Spyra

Wolfram Spyra is a German composer of electronic music. He began his career in the early 1990s constructing 'soundscapes' and installations around Germany. He has collaborated with a wide range of visual artists, musicians, producers and DJs. He has released several albums, starting in 1995 with Homelistening Is Killing Clubs. Spyra's focus is on instrumental electronic music, seamlessly blending interesting samples, synthesizers, percussion and other elements together in unique ways. While sometimes experimental, most of his music has a certain accessibility in terms of the rhythmic and melodic components. Though frequently associated with the retro or "Berlin school" sound pioneered by Klaus Schulze and others, he uses modern ambient electronica elements extensively, creating his own rich sound that defies easy categorization.

This album was recorded in the Kunstraum Syltquelle on the Northern German Island Sylt. It is the first part of a trilogy inspired by the many car travels that Spyra has to do when he drives to concert venues or sonic art exhibitions. Some compositions are slow, yet they have a certain rhythm. Others have quite fast rhythms, performed with powerful sequencers. The percussion also has an important role. The composer proves his great imagination by creating a warm electronic music. The use of synthesizers enhances the sensual atmospheres that appear in some of the compositions.

Spyra is a German musician and producer from Berlin who has made numerous records in more than a decade, including releases with Dr. Alex Paterson, Hyperium Records, Fax Records and Manikin Records. His interpretation of post-electronic is a well-tempered mix of Krautrock-infused sequences accompanied by modern, neo-classic melody structures. Staub is not a memory of what Spyra has accomplished in the past, it presents modern live electronic elements with modern rhythms, building something epic and unexpected towards the finish line. Composed, played and recorded in only one take at each night, the music of Staub offers a fascinating duality between the blackness and the clearness. It's a strange ballet stuffed of contrasting choreographies. It's also an attractive pastoral ode where the shadows crawl on innocents melodies which try to anchor near our ears.

This part live/part studio album sees the first CD team up of well-respected musician Wolfram Spyra, who has released CDs on the Fax label in the past and Chris Lang. "Neunundfunfzig 49" clocks in at a whopping 59 minutes and was recorded, using what is described as 'minimal equipment' live at Manikin Records' first 36 hour non-stop event at the Toska Therme in Bad Sulza, Germany during 2001 where the patrons could experience the music while taking a dip in the heated water if they so chose! The lack of gear does nothing to detract from the sound which is fleshed out expertly, constantly evolving and seemingly based around a central theme that is embellished upon throughout…

Berlin School retro style electronic music with long tracks with carefully composed sequences and ambient landscapes that is perfect for dreaming and reflection.
Bas Broekhuis, Detlef Keller, Mario Schönwälder, Wolfram Spyra & Bill Fox get together as the Space Cowboys in Jelenia Gora Poland in September 2004 for the Ricochet Gathering Electronic Music Festival. All musicians are from Germany except Bill Fox who traveled from USA. Spyra and Bill Fox are featured on the last two tracks. This is the first time all musicians played together without rehearsal so the music is live and improvised. The music is definitely like 1970's Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze and this release is limited to only 300 digipaks.

With his second CD for Warner Bros., Wallace Roney began to break free of the frequent claim that he was overly imitating Miles Davis. With an exciting quintet including brother Antoine Roney on trumpet, pianist Carlos McKinney, bassist Clarence Seay, and drummer Eric Allen, the trumpeter encouraged his band to contribute pieces for this recording; the sideman are responsible for six of the ten pieces, and the performances indicate this is a true band and not just a showboat leader with a supporting cast. Antoine's tense, post-bop cooker "Spyra" is an excellent opener, with provocative solos and terrific ensemble work, while Seay's dark "High Stakes" is an eerie bossa nova with an explosive solo by the leader…

The original Ambient Cookbook came out back in 1995, and gave the listener a good cross section of the music available on Fax at the time. There was a mixture of music from not just Namlook, but also from the numerous other artists and collaborators on the label. Now, to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the label, the Ambient Cookbook II has been released. Comparisons with the original release are of course inevitable, but in reality this new 4 CD set is something entirely new. Whilst still featuring an excellent selection of music from Fax, the majority of the tracks are by Namlook or Namlook & Collaborators. The only non-Namlook tracks are Atom's "Tuff Transmitter", Inoue's "Magnetic Field" and Jochem Paap's "Dx Synth". Overall, this is a highly recommended release, which would serve as a good introduction to the label…