Philipp Kessler - Pulsar

Philipp Kessler is an ambient producer from Switzerland, and based on his most recent release, “Pulsar”, he’s very interested in space and spacey sounds. In fact each of his nine album releases are heavily space-themed, unequivocally being named after various planets and spacey phenomena. “Pulsar”, however, is definitely the most spacey to date.

Kessler says he was influenced to make “ambient space music” largely via a video game EVE online and the composer of said game, Jón Hallur Haraldsson who made the soundtrack. For those who aren’t aware of this game, the sounds and composition of “Pulsar” are sort of a marriage between Tangerine dream and switched on Bach. They have a retro sound that might remind listeners of, say, 2001: A Space Odyssey more than any modern work. 

The beat of “Pulsar” is actually done on synths with no bass or drums to speak of for the entirety of the almost ten minute song. The “ambient space sounds”, as Kessler likes to call them, make up both the melody and the sampling layers of the track, and there are many sampling layers. Though the track sounds completely random, it’s safe to assume that it was composed like a classical piece, with each layer of sound representing an instrument, as it were. The samples pulse in and out (hence the name?) while the main melody is trippy in its own way but remains constant with the “beat”, a sort of chopsticks-like synth pulse. Surprisingly, the bassline is done on the only conventional-sounding synth, a piano-like sound. It’s quite complex and makes up a sort of counter-melody both in that it’s a tune rather than a conventional ambient bassline and that it is played on a more classical-sounding synth.

“Pulsar” is both ambient and classical from a number of different angles. It also has a scientific bent, however, and not just in the sense that Philipp Kessler likes spacey noises. It’s crafted in quite a specific sound design format which is highly technical, and that’s the thing that probably gives it the most space-inspired vibe. It’s clear that while Kessler was inspired by a video game, he also has quite a lot of technical know-how and musical training. “Pulsar” is a great example of what can be accomplished with this technical know-how and a few fun space synth software packs.