police with the sound of Joni Mitchell's instrumentations during her late 70s and 80s jazzy period. The players are very talented but for the most part everyone is committed to the overall sound rather than flashy solos.

Prairie is the project of multi-instrumentalist and producer Marc Jacobs, hailing from Brussels with roots in The Netherlands. On stage, Prairie plays with two or three musicians and together they re-create a free association of musical ideas and atmo- spheres. Prairie has played in selected venues and festivals across Europe and for instance toured with Apparat. “And the Bird Said: Cut Me Open and Sing Me” is the second full length album on Denovali Records.

Ralf Uhrlandt's third solo album (after 'Schlafphase' in 1999 and 'Expedition' in 2002) for Elektrolux gets into the multifaceted world of electronic music - between the power of narrative vision, harmonic complexity, musical outlines and, somehow, also pop. Here, 'Odyssee' also means exploring the sound options of the in-between. The hypnotic abundance allows a playful liaison of dramatic strings and accordion-like sounds ('Vega'), bewitching epic early nineties Dubtrance ('Voltage'), oriental-influenced blues in violin heaven ('Nirgendwo') and synthie pop melancholy of tragic beauty with intensive vocals by Teloy ('Gone', 'We Carry On').