Neptunian8 - Scyphozoa

"Scyphozoa is a class within the phylum Cnidaria, sometimes referred to as the "true jellyfish"... and with that, I'm straight back into the murky allure of Dark Ambient, after six years of exodus from the genre.

Neptunian8 is an artist unfamiliar to me, but his CD arrived out of the blue into my mailbox earlier this week, and I'm happy to rekindle my relationship with rich soundscapes, for at least one more occasion.

Let's begin this journey with "Portal of Elements", a track which in keeping with the concept, has a strong nautical elegance to it - there's sonar-esque pulses, and sampling aplenty.

"Red Room" features some piano intricacies, adding to the theme once again, and it's an all-out "sinking ship" ethos - there's a sombre approach to the artist's concepts, and the interesting thing about this release is the echoes of IDM that add an extra layer to the music - where I find Dark Ambient pedestrian and tame these days, the gap has been filled leaving just enough to once again pique my interest, if not temporarily.

Towards the end of the release, Neptunian8 experiments more and more with spacial synth, IDM sequences, and general awareness of various structures, and despite no longer being an avid connoisseur of Ambient music, there is something here that I don't recall ever stumbling across before, and this release might be the beacon that some of you dreamers are seeking.

Recommended. Apr 29 2012