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Runtime: 53'31''
«test tube kindly welcomes canadian Michael Trommer into the family with this amazing 'Sleeping Satellites', a sci-fi ambient masterpiece. On a side note, most of the pieces in this work remind me of film score composer Cliff Martinez, who has done a tremendously good job with the score for the 2002 remake 'Solaris', by Steven Soderbergh. Michael, a bit like Martinez, infuses his music with some untangible feeling of loss and we end up feeling emotionally connected with most of his tracks. Michael could well be doing great sci-fi scores too, if life was fair.
Trackwise, 'Huygens 2' is my favorite track. Not because it is named after a famous satellite, but because it cumulates all those emotional/nostalgic feelings in its core. Because it is purely a time-machine, which transports us to some moment in our past, a moment where we would like to visit again, again and again in every possible way, and stay there.
'Air ( )' is also a personal favorite. It's one of the few tracks of this album with an underlying beat to its structure and a very minimal drone supporting it, placing it near the IDM concept.
'Sleeping Satellites' closes this release, and with appropriate minimal style. It builds up from a voice-based drone, has a low profile beat like 'Air ( )', too, and slowly fades away into silence.
This is an album to listen to at a considerable high volume setting - or best yet, with your headphones -, because it has many subtle moments that need all the attention one could give. This is canadian ambient electronica at its best.»
- Pedro Leitão
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Downloads:
| 01 |
• A colour never seen ................................................................ |
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[7'37'' • 17,4Mb • 320 Kbps] |
| 02 |
• Ajijic ........................................................................................ |
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[5'42'' • 13,0Mb • 320 Kbps] |
| 03 |
• Kamouraska ........................................................................... |
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[7'05'' • 16,2Mb • 320 Kbps] |
| 04 |
• Huygens 2 ................................................................................ |
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[4'22'' • 10,0Mb • 320 Kbps] |
| 05 |
• Greenwood .............................................................................. |
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[7'48'' • 17,8Mb • 320 Kbps] |
| 06 |
• Twin Otter .............................................................................. |
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[6'16'' • 14,3Mb • 320 Kbps] |
| 07 |
• Air ( ) ....................................................................................... |
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[6'56'' • 15,8Mb • 320 Kbps] |
| 08 |
• Sleeping Satellites .................................................................. |
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[7'45'' • 17,7Mb • 320 Kbps] |
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• artwork ................................................................................... |
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[PDF-Zip • 3,03Mb] |
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• all tracks + artwork ................................................................ |
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[Zip • 123,0Mb] |
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Reviews:
«Quite enjoy this release, very pretty ambient music. "Huygens 2" is gorgeous.»
- Lee Rosevere [EARLabs] / September 06, 2007
«I learned about Michael Trommer when I heard his 2006 field recording based “Cataraqui” album released under his own name on Stasisfield [ link ] and his contribution as Sans Soleil to the web-based publication Vague Terrain’s “Digital Landscape” feature Sleeping Satellites continues the cinematic atmosphere of these previous works, but this time carrying with it more ambient nuances.
The liner notes accompanying Sleeping Satellites suggests that the listener use head phones because “the album has many subtle moments” and I’ll second that suggestion. Like our lives, these compositions are heavily layered, with multiple happenings occurring simultaneously. Drones, field recordings, intricate percussive textures, melodies, noise, etc. are brought together, edited, and reassembled into compositions that asymptotically approach something ambient.
Sleeping Satellites contains an assortment of ambient events. The smooth ambiance of “A Colour Never Seen” is painted with rhythmic minimalism while the dense and brooding “Ajijic” slowly simmers in its own darkness. The beatless “Huygens” is laden with pastoral field recordings and blissful harmonies which lies in stark contrast to the dour, liquid ambience and solemn melodies of “Kamouraska”. “Air” stands alone as a few minutes of quiet field recordings evolves into something quite ethereal before it slowly dissolves into a noisy and dissonant piece with abrasive, pulsating bass reverberations and arrhythmic percussion. The title track itself “Sleeping Satellites” does indeed have that “sci-fi ambient” atmosphere described in the release’s liner notes and is heavily layered with space-like sounds, field recordings, electronic effects, and some interesting choral-like manipulations of voice samples.
Sleeping Satellites is another strong release for the ever expanding Test Tube discography and provides one more example of just how good netlabel music can be. It's on my favorites list for 2007.»
- Larry Johnson [EARLabs] / May 15, 2007
«Ab-fab. BRAVO!!!!!!!!»
- Eve Noussis [EARLabs] / April 25, 2007
«Le Canadien Michael Trommer prend d'assaut le netlabel Test tube. Belle occasion pour découvrir ses talents. Ca commence doucement, calmement, sans brutalité. C'est plaisant! L'ambiance est très visuelle, délicate pour le moment. Ralenti, quelques bribes en forme de nappes. On ne craint rien...
Ajijic permet de poursuivre l'initiation en toute quiétude. C'est tout simplement minéral ou géographique si vous préférez. On peut s'imaginer proche d'un océan de sons, avec quelques brisures, quelques cassures, quelques surprises. Comme tout est relativement feutré et dans l'ambiance, on ne s'attend pas au pire. Ca reste tout de même très new-age pour l'instant!
Bref, voilà un album calme et reposant avec des sons venus de l'espace comme on les aime parfois. C'est bien fait, ça s'écoute, c'est une bonne découverte!»
- LaFresto / April 25, 2007 |
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Copyleft:
cover:
©2007 aeriolabehaviour
music:
©2006 Michael Trommer
©2007 test tube
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