Let’s do it. I received this one to review, and I’m lost for words. This is a release for everyone who likes sound in its purest form, end of story. If I had only written that, no one would know what I meant, and it would be useless to the reader, the label or the artist. So forgive me for breaking styles on ‘how to write a proper review’; There will be more breaks.
– I start with the link to the Bandcamp page to order vinyl + additional CD. https://bencarey.bandcamp.com/album/metastability
– The pieces are written mostly on the La Trobe system in Melbourne. It is a synthesizer built from Serge paper face panels, and it has been fully restored by Ken Stone, who is probably next to Serge Tcherepnin – who has been making synths now for exactly 50 years – the leading expert on Serge systems.
– I once was at a concert in Utrecht where Ashley M Puente played two Serge paper face modules, the 73-75 panels. In a little talk, she mentioned that these weren’t really synths but more like analogue computers working within audio range. That one little sentence made me rethink everything I knew about modular synthesis. I’m still grateful for that revelation from a metacognitive perspective.
– Being an electronic engineer (also), I have built several Serge panels and actually working on two new ones. The electronics within are amongst the most interesting I have seen. Going into basics so deep, each item has a meaning and reason to be.
So these thoughts haunted my mind, and I could not write something coherent with this info. I’ll just leave it as is because there is still the music. The vinyl is a 5 track drone/ambient/experimental release which you can play over and over and over again. Roughly 17 minutes per side, so there is enough space to contain all frequencies. But there is an additional CD in there too! This includes a recording from Ben at the same Serge system, and it has had some treatment, but… The result is a binaural beauty to be listened to through headphones for the full effect.
Usually, I’ll always try to end a review with a catchy phrase. But not this time, as I’m still lost for words.
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