Label: Mute Format: CD
Vince Clarke of Erasure and Martyn Ware of Heaven 17 could not be further from their ’80s adventures than they are here on this new venture. A gentle countdown leads into very soft Ambient electronics just short of sounding New Age. The tracks are named after colours they represent and the CD is a recording of a whole event featuring colour spectrum experimentalism. Listening to the harpic spinning tones, colours are easily imagined even without the visual show and the piece as a whole is deliciously relaxing, calming, soothing. A colour wheel behind closed eyes is an accessilbe mental image, rotating pastels, swirling cloudlike whites. There are apparently very innovative technologies used to produce all this visual sound, such as the Lake Huron 3D audio processor, binaural recording formats, Animax 3D visualisation software.
It is recommended that one listen to this recording on headphones for full effect. I suspect it would be terrific for use in violent tendencies management clinics, or even just to get one through a sleepless night. It is not hard to imagine that a half slumber state with this as a sound backing could alleviate all sorts of stress and bad dreams. I don’t recommend it for driving, though were it broadcast during traffic jams, road rage might be avoided. No, perhaps it is best left for introspective listening. The mental conjuring up of gossamer space ships ever pursuing an illusive state of divinity. It is a lovely example of what can be done with sound that is not big and loud and noisy. I think I must go take a nap now…
-Lilly Novak-
