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Stratosphere — Sphere I
(Projekt no#, 2026, DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2026-10-06

Sphere I Cover art

Stratosphere is the nom de plume of Belgian multi-instrumentalist Ronald Mariën, who has been releasing music since the early 1990s. Like his countryman Dirk Serries (who he has collaborated with previously), most of his works originate on electric guitar, using numerous effect pedals, layered loops, as well as bass, synthesizers, studio effects and more, to achieve an atmospheric soundworld where subtle melodies and mysterious tones are hidden within earshot, lurking around every dark and shaded corner. On this particular release, which contains four lengthy titles, the sound sculptures are dense and purposefully oblique, most are difficult walls to penetrate, well beyond what most would be consider ambient, not pretty, not gentle, but borderline industrial, though most are quite interesting nonetheless. The closing cut “Sphere I.IV” has a bit more of an overtly melodic sense than those preceeding it, often hinting of late ‘70s Frippertronics with deep bass undertones, colorful ribbons of synth stretching out in all directions, whereas the earlier pieces (“Sphere I.I” to “Sphere I.III” - these are not particularly descriptive titles) are mostly edifices of gray concrete and steel, with some occasional flashes of color seeping out into the looping structures. In a couple of the pieces one can almost hear something like choral voices buried in the loops, it’s hard to fathom how some of these were produced, but one can imagine. While you probably won’t be able to fall asleep while listening to Sphere I, one can easily flow with it as it rolls forward through space, and it doesn’t really divert a listener’s attention away from other productive activities.

Filed under: New releases, 2026 releases

Related artist(s): Stratosphere (Ronald Mariën)

More info
http://projektrecords.bandcamp.com/album/sphere-i

 

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