Top Bar
Musique Machine Logo Home ButtonReviews ButtonArticles ButtonBand Specials ButtonAbout Us Button
SearchGo Down
Search for  
With search mode in section(s)
And sort the results by
show articles written by  
 Review archive:  # a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Saturn Form Essence - Alpha & Proxima / Signals [Nahàsh Atrym Productions - 2015]

Nahàsh Atrym Productions presents Alpha & Proxima / Signals, a compilation CD-R by Saturn Form Essence. This CD-R compiles 3 separate EPs from Ukranian sound artist Sergiy Fjordsson. As with all Nahàsh Atrym releases, this comes beautifully presented in a half-page fold-over cover featuring a 1973 painting by A. Leonov &  A. Sokolov.

On Alpha & Proxima / Signals we have extended to short slabs of focused drone that sound dense, atmospheric, and quite organic in nature. You’ll find drifting resonance of varying tones contrasted with deep, low-end drones that really give my speakers the workout. That said, I often find albums in the ambient drone realm to be terribly difficult to describe. I find it even more so on this one. It’s hard to find any discernible instrumentation to describe in length, so rather than trying to remark on the sounds presented, I’m better off describing what thoughts circled around my mind while engrossed in this epic sound journey.

Imagine there’s a violent storm approaching and the only cover in sight is an uninhabited cave. You take shelter in this massive rock formation gazing at the impending force of nature approaching in your periphery. There’s no perceptible thunder, lightning, or rain at this stage just the forming storm’s slow moving presence. The cave’s solid walls reverberate with low-end and atmospheric acoustics. Despite mother nature’s destructive force, everything sounds and feels quite tranquil at this stage. And it’s that quiet before the storm moment that this album resides. That about sums up my experience with this album.

The most glaring difference between the EPs compiled on this album are their lengths. “Alpha Centauri” and “Proxima Centauri,” which make up the Alpha & Proxima EP, occupies more than 43 minutes of the disc’s time (a far cry from what I would consider EP length). The 2 Signals EPs offer far shorter tracks, ranging from 1:16 to 6:39 in length. Certainly music of this sort tends to lend well to long extended tracks to ensure maximum drone zone exposure. Surprisingly, the shorter tracks feel no less mesmerizing. Truth be told that outside of length, it’s really subtle variances that differentiate the tracks on this disc…. a slight difference in tone, a little more aggressive bass drone, you get the idea. If you're sold on track 1 you should enjoy this all the way through.

This release is right in my comfort zone: dense, atmospheric, focused, and highly meditative. It’s a damn shame that Nahàsh Atrym is now defunct, because each and every one of their releases (at least those that I own) are top notch in both sound and presentation. Aces all around on Alpha Proxima / Signals!. Head over to the label to check out samples & pick-up a copy here:https://nahshatrymproductions.bandcamp.com/album/element-of-cosmos-explorer-one

Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5

Hal Harmon
Latest Reviews

Saturn Form Essence - Alpha & Pro...
Nahàsh Atrym Productions presents Alpha & Proxima / Signals, a compilation CD-R by Saturn Form Essence. This CD-R compiles 3 separate EPs from Ukranian s...
280324   Typhoon Club - Typhoon Club(B...
270324   Jerzy Skolimowski Collection ...
260324   Latex Choker - Sealed
260324   Occlusion - 59: No Input Wall
260324   Nihil Impvlse - Anabasis
260324   Marta Forsberg - Sjunger För...
260324   The New Boy - The New Boy( Th...
250324   The Stargazer’s Assistant - ...
250324   Liza Lim - Annunciation Trip...
220324   Patrick - Patrick( UHD/ Blu Ray)
Latest Articles

The Music of Clay Ruby & Burial H...
Over the last couple of decades Wisconsin native, Clay Ruby has been creating some of the world’s finest dark electronic music under the Burial Hex mon...
280324   The Music of Clay Ruby & Buri...
290224   Sutcliffe No More - Normal Ev...
100124   Occlusion - The Operation Is...
181223   Best Of 2023 - Music, Sound &...
051223   Powerhouse Films - Of Magic, ...
181023   IO - Of Sound, Of Art, Of Exp...
210923   Lucky Cerruti - Of Not so Fri...
290823   The Residents - The Trouble W...
110723   Yotzeret Sheydim Interview - ...
250523   TenHornedBeast - Into The Dee...
Go Up
(c) Musique Machine 2001 -2023. Twenty two years of true independence!! Mail Us at questions=at=musiquemachine=dot=comBottom