Few weeks before TP'99 I received the Audiophonik CD from Darkness/Imphobia.
This was a nice surprise as I was already planning on buying this CD. Darkness
asked me to write a review if I liked the cd, which I do, so here it is :)
As with all Imphobia CD productions the design is of great quality. PL does his
work very well, one must say that. Looking through the CD booklet, I can't help
commenting on the great idea of having every featured musician have it's own page
with personal info, projects and comments sections. It's always interesting to know
what your favorite musicians are up to, how old they are or what to expect from them
in the future. Ok, now all this is great but let's dive into the essence of this
production - the 12 audio tracks. To give you a better idea of what this CD is about,
I have chosen to comment on the tracks which I like
the most. Here they are:
[ flow by MOBY aka Frederic Motte ]
After listening to this track for a few minutes, I was asking myself if this was the Moby
I knew of from the demos scene. Indeed it was, but as Moby explains in the CD booklet, "Flow"
is an experimental tune and surely very different from his usual style. At first I didn't like
it much, but after listening to it some more, it got better. Actually it gets better for each
time I listen to it, and now "Flow" is one of my favorite tracks on the CD. The tune is very
electronic in sound, no guitars here, and quite original in style, I would say.
[ the giving tree by SIREN aka Alexander Brandon ]
I must say that, I LOVE Siren UNREAL game music! I like his early mods(94-96) as well but
it seems to me that he really developed as a musician while writing game music. I could hear it
right away that this was his track. I'm though not too sure how the singing fits in here, but hey,
I'm not a musician..
[ overture by JOGEIR aka Jogeir Liljedahl ]
Well.. back in the days when Amiga ruled the scene, music disks (and slideshows for that matter)
were very popular. Jesterday, Crystal Symphonies, Legalize it or Dizzy Tunes were so kewl! "Overture"
is a real oldie(released on Dizzy Tunes), but an unforgettable tune. As with most of Jogeir's music
this tune is very melodic, gentle, moving and full of mood and variety. If you are a Jogeir fan I can highly
recommend Jogeir's first CD "The Wanderer", which is available from Bjorn Lynnes site -
www.lynnemusic.com
[ little monkey by Lizardking aka Gustaf Grefberg ]
This immediately reminds me of Lizardkings new style. The one from Fashion 8. I like it a lot.
[ third millenium by LLUVIA aka Anne Haessig ]
"Third millenium" reminds me of the early works of Steve Hillage(Fire, 777, Cyber War soundtrack) which I love.
If you are not familiar with the early System 7 albums, I would describe it as an ambient-cyber-trance kind of
music. "Third millenium" is rhythmic, not powerful but with pretty high BPM rate, which gives you a dreamy like cyber
floating experience.(sort of)
[ ephemeral wanderer by C.C.CATCH aka Kenny Chou ]
This is a nice, relaxing, easy going and sort of laid back track. In style it reminds a bit of Robert Miles.
"Ephemeral wanderer" was also my favorite track after I listened to Audiophonik for the first time.
[ space deliria by DR.AWESOME aka Bjorn Lynne ]
What can I say... A BLAST FROM THE PAST!! would be most appropriate, as this version of Space Deliria simply
ROCKS in every meaning of this word! If you loved the original Space Deliria released on Amiga 500, and
later got blasted by the improved Space Deliria from hoBbiTs & SpACesHipS, you will love this one! It's absolutely
incredible!
A final word. Audiophonik is a compilation of modern scene music. Some of the best musicians and scene legends
have been asked to participate in this project, providing over 70 minutes of top demoscene sound. Since there are
only few of similar projects around, they are all one of a kind, including this one.
Scener or not, Audiophonik can be recommended to anyone who likes electronic music.
For the full track listing of the Audiophonik CD and purchase info go to
www.imphobia.org or email
Darkness/Imphobia
