Miguel Noya – Canciónes Intactas

Phantom Limb

A long-overdue retrospective of Venezuelan synthesist and ambient composer Miguel Noya is always going to be something rather special. However, as Noya has been active since the 1980s, giving a broad perspective and overview of his work will always be a difficult task. As most composers work from album to album, a compilation like Canciónes Intactas — especially one that covers such a vast period — can sometimes feel jarring without the context of the original work. But at least these releases often serve as a good introduction for those wanting to explore further.

Ambient chirping sounds and bells open “Tactil”, synth chords melancholically chime in as you are transported deep in to some rainforest, beautiful and medative. This moves in a sequence with gamelan-style synths playing under some sweeping notes that remind me of The Yellow Magic Orchestra. Again we are in another location and the music conjures up ancient temples at dawn. The next section has a glistening synth sound that hints more at eighties Tangerine Dream than the previous parts and here we hover above the calm waters of a lake. These pieces, no matter how slight, make us look at fourth world music possibilities in a different light, and these are motifs that Vangelis began to use in the mid-eighties, as well trying to give electronics an ethnic voice.

“Olfativo” starts with lush choirs and sweeping keyboards that merge with a second part that is reminiscent of Kitaro’s work on his Silk Road album, and add more of an orchestral layer than on the proceeding track. “Inoculacion” takes us back to the gamelan style heard earlier; but this time there is more of a feel in the electronics similar to that of Japan’s “Voices Raised in Welcome, Hands Held in Prayer”. A minimal keyboard motif hovers above the backing, making something far more trance-inducing rather than epic in scale; this a contemplative piece that takes your mind for a wander to a tropical locale far away from the strains of everyday life.

“Aire” starts with a horn-sounding keyboard with lush pads beneath giving an air of stillness, and in away this creates the same mood as some of John Foxx’s ambient works — purely from the sound of the synths used — one of a detachment from the everyday where you step back for a moment and view your own reality in a very different light. Ghostly voices introduce “Contemplación”, which give it an almost Music For Airports vibe in its Brian Eno-like stillness. Its only when the piano comes in with its busy chords that we get taken away from that, and are transported to somewhere more towards outer space as notes collide like particles hitting the atmosphere of the Earth.

“Huellas Circulares” has a drone that runs beneath a high synth melody, while electronic percussion snaps in and clicks at certain points like a member of Kraftwerk strayed into the studio and randomly hit something. Other sounds bubble like a hot cauldron and chatter in the distance, while real voices are heard chanting in a haunting way similar to David Sylvian’s Words Of The Shaman EP, though here they are more to centre stage over the music, rather than buried under percussion as on the latter piece. “Parsec” has one note morse code-like opening until rhythm is picked up by marimbas and edgy synths in a similar way to Jon Hassell, and the track flips around between parts to create an otherworldly whole, but none staying long enough for you to grab onto, almost like fleeting memories.

The album finishes with the two-part “Mega Brain Focos”, magnum opuses that probably best encapsulate Noya’s work. A mix between ethnic percussion, off-world synths that wouldn’t be out of place on The Orb’s first two albums and occasional drumming that rumbles like thunder in the distance. Noya obviously references his Latin American upbringing at some points, although the tracks do rather hang somewhere between the Earth and space. They take us through various different sections that cascade down like waterfalls, and move us further through the forests of our mind as the pieces go through their cycles of sound. Part two has a booming piano sound and arpeggiated notes that add a sense of grandeur to the occasion and a touch of Philip Glass to its mode of repetition. High synth lead lines give it more of a prog rock ambience at times, but that is no bad thing and shows that Noya experiments with many different types of music.

Seeing as Noya’s work is little known outside of certain countries, this is certainly a wonderful primer for his music for UK audiences. It comes on double vinyl, which I think would make more sense than a CD version as it gives you a chance to pause as you turn the record and contemplate what you have heard. Canciónes Intactas is an intriguing album from an outstanding artist and pioneer of this type of music in his homeland, so it’s a must-hear for anyone interested in electronic music.

-Gary Parsons-