Nova (15) – Albedo

Kaleidoscopic, arctic chill…

Albedo is the reflective property of a non-luminous object. A perfect mirror would have an albedo of 100% while a black hole would have an albedo of 0%...

French-based Ultimae Records is out with their 16th release – following the gargantuan chill-blast Fahrenheit Project Part Five…This time it’s a conceptual compilation, hand-picked by Massimo Terranova showcasing albedo from different parts of the world… Put on your sunglasses – let’s take a ride with Nova!

Let me take you thru the tracks…

#01: Carbon Based Lifeforms – Digital Child
Daniel Ringström from Gøteborg, Sweden is one of the leading acts when it comes to soothing, melancholy ambient… This here is also very, very mellow, drifting ambient… The melodic, naïve melody is incredibly beautiful – a dreamy soundtrack setting the pace for what's about to happen… Amazing track – I wish it was longer…

#02: Between Interval – Wishful Thinking
Despite the fact, that this guy (Stefan Jönsson) has released two albums, this is my first encounter with his work… This is a very nice track that immediately stood out when I first listened to this CD… Radio-static and undecipherable voice samples mixed with dark ambient… And eerie orchestral pads and synth-stabs… This is some spooky shit actually – Icy cold, dark ambient…Beautifully executed!

#03: Solar Fields – Fiat Lux
The icy-cold journey through Swedens deep ambient territory continues with a track by Magnus Birgersson also from Gøteborg… One of my fav'e producers for sure… The H.U.V.A. Network album still sends shivers down my spine when I listen to it… This is a little more upbeat, though still in deep ambient territory… The melodic pad here is among the most beautiful I've heard in a long time… This is a truly wonderful, magical track… So hypnotizing and mesmerizing…

#04: Ishq – Ra
Matt 'Ishq' Hillier from the UK serves up a dish for the sun god Ra… This is also an upbeat tune – though with enough soothing, floating elements to keep it chilled… The tight percussion is in focus here – kinda tribal, but then again not really… This is a nice little track with crisp production – but it's not my fav'e here…

#05: Ochi Brothers – Silver Shore
This is my first encounter with these Japanese brothers (Yoshiaki & Yoshihisa Ochi) from Tokyo.
And wow, this is heavy stuff – a deep, filtered bassline surrounded by rich, icy-cold, and metallic percussion… Close your eyes and you can almost imagine the digital water washing up on the silver shore… Brrr – freezing! This is interesting stuff for sure, but a little too experimental for my taste…

#06: Nova feat. Aes Dana – Kalaallit Nunaat
Let's travel further up north… Nova who compiled this compilation is joined by Vincent Villuis on this track bearing the native name of Greenland... Started in London UK and finished in Lyon France – with arctic references… This is stunning music – huge orchestral, yet simple pads make out the lead here… Subtle voices beautifully surrounding the classical cello-pieces… Reminds me of the Theme of Rohan from LOTR Amazing stuff!

#07: Sync24 – Waiting
“Waiting people run around. I am here lying on the ground. Smiling because I do not agree, that running is more comfortable for me… ” Sync 24 is Daniel Ringström from Carbon Based Lifeforms again. Just as on Fahrenheit Project Part Five this is experimental fusion downbeat – a mixture of urban space-chill and soothing, organic ambient… Bubbling with life… A nice little tune…

#08: Hol Baumann – Human
This is the first track from Frenchman Oliver Orand outside the Fahrenheit series… His style is intact though, and we get more fusion downbeat here… An experimental percussion section with psychedelic bleeps and blobs is mated with a gargantuan orchestral background… The crossover potential is evident here, and yeah – I really dig this… Nice track!

#09: Aes Dana – Aftermath #8
French wizard Vincent Villuis is with us again – now joined by Mahiane…Following the seven Aftermath tracks on their 2003 album…This is Opus 8 which is a tour de force piano-performance by Vince… After a lengthy intro we're also introduced to some lazy, dusty beats – in perfect union with the chilled melodies… This here is very potent downbeat music – with enough spark to keep your head bobbing… Nicey nice!

#10: Vir Unis – Light Curve
Vir Unis is an American producer based in Chicago who among others has worked with Steve Roach… Despite his 20 album releases (!!) I've not heard any of his stuff before… This is synth-based electro-chill somewhere in between ambient and downtempo… Subtle bass and tribal drums in the background – and floating soundscapes in the foreground… Pretty standard chill to be honest…

#11: Antonio Testa – Sunset
Mr. Terranova brings in another newbie to finish things off… This time it is Italian producer Antonio Testa and he's with us during the final sunset… Soothing, naïve piano keys – and crystal bowl sounds… All very relaxing and nice - will send you into dreamland easily… Nice way to finish the compilation!

Another brilliant Ultimae release – taking you by the hand and accompanying you from sundown to sunset – in 11 easy pieces… The cinematic feel is very much present in most tracks here, but I don’t really know how much I picked up on the whole albedo-story… Maybe I’m not perceptive enough… Anyway, I really like this compilation – and especially the first half hosts some very, very good tracks… The rest is pretty good too, and there are no bad tracks here – as always with Ultimae… I also like the fact that we’re presented with a mix of the usual suspect + a variety of new, talented producers from around the world…

Everything is high-quality, and the artwork and 16-page color booklet has beautiful pictures in it… My copy has a mistake in it though – the individual track-pages are in the wrong order. But that’s most likely a mistake made by the pressing plant – or it could be just my copy? Either way, it doesn’t ruin my experience of a nice, chilled downbeat journey - compliments of Nova and Ultimae … Very nice – any fan of intelligent downbeat and ambient soundscapes should check this out – you’ll not be disappointed! Enjoy!

Favourites: 1, 2, 3(!!!), 6(!!), 8, 9