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▓▄███ Saul Stokes - Radiate ▐▌▐ ▌ ██████▓ ▐
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▄▄▄▄▓ Label: Databloem █ ▄ ▒
▓▓▒▀ Genre: Ambient █ ▀ ▒
▄ ░ Supplier: DRUM █▓██░
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███▄ Source: CDDA █▀▀ ▄
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██▄ ▀ Encoder: Lame 3.90.3 APS ▓█▀▀
██▄██ Quality: mp3 VBRkbps 44,1kHz Joint-Stereo ▀████
█▓█ RipDate: Feb-04-2005 █▓▀▒░
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Radiate
01 Saul Stokes - radiate (live)
02 Saul Stokes - wave image wave (live)
03 Saul Stokes - nano flame (live)
04 Saul Stokes - oceans light the shore (live)
05 Saul Stokes - hard landing (live)
06 Saul Stokes - curve of symphony (studio)
07 Saul Stokes - vast (studio)
Total Playtime: 69:54 min
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A leading light of new ambient, Saul Stokes, returns to
the fold after 2003's marvelous Fields with a new disc on
Databloem: Radiate. While not a new studio album per se,
Radiate combines five tracks recorded live in San
Francisco with two new studio tracks unavailable
elsewhere. Fields operated in more melodic and
traditionally musical territory, often eschewing the wild
synth improv of his early works. Stokes's last live album,
Abstraction, was at the other end of the spectrum; an
ululating tableau of synth drone harmonics. Those who had
trouble reconciling the two styles Stokes has oscillated
between on his last few releases will find Radiate to be
an exceptional meeting point--both the abstraction and
melodic invention of Stokes's music can be heard in equal
measures here.
Radiate begins with the title track, an ethereal,
electrical dronescape recalling early Tetsu Inoue works. A
lovely tone sequence that could have been lifted straight
from Fields appears, a sunrise of electronic brilliance.
Above all, Stokes's work is bright and warm--this track
encapsulates the radiant ambience that made his name in
the first place. Being a live recording, we segue straight
into "Wave Image Wave" which features sci-fi waveform
sounds and unusual stereo crackles recalling glitchier
electronic works. Rather than the clinical sterility of
Steve Roden, we are treated to understated electronic
chirruping accompanied by a reverent synth drone appearing
from nowhere. We're circling some warm planet--from within
the troposphere we find radio interference, ambient
radiation, bright, unfiltered sun, and occasional sonic
debris in the form of stark synth stabs. The sounds seem
to heat up into motion, and by the middle of the track are
buzzing with the sounds of the spheres. This is space
music at its most alien. Fans who've missed Stokes's
improvisational style from Outfolding need look no further
than here for more of the same. "Nano Flame" is something
of a throwback to the style of Stokes's earlier albums:
containing a fairly standard synth drone overlaid by
mechanistic percussion. Above all, Stokes's early works
brought thoughts of air-travel by swift flitter to mind;
mid-tempo journeys over landscapes both alien and
strangely familiar. "Nano Flame" is another classic
"future nostalgia" moment of drift and glide through
various atmospheres, huddled safely in a cocoon of
super-strong plastics. "Oceans Light the Shore" is similar
to "Wave Image Wave," beginning quietly like that earlier
track, its burbling sonics eventually conjoined with a
strange chiming melody that could have been lifted from
Kraftwerk's Ralf und Florian. More bright synth tones
follow, illuminating the constant flux of Stokes's
impossibly organic-sounding synths. "Hard Landing" crashes
us straight back into Tetsu Inoue-land, a theme-park of
gurgle rides and dot-matrix orchestras. This is the most
willfully experimental track on the album, inhabiting Atom
Heart-style grooves and atmospheres--uneasy listening, of
a sort. This is, like each preceding track, lightened by
almost Eno-esque stabs of atmosphere; cloudy and vibrant.
A stunning finish.
Radiate's two studio tracks follow more clearly in the
footsteps of Fields. In "Curve of Symphony," an underlying
drone is manipulated subtly, almost in the style of
Fennesz's more listenable material. Stokes's increased
attention to technoid grooves appears, the quietly
shifting tones becoming an armchair techno delight. After
four minutes we're steadfastly on the "frozen dancefloor,"
transfixed by pretty melodies and creative percussion
programming. The middle of the track is as close as Stokes
gets to electronic freq-out, and it's a wonder to behold.
A return to melody for the last few, almost melancholic,
moments, and we've just heard one of Stokes's finest
tracks. Finally, "Vast" puts everything we've heard before
into perspective--a hushed, chill ambient track with
subtle grooves and an almost Harold Budd melodic presence.
Shades of The Black Dog's more Plaid moments arrive
(perhaps Detroit's isn't all that far from Stokes's
hometown) and we finish with an elegant example of
intelligent techno that ends almost too abruptly.
The title couldn't be more appropriate: Radiate is a
startlingly bright and beautiful album, with sonic washes
both warm and experimental. It also offers newcomers their
best glimpse at the two modes of Stokes's work--willful
improvisation and chilled ambient-techno. Those who found
Fields a little too musical will find plenty of strange
electronics to buzz along to--though I myself find
Stokes's newer direction into melodic territory extremely
refreshing and welcome. Stokes is clearly inspired by more
modern electronic forms on his newest work, bringing a
sheen largely absent from artists operating in square one
Eno or Berlin School modes. I hope more ambient artists
will take Stokes's lead in touching upon techno and clicks
and cuts style electronic forms, bringing ambient into the
twenty-first century. Above all, Radiate continues Saul
Stokes's development, validating that he is in no way out
of steam after the triumph of Fields. I've already felt
Stokes was the artist to watch for some time--Radiate only
confirms that he is also one of the most important, and
likely influential, artists in new ambient's worldwide
milieu.
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