abasio Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 Artist - Sync24 Title - Source Label - Ultimae Ultimae's latest release is relaxed & beautiful & comes with stunning artwork on the case & some lovely artwork in the booklet (& a naked photo of the artist ) Daniel Ringstrom, one half of Carbon Based Lifeforms is out with a solo release. It's more relaxed than CBL stuff but is it any good? Lets take a look shall we. Tracklisting 1 Walk On Spheres (7:19) 2 Memloop (5:22) 3 Cryptobiosis (5:13) 4 Mborg (5:32) 5 Suspended Animation (7:08) 6 Biota (6:24) 7 Replicant (6:27) 8 White Pixels (8:01) 9 From A To A (6:56) 10 Woodland (Resurrected) (4:41) 11 Source (Album Edit) (7:21) 1 Walk On Spheres We start of with a soft ambient drone over the sound of rain falling. Like waking up out of a haze to a morning downpour, knowing you have journey ahead of you. A soft padded melody & a voice A journey in Hypervelocity. Response entirely without fear. In a state of total tranquility. Protected by ice and steel. Feel the speed of light years. This is how we travel asleep. This is the walk on the spheres. cryptic advice at the onset of the journey. 2 Memloop The pace changes with some minimal energy. A loud thudding is leading us somewhere. A receding synth comes & fades out of the mind, spacey alienesque noises permeate as does a voice & from somewhere, laughter. Not quite engaged yet but we are underway. 3 Cryptobiosis Some proper beats now, nice wet spherical bleeps act like a melody and somewhat of a baseline. This track has more direction than the previous two and feels like it's taking us somewhere. It lifts us up & dumps us into Mborg 4 Mborg By now we feel like this is a proper album, we've got past the introduction, the start of the journey & now we are truly on our way. This is very nicely layered. There is enough in the foreground to keep us interested & enough in the background to hold our interest after a long time. 5 Suspended Animation The Energy of Mborg dissipates & leaves us looking over a vast wasteland. All the atmosphere here is dark & desolate. There are whooshing sounds like wind over the empty planes. Very nice chilled atmospheric feeling 6 Biota I have a feeling of something lurking, just beyond my senses. Not quite menacing but not particularly friendly either. More energy again but not much. Like a rising panic that never really materialises. As we are crossing the plains we can hear it but not audibly, you can see it at the edge of your vision but when you turn to look it isn't there. It is just passed the senses so we move with a little more urgency. 7 Replicant The presence still feels like it is there but the feeling of it has changed. More euphoric, psirenesque. Is temptation around the corner? Do I want to find it? Once again the energy is gone. Like we are standing taking in our surrounds waiting before deciding what to do. 8 White Pixels Whatever choice we made this track makes us feel like it was the right decision. It takes us & wraps us in it's warm embrace. The most melodious so far & is quite beautiful in a melancholic kind of way. A female voice gives us the message The shadow of Earth can't block the radiation. White pixels shimmering as dying stars. Like thin Smoke trailing through the memory of someone still alive. Even now, white does not equal death. before a steady beat comes & takes us on another stage of the journey. Leaving behind the stark countryside into something more vibrant & alive. 9 From A To A We stand still, focused, listening to a message. Someone is trying to warn us of something. A coded message seems indecipherable to me. I understand only the words & must try to guess the meaning. Am I supposed to understand? Should I even try? Despite my efforts I end up right at the beginning again. Why move when this is so nice? At the end I'm falling, falling down out of the sky. 10 Woodland (Resurrected) I've fallen into a forest. I can here the birds chirping an the trees. My disappointment at falling from grace is replaced now with a sense of wonder at Nature & how fantastically beautiful she is. The minimal melody & beautiful synths hug me & tell me it's going to be alright. You are here & you are loved. 11 Source (album edit) This seems familiar (it's on oxycanta) like I've come full circle & I'm back at the beginning. Before the beginning even. Back in my dream? I've returned home, the rest is behind me now. Now it is time to sit & reflect on what once was & what could still be. I'm filled with a sense of satisfaction that I chose to take this journey & wonder how soon it will be until I take it again. On first listen to this album only White Pixels grabbed me & it was only after some time alone, undistracted with the album did the rest of it reveal it's beauty. It's the kind of album that might not be instantly accessible. Your friends wont like, they will tell you it's boring. But it's not at all it just needs some work to discover it's beauty. But it's worth it so give it a try. Favourites 4,5,6,8!,9,10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reger Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 Artist - Sync24 Title - Source Label - Ultimae Ultimae's latest release is relaxed & beautiful & comes with stunning artwork on the case & some lovely artwork in the booklet (& a naked photo of the artist ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaFeel Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 Everything from Ultimae is Magic! This album isnt my favourite, but is verry good!! 9/10 It has the touch from CBL for sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cttkba Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 i say so, it's extremelly relax album, it's what i was looking for. 10/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
node1 Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 I love this Album! I have been falling into a space where i don't want to fall, trapped in a subconcious bubble of my own design. This album helps SO much it's almost insane. 10/10 ... i absolutely love the chillout relaxed, let everything wash away moments that this album provides in multitudes... peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abasio Posted September 4, 2007 Author Share Posted September 4, 2007 As usual this album has grown on me even more! Excellent piece of work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melancholyman Posted September 18, 2007 Share Posted September 18, 2007 I totally agree with you abasio, I bought this album some time ago, and I didn't really think it was that great. But today when studying I turned it on and then it just came to me how great it was hehe. I think it can compete with solar fields actually, maybe I'll regret that statement but right now that's how it feels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkumaSama Posted September 21, 2007 Share Posted September 21, 2007 Me too, I first found this little disappointing. A bit boring for my tastes but after giving it some time I found much more in it. A very detailed album indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ormion Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 Not a masterpiece but great rlaxing chill. 8/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xerxes Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 one of my all-time favorite ambient albums allready.. absolutely stunning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McKoy Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 one of my all-time favorite ambient albums allready.. absolutely stunning!Also one of the best ambient albums for me. I just wish it was a little bit longer (80 min instead of 70). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzman Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 White Pixels... Can't get that beautiful melancholic melody out of my head, is humming it at work, i can hear it while i sleep, it's almost scary so amazing it is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qa2pir Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 Where is the bass drum? 0/10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starkraver Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 I just can't get enough of Cryptobiosis! What a beautiful track. And yes, White Pixels as well Another gem of an album from Ultimae. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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