This seventh album from Konstantinos Soublis will strike some as a bit minimalist. That's not entirely true. But if your taste leans toward adrenaline-junky electronic music, look elsewhere. Instead, the respected dub techno producer has delivered a low-key collection of nine gorgeous soundtracks in miniature. The work is smooth, detailed and cinematic.
The double LP opens like a lot of good movies with "Train Incident." We're welcomed with an ominous synth line that sounds like a distant steam engine. Additional electronics rumble in along with a techno beat set to approximate the sound of an approaching Eurostar. This may be an unintentional hat tip to Kraftwerk (authors of the wonderful "Trans-Europe Express"), but it's a suitable one nonetheless.
Ripple Effect's two major works are "The Meeting" and "Tipping Point," at more than nine and 11 minutes respectively. The former could be an Agatha Christie score, with its harp flourishes and tune-in-next-week synth lines. The latter is more evocative. The track opens on a busy city street, with a faint drumbeat hanging in the air. It builds from there, but the street sounds remain throughout. There's something vaguely tense about the mix of music and found sound. The title suggests that was entirely by design.
The album reportedly took Soublis two years to complete. Certainly there's no lack of attention to detail here. It may not coax you off the couch, but it will deliver a good hour of high-production-value daydreams.
(Vibrant)The double LP opens like a lot of good movies with "Train Incident." We're welcomed with an ominous synth line that sounds like a distant steam engine. Additional electronics rumble in along with a techno beat set to approximate the sound of an approaching Eurostar. This may be an unintentional hat tip to Kraftwerk (authors of the wonderful "Trans-Europe Express"), but it's a suitable one nonetheless.
Ripple Effect's two major works are "The Meeting" and "Tipping Point," at more than nine and 11 minutes respectively. The former could be an Agatha Christie score, with its harp flourishes and tune-in-next-week synth lines. The latter is more evocative. The track opens on a busy city street, with a faint drumbeat hanging in the air. It builds from there, but the street sounds remain throughout. There's something vaguely tense about the mix of music and found sound. The title suggests that was entirely by design.
The album reportedly took Soublis two years to complete. Certainly there's no lack of attention to detail here. It may not coax you off the couch, but it will deliver a good hour of high-production-value daydreams.
