Following the success and critical acclaim of the first six Tone Science compilation albums, DiN label boss Ian Boddy has collated another nine tracks from musicians of varying backgrounds working in the realms of modular synthesis.

 

CD in digipak, limited to 500 copies. 

 

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This volume starts with a pair of beautiful, texturally detailed sequenced tracks “Abalone Vortex” by Andrea Cichecki and “Tempestarius” by Chris Meyer which form a natural pairing that create a melodic, calm opening.

 

“Dim Rill” by Rodent enters a more mysterious zone with mesmerising bell like tones that bounce around in the stereo field before yielding to the rising harmonic motif of “Flutter” from Dark Sparkler that promises resolution but ultimately falls back into mystery.

 

The mid-point of this volume sees Blakmoth take the music sonically into a very deep, dark place with a huge slab of dread that is “Of Ash And Sorrow”. Counterbalancing the first four tracks it sets up the audio space for the remainder of the album.

 

The next three pieces see a more heavily sequenced space emerge with definite echoes of the Berlin School ethos that was instrumental in inspiring so many modular synth artists. No more so than on “Pareidolia” by Brendan Pollard with its groaning, spring reverb clatter in its opening that gradually coalesces into a throbbing analogue bass line. “Hecataea” by Andrew Ostler and “A Hopeless Momentum” by James Cigler complete this trio of sequenced tracks with varying layers of complexity and harmonic exploration.

 

The album floats away into space as it closes with the track “Near Earth” by Jon Palmer. Inspired by the weird and wonderful abstract sounds on the long wave radio band this impressionistic soundscape fades to an eerie signal mournfully calling in the void.