Biosphere - Cirque

i´d like to suggest a few changes in the above comment:
replace trance with dub
replace muffled with glitched

(this is by no means ~scape dub/glitch, but deep biosphere dub/glitch, and very recommendable if you like substrata)

An amazing album!

Originally, to me Biosphere's best release was Substrata & in every respect it still remains a classic but Cirque just has that something extra, a real journey into the glacial sound that Biosphere creates, a journey that one takes with the explorer to which it is inspired from.

Every track seamlessly moulding into the next with ease & then we're given the sublime & punchier tracks of Algae & Fungi Parts I & II, with a drum and bass sound backdrop never interfering with the chords but driving both tracks & probably even enough to keep a dancefloor interested & thinking at same time.

Finishing with one of the most moving pieces of ambient music: Too Fragile To Walk On..Emotionally captivating.

This album was inspired by the true story of a young North American explorer (Chris Mac Candless) who lived a brutal dream of ascetism but fatally lost himself in the dense forests of Alaska. I would like to specify that words you can weakly listen to in the 2nd track are in french. The man is talking about northern lights and the return of the sun, seemingly during an exploration in the North Pole.

Biosphere does ambient right… again. There are certainly dub elements (the deep, reverberating drums) blended into the music, but Cirque is definitely meant to evoke an icy aura -– “Grand Dome” sounds like being trapped in a deep, frozen fjord. “Black Lamb and Grey Falcon,” with its delicate guitar, is the springtime thaw. Definitely, there’s a Basic Channel-minimalistic feel to “When I Leave,” with its low throbbing beat, but the disembodied vocal sample floating atop it is pure Biosphere. “Algae and Fungi (Pt. 1)” and “Algae and Fungi (Pt. 2)” veer into drum ‘n’ bass territory, but with much more emphasis on the atmosphere than the beats. “Too Fragile To Walk On” finishes the album back on an ambient note, and, no doubt, the listener will still be floating on the Arctic Ocean.

In explanation of my earlier comment: When I said it borders on trance, I didn't mean it was like trance, merely that it is suggestive of it. At least to my ears. What I mean by that is that it has much more structure than Substrata, and that structure is reminiscent of trance. Nothing more. Yes, technically it is dub. I should have made the distinction more vivid. This is not a negative, just a difference that someone who really enjoyed Substrata should be aware of.

Secondly: What I mean by muffled is purely from a production quality standpoint; the engineering of the samples and how well they mesh together work to create an environment. With Cirque, the engineering of the samples feels flat to me. This is purely a sound quality issue. Glitch can be extremely emersive and sharp. A good example of that would be Pole's "1" which is practically entirely glitch, but very intricate and sharp. You can listen to it on very high quality equipment and it will never feel "flat."

I didn't mean to come off as negative on this release. It is beautiful music, and I listen to it fairly often.

to my mind, best ambient album ever
a little bit 'harder' than substrata with more beats and basslines but still so atmospheric
pure happiness!
i advice it to everyone and not only ambient fans

Cirque is a lot different from Substrata, in many ways. It, in my opinion, borderlines on trance, but not to be confused with the sorts of trance you find on "Mix 2001!" type CDs. It is quality music, no doubt about it, just different.

One thing that I noticed is that the quality of the recording seems to be a bit muffled and flat. When I put my Substrata CD in, I know that I am going to be completely enveloped with the sonic textures it provides. With Cirque, it feels like I am listening to something, instead of being in something. Minor quibble though. Overall this is an enjoyable listen, and if you like slightly trance-like ambient music, it should be right down your alley.