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Reviews

Billy Yfantis — Birds in Space
(Bandcamp no#, 2023, DL)

Billy Yfantis — Cosmic Sleep
(Bandcamp no#, 2023, DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2024-01-19

Birds in Space Cover artCosmic Sleep Cover art

Greek synthesist Billy Yfantis released two albums of new experimental electronic music in 2023. The first, released in March, was Birds in Space, a 27-track collection running over two hours in length (more if you get the Bandcamp bonus tracks). As with The Nebula Voyager, most of the tracks are named after interstellar objects like “Aerial View of the Messier 78,” “Trip to the Hyades,” “Approaching the Wild Duck Cluster,” and “Close to the Centaurus A,” with special focus on star clusters. Most of the tracks range from two to five minutes in length, though they flow from one to the next smoothly, presenting ambient drones and long tones that have slightly different characteristics on each track. One will feature low string-like tones, the next will be high-pitched shimmers, and the next will have phasing filter sweeps. Most of the soundscapes are relatively sparse, as befits the outer space theme — after all, one of the defining qualities of space is that it’s almost completely empty — while others accumulate sonic density, layering together semi-pitched noises. It’s only with track 8 that any kind of a pulse shows up, with the echoing notes of a simple sequence. This introduces the idea of more active pieces a bit reminiscent of the more minimalist parts of mid-70s Tangerine Dream, though the majority are timeless and free-floating. The sequence of the track titles is said to represent the flight of a flock of birds that travels around in the universe, apparently moving from one location to another, perhaps millions of light-years away, in the space a few minutes. (Or maybe the long journeys in between have been edited out for human consumption, given our limited lifespans.) The album proper ends with the title track, a 30-minute epic which features processed recordings of real birds recorded in Athens backed with the washes of sound Yfantis is known for. The birds are fairly high in the mix, which may put off listeners looking for more ambient soundscapes.

Cosmic Sleep came out in September, continuing the space theme, only this time full of references to sleep: “Rest in Space,” “Rapid Eye Movement,” “Sleepwalking in Space,” “Bedtime Space Stories,” and so on. Stylistically, the album continues in the same vein, though lacking the sequenced sections. Near the end, “Goodbye Earth” presents a melody of sorts from bell-like tones, with backing parts that suggest chords. Depending on the listeners sleep preferences, the album might indeed make a good accompaniment to slumber, as there are no abrupt changes to interrupt the mood. Some tracks rely on pure tones, while others are built on more complex waves, almost like a Mellotron choir echoing down a long hallway. Billy Yfantis continues to carve out his own distinctive niche in the crowded field of modern electronic music with these releases, and there will no doubt be more from him to come shortly.

Filed under: New releases, 2023 releases

Related artist(s): Billy Yfantis

More info
http://billyyfantis.bandcamp.com/album/birds-in-space

 

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