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Post by hashtronaut on Jan 30, 2007 11:17:58 GMT
review by David Law Little tinkling melodic tones provide a gentle start to the title track. They morph beautifully, caressing the senses. The track develops as two further sequences, both excellent, are deployed along with a lovely dreamy lead line. All the time we seem to be building momentum, really starting to motor by the eighth minute with the introduction of syncopation. By the twelfth minute the pace does slacken a little as a new sequence and lead line are brought into play and very effective they are too. The drums which had disappeared for a few minutes now come back with added urgency, getting me beating out time on the desk in front of me whilst I try to type this. In the twenty-first minute all descends to chaotic swirls of sound assaulting the senses but the bedlam soon disappears and out of the chaos appear gorgeous soft windy pads. A lovely way to finish. An organ played over metallic drone gives ‘Church of Lambda’ a rather Gothic beginning. Massed echoing cosmic twitters increase in intensity then just before the fifth minute an awesome fizzling sequence starts to hurl itself from the speakers. An equally forceful solo belts over the top. The mayhem of sequence and wonderfully crazed solos goes on and on for about the next sixteen minutes before we wind down to comic effects and slow sonic throbs coming in waves. It sounds a bit like a track from one of Klaus Schulze’s (with also a little Tim Blake and Rolf Trostel thrown in their for good measure) early box sets where he really lets rip but this is even more OTT. The heavier and more extreme the better for me- so I love it! Both albums I have heard by Hashtronaught have had something of a ‘done in one take’ feel and this is what gives them some of their excitement. Reviewed by David Law. David runs an excellent and highly regarded Electronic Music online store. Go and visit it at: www.synthmusicdirect.com/
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Post by hashtronaut on Jan 30, 2007 11:18:36 GMT
review by Sylvain Lupari
Hashtronaut is an obscure band, or an entity, which developed a faithful audience for more than 2 years, on Internet. Not what we can call accessible for all, Hashtronaut music is a skilful mixture of Krautrock and Electronic Music, Berlin School style. A unique union which should please for sure. It is all in undulation that we hear The Lambda Variant first notes. Floating, the movement is joined by a synth which marries a hypnotic bass pulsation to end up taking the initial sequential road. Gently, we plunge in the eye of the swirl and we lull on slow movement with the comfort of the minimalism mood. More insistent, synthetic laments awake to undertake a turn with moderate speed. The keys fly with resonance on a synth always in control of its curves. Percussions mark the tempo with strength on analog sound fx which illuminate a cosmic universe. And The Lambda Variant takes form on a charming synth pad who takes the lead, among metallic wings sound insects and multiples loops which resound and dance on a more constant and hypnotic rhythm. We are dived into the dark spheres of a derailed psychedelic music which seek an analgesic puff in a stuffed atmosphere of analogical emanations sound fx. This movement dies softly in the sweetness of an environment that is seeking for new energies...which won’t happen with the austere intro of The Church of Lambda and its heavy church organ procession. A deep baroque organ transfers us onto a dark path where keys fly with grace. Bewitching, they glean sewer of terror, they dance. Subjugated by the organ spectral flights effect, we barely hear the big fat line creates and pushes a heavy bass move which undulates with frenzy on a jerked movement, absorbed of a sea of analog fx. We leave the church to take part in the Lambda Ritual, where clouds of synthetic layers accompanied us in an infernal musical world. We are in full sound fest, filled up with wild synthesizers which wave superb fairy-like solos on heavy and supported sequences, as a big progressive rock which won’t stop. Quite simply brilliant. Let’s face it; 1 cd, two titles and more than 50 minutes of music are not attractive elements for Mister and Mrs Everybody, on the other hand if you are an amateur of music with more artistic shutter, Hashtronaut should interest you. And if Hawkwind, Klaus Schulze and Ozric Tentacles are among you musical faves, Hashtronaut is neither more nor less a fusion of them, with an unconcern which does not make any compromise about music.
Sylvain Lupari writes and reviews for the French online music site 'Guts Of Darkness'. This review is translated into English by the Author himself. Thanks Sylvain!
