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http://www.synthmusicdirect.com/orchsat.cfm Ma Ja Le “Dreams In The Orchards Of Saturn” This
is an hour of sonic experimentation, mostly in the ambient and tribal realm,
but with a complexity that sometimes defies easy categorization. 'Vaniorum
Domnus' sounds like the dark soundtrack to an arty sci-fi film, with its
sweeping strings, haunting echoed atmospherics, and other assorted sounds. A
melody is hinted at, but never quite coalesces. Immediately preceding it,
'Silver Lullaby' has soothing tinkling bells over a simple repeating pulse,
which is vaguely oboe-like, giving a slight classical feel, but only slight.
Fans of Steve Roach and Vidna Obmana should enjoy 'Platipus Epitome,' heavy on
the rainsticks, in combination with light tribal beats and other worldly
synths. This track changes directions midway through. It sounds a bit like
acoustic guitar with effects, but only electric guitar is credited, so it's
either than or a synth. Anyway, the gentle reverberating tones gives fans of
more structured music something to enjoy, and I found it very pleasant.
'Buttons' has a beautiful flute, also heavy on the reverb, with long drawn out
notes playing over light but rapid percussion. This one really conjures up
images of bygone primitive cultures. 'Alley Cat Sings Midnight Blues' is a very disjointed, experimental piece, with intentionally dissonant sounding noises competing for dominance. This one was a bit too challenging for my taste, but if you lean toward the truly experimental you may enjoy it. Returning to tribal ambience is 'Dance In Sands,' with haunting, long wails of sound over more light tribal beats. The percussion is a strong point throughout, nearly always enhancing the music without becoming intrusive. With the exception of 'Alley Cat,' the mood is pretty relaxed throughout. 'X J 32' shows that band mates Paul Vnuk Jr. and Chris Short are willing to try just about anything. Bright synths mix with somewhat heavier beats, with a very distant guitar, rocking in the background. It sounds like this shouldn't work, but it does. '3 Spheres' emphasizes cymbals initially, giving it almost a cool jazz improv feel for a moment. 'Willow Creek' is another strong atmospheric track with some more primitive elements. This is followed in closing by 'Flecks of Ancient Amber,' with shimmering metallic synths, and hints of a light melody through an electric guitar haze. This album is full of complexity and rich with interesting and surprising touches. (PD) http://www.susqu.edu/students/p/prindle/ambient/reviews/majale.html Dreams in the Orchards of Saturn A.J. & Grey Sound AJG001 (USA), 1995 Ma Ja Le, the duo of synthesist Paul Vnuk Jr. and electric guitarist Chris Short, unlike many ambient projects, is rooted in live performance. Their first album, Dreams in the Orchards of Saturn, is therefore appropriately a collection of live recordings. This music has a raw and improvisational character rarely found in the genre, and while this occasionally leads to some missteps, it also lends these compositions an intriguing edge. In addition to synthesizers and guitars, Short contributes some flute work and Vnuk along with guest performers Steve Misovy and Lannette Newson add a percussive element. The result is a sound that vaguely resembles some of the "tribal ambient" genre, but also incorporates healthy doses of jazz, rock and experimentalism. A great deal of variation exists between the 11 tracks, moving from soft contemplation to driving rhythm to warped soundworlds. Dreams in the Orchards of Saturn is an early chronicle of a promising project with a very unique sound and approach to musical creation. http://www.spiderbytes.com/ambientrance/0999ov.htm Ma Ja Le: Dreams in the Orchards of Saturn (A.J. Grey Sound - 1995) (8.4) Improvisational explorations follow interesting routes in these early live recordings from Paul Vnuk Jr. (synth, loops, African percussion, effects) and Chris Short (electronic guitar, loops, synth, flute). These spontaneous musical abstractions tend toward avant-experimental meanderings with light neo-tribal accents, strikingly coherent given their off-the-cuff construction. Soft, spacey warbles and muffled chimes ring out over the primitive beats of platipus epitome. Sinuous serpentine guitar strands dance in sands, weaving between drumbeats and synth haze. Perfect for setting your surroundings with an arty, low-key and often mysterious mood. Both of Ma Ja Le's full-length CDs are available from James Johnson's Zero Music website. (I was supposed to see these guys perform with James Johnson in Milwaukee last weekend, and I had to cancel, and am still pouting about missing it...) Wind & Wire review DREAMS IN THE
ORCHARDS OF SATURN Ma Ja Le A J Grey Sound Genre: Ambient-noir Get ready, ambient-noir fans. This one is definitely for you. If you like Suspended Memories, Tuu, the Roach/Rich collaborations, then this debut release awaits you. It’s going to submerge you in dark menacing alien soundscapes filled with odd noises, discordant electric guitar noises, bizarre synthesizers, and exotic percussion. I was actually beginning to get bored with ambient-noir and ambient-tribal until Stu at Dark Star turned me onto these guys (the group is Paul Vnuk, Jr on synths, percussion, loops and effects and Chris Short on electric guitar, loops, synths and flutes). It’s pretty heady stuff. The album starts off with a ripple of strange noise (“Calno Ranji”) and haunting flute which segues directly into “Silver Lullabye.” You probably won’t fall asleep to this tune. The electric guitar slides seductively in and out, with chimes and bells in the background. It’s very atmospheric with a nice blend of the discomfiting and the alluring. There are spacey drones on this CD (“Vaniorum Domnus” with its really weird background noises), otherworldly “noise” pieces that morph into quasi-tribal meanderings (“Platipus Epitome”) and heavily distorted but still accessible numbers (well, relatively accessible) like “Alley Cat Sings Midnight Blues.” Make no mistake about it. This can be very experimental sounding. It’s not fluid music like Soma or Strata but it’s shares those releases sense of mystery and adventure. It’s more electronic for sure and less organic. I can’t say that everything works for me, but the sheer inventiveness of it, combined with the wonderfully bizarre quirkiness, more than makes up for any lack of composition or accessibility although “Willow Creek” really seems a bit too odd near the song’s end. I like the droning pieces best on this release. “Dance in Sands” has a nice seductive feel to it. The electric guitar is deliciously processed, using long sustained notes and the percussion is slow and sensual. On “X J 32” we have more tribal rhythms, but this is counterpointed with more alien sounds and some interesting distorted guitar, all on top of some synth chords that try to bring some peace to this song, but to no avail. That guitar in the background insists on putting a fiery edge to the music and it won’t be denied. I want to recommend this CD, but I suspect that some of the more “out there” elements may prove too much for listeners who are expecting something a little more sedate or less adventurous. This music is neither, even at its quietest.The production quality is excellent for the recording, especially for an independent release. It’s not for everyone, obviously, since conventional melody and structure are notoriously absent. But for those late night forays into dark space-scapes, Ma Ja Le are great tour guides. Buckle up. It’s gonna be a scary ride. - Bill Binkelman - |