Exposé Online banner

Exposé Online

Not just outside the box, but denying the existence of boxes.
Covering music from the fringes since 1993.

Reviews

Solitaire — Trance Halcyon Connection
(Projekt No #, 2024, DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2024-10-13

Trance Halcyon Connection Cover art

In February 2024 we posted a review of Nocturnes & Fearless, a two-in-one download package of the final two Solitaire albums (or so we thought) from 1997 and 1996, respectively, offered following Elmar Schulte’s passing in 2022. In recent years Schulte had begun working with original member Ruediger Gleisberg again, and Gleisberg was present on those two recordings. Little did we know that at the time of Schulte’s passing the duo was working on the album that would become Trance Halcyon Connection, though by this time Schulte’s health was failing and Gleisberg was handling most of the keyboards, with Schulte concentrating on the sounds and mixing. The album was at a rough mix stage when Schulte left this world, and it was ultimately completed by Gleisberg in consultation with Schulte’s widow. If one is familiar with any of the three Solitaire recordings that we have already reviewed in these pages, or Ritual Ground, Solitaire’s collaboration with Steve Roach from 1993, then what’s on offer with this new album will be part of the expected trajectory of where Solitaire would have proceeded from Nocturnes, even though it required 28 years to complete. Swells of ambient synths and electronics juxtapose with tribal rhythms and a mix of percussive elements across the album’s eight tracks, with occasional acoustic instrumentation (sitar, santoor, clay flutes, etc.) and found sounds woven into the mix among the rich textures. The rhythms never overpower the sound, only guide it forward, and the electronics often incorporate a dark, shimmering stratum that opens newfound structures underlying a seemingly cosmic entirety. “My Inner Tibet” is one of the pieces with percussive power to spare — the listener will hear a swirling cauldron of mystery behind the hand drums as the piece builds slowly along its ten minute duration. More along a typical ambient style, “Seven Gates” builds slowly within a muted jangly backdrop while sheets of chordal color pass near and far. Few sounds are as infinitely unbound as that of the title track, a heavily effected whirlpool of sequenced electronics, fading in and out of range, beyond the threshold of beauty. So many wondrous sounds to absorb herein, all eight cuts unique to themselves. Trance Halcyon Connection is a must-have for fans of floating ambient and tribal sounds.

Filed under: New releases, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): Solitaire (Elmar Schulte)

More info
http://projektrecords.bandcamp.com/album/trance-halcyon-connection

 

What's new

These are the most recent changes made to artists, releases, and articles.