Global Communication - 76:14

Not much that I can add to the plate with all these great reviews already here. What I will say is that the rumors are true... This CD is amazing and seems to be a hidden ambient/IDM gem from the 90s that not a whole lot of people know about. Even here in the time I write this (2006) Global Communication have still not released a proper follow-up to this album. I know the two have been busy with their own projects but sometimes I think they wanted to end Global Communication with this classic and have people remember this album as their sound.

Its hard to pick favorites here seeing how the album needs to be listened to as a whole... I could tell you about how 14:31 is a slow, ambient piece with a "tick-tock" sound running throughout the track. Or I could tell you that 8:07 has a dancey feel to it with what is either an amazingly real sounding synth line, or female vocals. I could tell you all these things.. But the only thing I want to say now is BUY THE ALBUM!

Its worth every penny.

Without a doubt this release is in a class all by itself. Brings to mind some of the immersive games I've played (Myst) with amazing clarity. One of my personal favs in the ambient genre. A positive vibe throughout, yet dark, mellow and involving. I can listen to this everyday, but don't so I won't wear out the feeling I get when I listen to it. Tom and Mark at their absolute best!

Although, it was the earlier cosmic housey sound that really got me into Global Communication. It didnt take me long to discover and fully appreciate the superb quality of this album. In addition to being one of the most technically sounding albums Ive ever heard, the layout and synths are out of this world. 7:39, 8:07, 9:39 are amazing! A MUST for any collection.

Just like Substrata (Biosphere), 76:14 is an ambient classic from the mid-90's that still sounds very great. With windy waves, icy drones, epic analog sweeps, delayed whisperings and mysterious choirs, it's offers many blissful moments. And if you'd like to hear what might have been an updated version of the 76:14 style, you could try out Nothing Down-to-Earth by Galerie Stratique.

This is a fantastic album from the era when ambient was at its peak, rank this alongside works like The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld, KLF's Chill Out. Those who know of Tom Middleton will probably know of his work as Cosmos (spacey lovely house), Jedi Knights (nu-school breaks which inspired the likes of Adam Freeland) and his Sound Of The Cosmos mix (which is a blinding exercise in breaks, house and downtempo spread over 3CDs) ... or perhaps the even later Global Communications tracks The Way / The Deep which explored funky cosmic house. This, however, is as far detatched from the housey Middleton as possible. 76:15 follows the 'swirling ambience' template, beatless, seamless and atmospheric ... taking you on a journey from one end of the CD to the other. Take 9:39 for example, full of deep space cosmic bleeps, a hypnotic 'warrooooooom!' bass pulse, and eerie choral synths. Definately swirling ambience. There are some astoundingly beautiful moments on here too. 14:31 is plain gorgeous, a slowly ticking clock keeps the beat of the track while lush orchestral synths create a gorgeous uplifting mood. Its not all totally beatless, 9:25 has a gentle break that helps the track move along. Think Orb's Supanova At The End Of The Universe and you're pretty much there. 7:39 features almost Plaid-y Warp style synths, while 8:07 and 5:23 work hypnotic keys over deep pulsing Sasha style bassline stabs. 12:18 finishes off the album with more dramatic orchestral synth action like in 14:31 ... a top closer.

As you can tell, the entire album is named after the sum of its track times, with each track named after how long it is. Apparently to stop the listener having preconceptions about how the music sounds before they listen to it. A nice idea, this is an album you make your own concept for, your own story ... as opposed to The Orb's journey from Earth to the Ultraworld.

The best ambient album I've heard so far. Excelent melodies, amazing production skills... Brilliant ambient album!
Track 2 is also known as 14:31 (Ob-Selon Mi-Nos)
Track 5 is also known as 7:39 (Mark's Birthday Retake)
Tracks 7 & 8 are known as 8:07 (Mayden Voyage) and 5:23 (Mayden Voyage).

Even though, the album is entitled "76:14", my CD player says that the total length is 76:17... :)