K. Meizter - Travelling Light

On hearing that K Meizter was releasing a solo album, the first thing that reached my mind, before even pressing play on the CD player, was"is this going to be any good?"

"Travelling Light" comes in 500 copies, with masterful cardboard packaging, and some fascinating diagrams, defining and illustrating the laws of physics, gravity, speed of light, and anything similar you can care to think of. It becomes clear immediately that the emphasis is to impress here.

A couple more interesting points to note are that all of the tracks are exceptionally short, by ambient standards; and the album comes mastered by Mika, of the quite legendary 'This Morn Omina'.

Musically, the album starts like most good albums do: with an Introductory piece, this one entitled "Prolog". I find it never easy to comment on Intros, and I tend to feel that they often misrepresent an album. Hopefully not in this case, this one is a soft machine-textured sound, (which as my regular readers will know, I am very fond of).

There is without any doubt a huge difference here in approach, style, and sound to anything Beyond Sensory Experience has previously released. There is a big emphasis on drums here, slow, soft, but very demanding drum work, ambient background textures, vague footsteps on steel, bass which has a very faint echo of funk to it. Obscure as it sounds, it works exceptionally well. "Play It as It Lays" is quite unlike anything I have heard since I have been a reviewer here, but I am certainly, certainly willing to hear more of this.

It doesn't surprise me to find that the preceding track is nothing like the previous. Music that doesn't bore, or reach tedium. "In A Low-Dimensional System" does exactly what it says on the tin. Music crushed under the weight of an entire solar system, reduced to choking on itself, but spluttering out some inspiring loops, before the drums make a return, delivering a stern and powerful beat.

It's easy to see how the packaging co-exists with the material on offer here; it really paints a wonderful picture of the Solar System, complete with Orbits, Asteroids, and all of the Laws of Astronomy.

The Drums are a huge, huge part of this release, they're there constantly, weaving and correlating with the voice samples that occasionally come into being: the ever-present special style loops, and the general zeitgeist of weightlessness.

"Bounding the Infinite" is another highlight of the release, Children shouting to each other, interplaying with a very dark piece of music, sometimes the voices drown out the music, sometimes the music renders the voices inaudible.

Perhaps the track that sums up the entire release perfectly is "Obsessive Geometry". Such a fitting theme for this kind of music, and one that is far too oft neglected. It is a more vibrant, aggressive number than earlier pieces, although it is still by any means a quiet piece. Whereas most solar systems collide, explode and wreak havoc, this one is content to threaten us with a quiet rumble.

The Funk feel returns on "Lock and Chain, Find Again". Bass, before one of the most beautiful and unexpected keyboard melodies plays the track out. I shit you not, the second the Piano started my eyes and jaw just completely fell. For this alone, I rate this track a must-hear.

"Luftwalk" is my favourite track on the album, it carries over some keyboard sounds, and at just two minutes in lifespan, it doesn't need to offer you anymore than a tantalising melody.

I feel no desire to explain any more than half of the tracks on here for the simple reason that I want everyone to hear this. I feel it will do no justice if you get this release knowing exactly what to expect. This being said, all I will say about the final 4 tracks is that they do not carry the album past it's welcome.

I may be biased, as I am a fan of Beyond Sensory Experience anyway, but you need to remember, this is a solo project, and simply must not be compared.

Either way, the fact is, If you like your ambience with theme, with real intelligence, originality, and if you like to think, feel inspired, and reach new places, this is one of those rarities you simply MUST own.

Repeated Listens have never been so rewarding. Sep 22 2006