[ Hypnos Forum ]

This sounds awesome. Just what I've been missing recently, this tribal, Serpent's Lair-esque music.

If animals made ambient music, it'd be cockroaches that would produce the most unusual sort of ambiences. There's a lot of ambient music out there that sounds like it could have been made by birds - (both the grandiose sort, like eagles, and the twisted sort, like crows, and the pretty and petite sort, like robins and little tropical birdies) - and horses (not ponies, however), and butterflies, and dinosaurs, and tigers, and whales, and dolphins, etc. There is a definite lack of materials within this species of music which sound like they could have been created by cockroaches, however. They should be given a chance; it'd be a fascinating combination of urban squalor, deep, damp city drones, and microscopic hisses and scuttles. The music would smell beautifully rotten, too. It wouldn't be the usual, epic-smelling swirls of sublime animal scents, but something altogether more earthy, rusty, and wet. There isn't enough wet cockroach music. A miniature studio would have to be built, which sounds like a difficult task - but! if horses can manage to do their knob-twiddling with hooves, it shouldn't be impossible for these six legged glories to be provided a means to sound production. 

Ylang is a bit a short on such moments. I too am yearning for more of that side of Robert Rich.

But, having accepted what Ylang is and what it is not, I think it is a great release. Hopefully his next one will explore those darker, more abstract territories.

This might well be the most beautiful collection of new pieces of music I've heard in a long time. I'm so glad that Robert Rich takes time over each release - it pays off when the results are this distilled and detailed. I've been a bit disappointed in a few new ambient/electronic releases by other artists in the last couple of months, so it's so relieving and exciting to discover that Robert Rich's latest is something of a masterpiece. You can hear there is blood and sweat put into his music, as well as inspiration.    

Paul Vnuk and Ben Swire - I absolutely agree that knowing how to apply compression, different kinds of EQ, multi-band compression and other studio techniques is important in forming beautiful sonics, and that having an understanding of music theory and at least one 'traditional' instrument can only be a help. I certainly wasn't speaking as an anti traditionalist, and I'm just as bored by people who are opposed to any formal musical training on principle as I am by traditional musicians who dismiss our music as not being 'real music' or old skool rock 'n' roll producers who scoff at any unusual or novel applications of studio techniques. A few folk in more noise-based 'avant garde'  circles (for want of a better word) come across as far more close minded than the traditionalists they oppose, and though they think they are free, I believe real freedom comes when you have worked hard at a form, consistently, over many years.

I wasn't speaking about collaboration, or studying music theory or production in an academic way, or even sitting down with a more knowledgeable producer or mastering engineer to listen through your work and critique it. I'm so thankful I've had those experiences, especially when they've been brutally honest - painful though they can be! No; I was specifically uncomfortable with the idea of ambient music being taught by some 'master', as if the rules of the genre have been established like the rules of harmonizing a Bach chorale. I just don't think it fits the nature of this movement (unless, like I said, we're talking about ambient-ish music for commercial purposes, like a film score or adverts or whatever), and I don't think the idea even honours the genre's traditions. Plus, we've already got too many sound-alikes as it is.    

I know this is very late, but I'd like to thank you for that review!

Here it is, in case anyone else on this wondrous corner of the internet is interested:

http://www.igloomag.com/reviews::1813::Robert_Logan_Accurate_Spit_Boy_EP_Inscape_Slowfoot_

I know I said I wouldn't bump this thread, but I listened to Inscape again for the first time in months - and unlike the feelings and disgust and horror that often permeate my brain while listening to much of my new music - I actually thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I believe the album may please other people's ears also.   

The art work/digipak is very nice, either way.

Thank you for that. An insightful interview...

Is Michael Stearns going to put out another solo album any time soon?

I didn't know about raison d’ętre's music, but I've been exploring it after reading this thread. It really is great: it's wonderful to hear ambient music with this kind of punch - some of it has got a real visceral energy to it. I suppose I should investigate the rest of the label, too.

Thanks Undershadow. I hope you enjoy the C.D.