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Gene Williams |
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Matthew Florianz’s latest CD, GrijsGebied (H/S Recordings), takes you on a journey of mind, body, and spirit into the sacred bosom of sound. Utterly dark and beautiful, there is no way to prepare for the subtlety evident in every nuance of GrijsGebied. Undulating drones, otherworldly tones, and a myriad of sonic sorcery are combined by Florianz to create a masterpiece of dark ambient artistry. Make no mistake, this is art, yet it is wholly accessible, laid bare in fact, ever inviting the listener to marvel at the majesty of the primal soul. GrijsGebied beckons you to journey beyond the abstract and experimental to recline at the seat of consciousness and allow yourself to flow within the living soundscapes created by Matthew Florianz and his collaborative allies and assissitants: Tatiana Brainerd, Stan Linders, Eric T’sas, and Gene Williams. There is an overtly dark element in GrijsGebied, but it doesn’t drip of gloom and doom, either. The balance of darkness and light, not a struggle for supremacy but rather a peaceful and necessary coexistence, is masterfully portrayed by Florianz. It is similar contrasts that propel the tracks on this CD beyond the commonplace, yet the contrasts on GrijsGebied are complimentary and synergistic. Spacious washes of sound are accompanied by fleeting melodic elements and shimmering metallic tones, all beautiful individually, almost painfully so when in combination. This is a very emotional album, yet it impossible to say it evokes a particular emotion, it is simply moving. While certainly ambient music, this CD is far more than background sound or mood music. GrijsGebied is a soundtrack that needs no accompanying film.
Quite honestly I doubt any single visual work could possibly represent the sonic subtlety that is presented on this album. Yet, there are no demands placed on a listener, and for that very reason GrijsGebied is a timeless tribute to listening. Tracks flow smoothly throughout the CD, and Florianz creates a unique environment that grows more detailed and inviting with every listen. Each new immersion into the aural seas of GrijsGebied offers new ports of call and hints at those as yet un-imagined, looming through the distant swirling mists of the gray place.
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