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Post by hashtronaut on Jan 30, 2007 11:19:15 GMT
review by Artemi Pugachov
The Lambda Variant starts with the long title track. Repeating electric piano-like motif develops to include other sounds as well as a mournful synth solo. Another solo joins it and the track settles into a groove for a while with very little in terms of changes to the sound. Ok, the Schulze influence is quite prominent here and a bit too prominent, I must add. Not bad, just lacks originality, IMO. However, things become more exciting as the rhythm kicks in. Mind you, it's still firmly in the Klaus Schulze (circa Body Love / Mirage) school of thought, but there's certain dynamism to the track that's a welcome change from the monotony of the previous section. The rhythm then subsides while the sequences become overall more prominent. The solos are always there, reminding on the great Klaus Schulze, albeit on Hashtronaut's music you can hear (if you have a trained ear that is) that most sounds were made on virtual analogue instruments. The rhythm returns, as EMS-like twitters fly around like comet sparks. One thing I notice is the lack of pads of any kind. Don't know is it was intentional, but the music seems to consist of just the solos, effects, sequences and rhythms. After a while the sound literally goes mad with distorted sequences, harsh effects and totally freaked-out textures. Finally, something vaguely resembling a pad appears and takes center stage. Excellent atmospheric section, this one - all those subtle effects etc.
"Church of Lambda / Lambda Ritual" is a live track that occupies the second half of the disc. Organ-like tones dominate the intro and it's quite obvious that the author is (again) trying to sound just like KS. Strange effects give way for an upbeat aggressive sequence. Excellent gritty, Industrial-like stuff and a welcome change from the all-too predictable classic-formula sounds. A high-flying solo compliments the noisy rhythm, often using the Arabic scale (just like KS likes to do it). This stuff must have sounded great live! It's the kind of music a wicked drunken bartender on an interstellar station would play you on a hard night's morning if you get my sick imagery. A bum note here, a missed timing there (heck, it's a live recording after all), Hashtronaut's soloing is extremely pleasant and competent. What makes me happy is also the fact that Hashy does change the sound of the solo on the fly, keeping you interested and not letting you get bored. Intense is the word for this track. The sequence then slows down and disappears, while the synths paint an otherworldly picture. My final verdict: track 1 is OK, although overall pretty forgettable (bar the final section). Track 2 is essential and should be heard. I'd recommend that you get this album, even if for the second track alone.
Artemi Pugachov is the creator of The Encyclopedia of Electronic Music,the first and (so far) only source of information about serious (not academic) Electronic Music artists on the web.
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Post by hashtronaut on Jan 30, 2007 11:19:35 GMT
review by Steve 'Starfarer' Youles This album consists of two tracks, one live and the other performed in the studio. The opening title track is the studio recording and kicks off with soft crystalline loops which gradually gain in angularity and boast some classic 70’s analogue synth sweeps. Joined by a plaintive lead voice which explores the minor key in which the piece is set, the music weaves a pattern in early Tangerine Dream territory, although some of the synth voicings sound to be more influenced by Crystal Machine-era Tim Blake. That might sound like a recipe for a Jean Michel Jarre soundalike exercise, but it’s far more ‘psych’ than anything JMJ has done. The weaving motif works well too, with extra layers being cleverly threaded into the mix so that ten minutes in, there is quite a degree of harmonic complexity. And then at around 15:20 a drum machine comes in, which really seals the groove into something pretty Hawkwindish. This slowly uncoils over the course of the next six minutes or so before the drum machine fades out and some emergent psychotic burbling synth ushers in a darkly paranoid mood, which turns through 90 degrees to enter an altogether different place, deep in the chill of interstellar space. This section is sublime, truly celestial music, which fades out from the 26 minutes mark, providing a soundtrack to the end of the universe, should you want it! The live track has a name betraying the Hawkwind influence – it has two sections, being Church of Lambda and the Lambda Ritual respectively. I gather the punters were initially somewhat bemused at the gig where this was recorded (the Mush Room, Liverpool June 2005, it says here). It is in some ways more accessible than the preceding studio track, with some of the ethereal layering being sacrificed for a more direct vibe. The first movement lasts about 5 minutes (I don’t know if that comprises the entirety of ‘Church of Lambda’) and is fairly ambient. Then it’s supplanted by something more upbeat, built around a skanking shuffle beat, with bursts of portamento panning across the stereo image. Hashtronaut takes three minutes to embed this into the listener’s consciousness before throwing in another lead voice which explores some very Brock-synth melody lines in a voicing that might have found favour with Harvey Bainbridge in the mid-80’s. Again, the description could be misleading in that it actually isn’t derivative of Hawkwind at all – individual influences are there, but the piece as a whole does something new and different with them. And most of Hawkwind’s synth work has been done over a shorter timeslice and in the context of rock songs. The epic scale of this and the thematic development place Hashtronaut in the tradition of synthesists such as Klaus Schulz and Tomita, rather than in more guitar-orientated rock styles. (Not to mention the entirely synth-based instrumentation!) To round out the description of the music, at 22 minutes the percussion drops, and the music enters a zone of foreboding and menace; itself a very Hawkwind sort of move, again doing a slow fade into deep space. The album, of course, ends there. And while I am no expert as regards synth music, it is something I enjoy, and this really hits the spot with its analogue tones, sombre mood and sweeping scale. Check for yourself over at the Hashtronaut website where you can download some free samples and buy the album (from Feb 6th onwards)… Steve Youles is the creator of www.starfarer.net This is a less-than-reverent fan site devoted to Hawkwind, inventors of space rock. It has aA wealth of information, oodles of rare articles and pictures.
