The Raging Consciousness Desk

Years ago while doing a radio show we started receiving cassette tape recordings from an entire underground of inter-connected artists. Many of the artists were forgettable, yet one artist stood out from the rest. Using a new hybrid of music that contained sounds culled from around the globe and possessing a Tribal - Ritualistic sound that blew listeners away, this was a real find! No one heard any more from the artist and we would scour the shelves of every record store visited looking for anything by him - yet never successful. Upon hearing Jorge Reyes first work, a substitute was found to live with until finding the artist that stuck in my head. Years passed and I saw a name on a recording that got my adrenaline going - Loren Nerell! Finally, the music I had searched so hard for was that little bit closer. At last, the labels have heard what talent Nerell possessed and (finally) his music is available.

The newest release from Nerell is a mini-CD and comes from one of (IMHO) one of the world's finest labels - Italy's Amplexus. In the fantastic '6" X 9" post card' format that Amplexus has made a calling card, the new Nerell is near perfect. The music - an Ambient hybrid of traditional Indonesian, Electronics, and sound effects is spectacular, creative, and a delight to listen. The CD begins with a rooster crow, softly played flute, drone electronics and rain falling gently on the forest - with occasional thunder blasts. Enchanting! Track two with it's hand percussion and Gamelan orchestra backed by chant, droning electronics and chirping insects make for a powerful nine minutes of highly-inventive music. The sensation the listener comes away with is one of a Sacred Mysterious quality and I found myself wanting more when it ended. This IS NOT similar to the music released by Nerell on the Indonesian Soundscapes recordings. Lilin Dewa - a much stronger piece of music would be comparable, however. Trance-y female voice/chant, wind blown instruments and drones end the CD. Sonically, the CD has a natural timbre combined with a presence lacking in some field-recording releases. For someone with an insatiable appetite for hearing new music 24-7 - I played this CD over three times.

Beautiful package, great sonics, fantastic music, and limited edition of 1000 positively make this one of the most exciting releases of the year. - Glenn Hammett

Exposé No. 20?, Summer 2000

For those who don't know, the Italian label Amplexus is a specialized ambient label that was originally based on the photography of Stefano Gentile, and their main line of 3" CDs comes in special packaging including his photography. This Nerell title is the 12th in the series (which includes names like Steve Roach, Robert Rich, Michael Stearns, Vidna Obmana etc) and continues the high quality of both the visual and aural. Four titles, at just over 20 minutes, Nerell explores the fusion of Indonesian elements and ambient music with success. These include electronics, a number of percussive instruments such as ciblon and gender, and Sasha Bogdanowitsch on suling, a bamboo flute. Dark Horizon includes dark electronics with recordings of vocals and the suling. Eclipse includes recorded ambiance; ciblon; and a variety of Javenese and Balinese instruments, including saron, boning, slenthem, and gender. "Within The Cloud" and Ablution, the EP's two shortest songs are more silent and mysterious, the former mixing in samples and recordings to a slighty chaotic finish, and the latter a Slow and gentle finale. Very nicely done, and at a limited edition of 1000, You will want to pick this one up soon. ­ Mike McLatchey

Sequences

Loren Nerell is known for his fondness for gamelan music. You get the idea of his blending of music elements when you see that his latest CD was recorded over the last few years in Bali, Java, and...Los Angeles. Modern ambient drone music melds with ancient tribal cultures to form something entirely new, sounding ages old. As usual with Amplexus limited edition 3" singles, the packaging is beautiful, featuring a large 3-fold booklet with photography by the label's Stefano Gentile. Being a single, this is 21 minutes of new music. The journey of musical exploration ends far too soon, but it is very, very good while it lasts. The textures are rich, as drones blend with sparse tribal beats and ancient instruments, such as the crystal clear but other worldly bell tones in Eclipse. Just reading the credits for the instrumentation used is fascinating, as I couldn't tell you what most of them are. They are fused into a hypnotic mix of soothing sounds, truly transporting you to another place and time. The music is simultaneously dark and yet spiritually uplifting. Within the Cloud is appropriately named, as it is light and delicate, though again with a dark quality that keeps this far from new age realms. This track takes surprisingly smooth musical turns, given I detect at least three distinct movements over its less than four-minute run. The disc is clearly intended to be played at one sitting, as it all runs together as a single piece of music. Ablution begins with flutes, rain, thunder, and a rooster crowing. The spatial effect is amazing, as the rainfall seems to be coming from deep within the speakers. Then, just when I'm fully drawn in, it's over. More, please. -Phil Derby

Ambientrance Review