Glanko - Telekommand EP // NMMREM XIX

Glanko, classified as IDM (short for intelligent dance music) did not gain my interest with the genre title. I very rarely enjoy dance music. With the track 9003 (/w mote) on my Facebook wall by Pollux I thought I need to give it a listen. Boy was I surprised; 9003 sounds like it is from a movie, assessing melancholic violins and orchestrations in a mellow ambient and rather organic atmosphere. A thrilling neoclassical track, but nothing like the rest of the album.

Purely electronics driven; first half of constantly glitching; wonderously mystical Maikurofomu CC walks a tightrope and slips off balance only to regain it with a somersault.

Second track Telekommand A has probably the best hook of the album, with the bass line at 2.50, peaking already at 2.55 to the sudden glitching bassdrop. Many times have I found myself humming this bassline, along with the bassdrop after listening this EP. It is a shame, in reality the best hook of the album, is never repeated. But the strong bassline stays there for quite a while and mildly changes form constantly. As if there is one thing that Glanko's Telekommand lacks it is memorable melodies and hooks. Telekommand is a very enticing entity but it doesn't have jaw-droppers except a few individual moments and the fourth track, 9003 (w/ Mote). When 9003 (w/ Mote) is pure 10/10 material the rest of the album fades into 8/10 territory.

It doesn't mean it is not a strong very original entity with a high base level. The mystical atmosphere stays intact; melodies and mixtures of sounds I've never heard anywhere else. There are a lot of stuff happening beyond the surface. Kudos to the artist for not overpeaking the tracks and allowing an extreme volumedose!

9-/10

Free Download: http://archive.org/details/siro570Glanko-TelekommandEp

Alex Tiuniaev - Treedreams EP // NMMREM IX

Surprisingly grand for a wee EP

Ever since I've been a kid I've been exposed to sequencer, synthesizer and ambient music from the likes of Klaus Schulze, Mike Oldfield, Jean-Michel Jarre etc. Even though they are undoubtedly geniuses, revolutinees of the music field and whatnot, I have never became very close to their music, though I have always kind of liked them. Still, Im sure this exposion has left some mark. Often things you've listened as a kid hit you hard later on and I think I finally found my first knack of sequencer-type music on Alex Tiuniaev.

Alex Tiuniaev is an ambient and piano composer from Russia. His EP Treedreams is a small piano driven release consisting of two tracks, both freely downloadable from last.fm. Small does not necessary mean simple, and minimalistic doesn't mean it doesn't have a lot of textures. Alex Tiuniaev's work reminds me subconsciously of Klaus Schulze's sequencer outputs (which of them, I cannot say). 

Treedreams I consists of a rhythmic melody circling around a rhythmic beat. Treedreams II:n has a similar beat present but it is more piano driven, than sequencer driven.Of these two Treedreams I is the simpler and clearly more memorable having a great catchy melodyline which took a few listens to materialize to its full potential. Treedreams II is a fine closer having more variation and more ambient. However for me Treedreams EP is not complete without a track from Alex Tiuniaev's newest album Blurred. Another free last.fm download "The Wild Winds Weep" can be cleverly bootlegged to serve as a brilliant intro to Treedreams. The Wild Winds Weep is my latest random find; a full on goosebump effect in the middle of a walk.

While I have only listened Blurred once I can say it does have lots of potential, especially the cinematic "We Were All Fishes Once" caught me unaware on first listen. I cannot fully express why, but somehow Alex Tiuniaev's music is extremely likable. If Treedreams or any of the synthesizer-artist-household-names-above make any impression to you Treedreams is, and free-to-listen Blurred may very well be, a shimmering find.

Overall score (modified EP): 8-/10

Download Treedreams for free here: http://www.last.fm/music/Alex+Tiuniaev/Treedreams+EP