Super Fata - Structural Tendency [Origo Sound - 2013]“Structural Tendency” is the second full length release from Norwegian ambient project Super Fata. This CD release appeared back in late summer 2013 on Norway’s Origo Sound label, and it offers up six slices of drifting ‘n’ space bound ambient fair. The Super Fata project is all the work of Oslo based visual artist and musician Jan Roos. The project has been active since some point in 2012, putting out four track digital mini album, & a full length digital album in early summer 2013. So seemingly this is the projects first physical release. What we have here are six tracks of mostly lengthy, semi dark & brooding, interstellar ambience. Each of the six tracks lasts between just under the three mintues, to just over the twenty one & a half minutes. Most of the six tracks runtime are built around slowly ebbing ‘n’ flowing beat-less deep ambience, which is made up of slowly shifting ‘n’ swirling synth textures, with the odd sprinkle & mix of spacey/ intergalactic electro sound making, and deep space bound rushes ‘n’ textural weaves. Sound wise I guess you’d say this is very much influenced by Steve Roach’s more ebbing ‘n’ shifting space focused ambience, with a more up-dated take on the type of thing Tangerine Dream & Gong did when they were in their more ambient & star bound settings. With maybe slight hints at darker space bound ambience like Lustmord or Yen Pox. The album bobs, drifts & swirls by in an acceptable enough manner, and it’s all fairly well played & constructed as ambient music goes. Though I didn’t really find much here that really stuck out, or felt particularly original or fresh… the whole album sort of drifts & ebbs along at a fairly similar slowed manner, with the odd brighter or mid paced elements appearing from time to time. Yes it’s moody, eerier and space bound…but really I never really found my self fully connecting or drifting away with it, which of course great ambient music should manger to do. As space ambient albums go there is certainly some promise here, but on the whole it just seemed to lack it’s own identity, with much of the running time focusing in on fairly clichéd ambient constructions. So really I could only see this as appealing to real hardcore space ambient fans, who fancy hearing what one of the new kids on the block is up to. Roger Batty
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