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Post by hashtronaut on Jan 30, 2007 11:19:52 GMT
review by Jeff Fitzgerald I listened to some recent Klaus Schulze music not that long ago, and I thought to myself, man, this guy can probably do this stuff in his sleep by now. And maybe he does. I have to give him credit though, where Tangerine Dream veered off into a more lighter, new age instrumental pop direction in the 90's from which they've never recovered, Mr. Schulze has stayed true to form with his often seemingly endless electronic explorations. And while his recent output was indeed just that, it somehow seemed very mannered...as if Klaus Schulze set out to make some Klaus Schulze music, but without the heart and soul he poured into his earlier works. It was just kind of there. There is a point to me going on about a different artist's music for an entire paragraph in a review of this CD. It's because I am sure that Liverpool's Hashtronaut worships at the alter of Klaus Schulze. And hey, if you're going to emulate an artist, it may as well be one of the greats. But unlike Mr. Schulze, who seems to be composing on autopilot these days, Hashtronaut brings a vitality and energy to his music. It is full of passion. And that's what makes the difference. Now I'm sure there are some out there who would say, "how can it have passion, it's electronic music?" But it does. Well just listen to electronic music recordings from the 70's by artists like Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream, and compare it to what they are putting out now, and you will hear the difference. And that's the difference you can hear in Hashtronaut's sound. It may not be the most original music I've ever heard, but I love this kind of stuff, and when it's played with such passion, such strong belief in what the artist is doing, it really does make a difference. The Lambda Variant consists of two pieces around 25-minutes in length each. One of them is a studio composition and one of them is a live recording (indeed, the first ever live performance of the artist, which apparently came about pretty much by accident when another band failed to show at a concert). It's a nice combination. Track one, the title track, offers a little more variation in sound, whereas track two offers the rawer energy of a live performance. The opening cut starts with soft bell-like tones before percussion, multiple electronic sequences and washes of gurgling space sounds provide the backdrop for some serious synth melody explorations. Hashtronaut keeps it all minor key, which keeps it deliciously enigmatic (rather than having the tendency of Tangerine Dream from the mid-70's on to jump over into major key pop-like passages). The live track is sort of divided into two parts, the first, Church of Lambda, is a reverent, mysterious introduction with deep spacey organ sounds; the second, Lambda Ritual, a pulsing and rhythmic electronic journey. It's great stuff, and if you're a Klaus Schulze fan like myself, you will love it. Jeff Fitzgerald writes for Aural Innovations, the web zine that focuses on Space Rock, Psychedelia, Stoner Rock, and space/psych oriented Electronic music. You can read online issues here: www.aural-innovations.com/
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Post by hashtronaut on Jan 30, 2007 11:20:10 GMT
review by David Hughes. When this review comes out, this disc will probably have sold out, being as though it's limited to a run of 100! Indeed, a quick gander at Hash's website will show that this is how he operates, limiting cds to small print runs, which can be a good thing. They sell quicker, and for those that get them, they become more or less worth a lot more than they paid! So, this new release features two epic tracks, the title track with track two being The Church Of Lambda/Lambda Ritual. There's no hiding the fact that Hash is influenced by the likes of classic period TD, Klause Schulze and Hawkwind. Both the tracks start (and end) with slow ambient styled washes and swirls, until all the stops come out on some frenzied space synth rock that is, it is fair to say, a clever mix between Schulze and Hawkwind. The structures of these two pieces are very much how one would expect Schulze to build them, and yet when they do get going, with aural and sonic universes colliding, we're venturing into something akin to Hawkwind. As has become a cliche, however, these are only small signposts on a landscape that has definitely been modified by Hastronaut, and made very much his own. The first track is a studio recording, the second is a live one, showing that no matter what environment he's in, he produces some energetic and vivid creations. David Hughes runs Modern Dance, an eclectic on line music web-zine. All things to all men all of the time, full of the weird, not so weird, and wonderful. See it here: www.modern-dance.co.uk
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Post by hashtronaut on Jan 30, 2007 11:21:00 GMT
Scanned from E-dition magazine by Jez Creek - Thanks Jez
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