Dark ambient always had quite a strict definition, which was
enough
for many bands and solo-projects of musicians worldwide.
Minimalistic
and free from pronounced details or emotional outbursts, it
carries a
lot of the hypnotic effects, created due to monotonous sonority
and
looped fragments. UK based Cold Spring label, known for its
abundant
experience in popularization of various underground curiosities,
has
expanded the limits of dark ambient realms. That means, in 1996
they
released new compilation of "international atmospherics", which
is
going beyond the imaging course, but on the more profound level.
So
you can't figure out some common principles of composition or
sonic
juxtaposition, but in perceptional scale these pieces all are
similar
to the idea of classic ambient soundscapes: slow submergence,
subconscious contemplation, lots of mystic and ritualistic signs.
All
of these tracks were recorded exclusively for this project, and
many
of these artists were just the promising newcomers. As far as the
times passed, many of them became the most celebrated artists in
the
whole universe of the dark scene: Lustmord, Cranioclast, Deutsch
Nepal, Inanna, John Watermann, Illusion Of Safety, Band Of Pain
and
Inade. Even the couple of tracks by less known bands like
Experimental
Audio Research and Jawbone are just the masterpieces according to
all
the highest standards of quality ever possible for underground
music.
The special feature of this CD is the best track ever composed by
russian artist Mikhail Atom, bombastic and lyrical at the same
time.
This compilation was released in a limited edition of 1500 copies
but
sold out and out of print for many years, now becoming the
collector's
item.

(Ó) Dmitry Vasilyev for I.E.M. magazine
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