Echo System - Headland

[Juggler]

Echo System – Headland (Avatar Records)

 

 

 

Promotional Thread

 

'Headland' is the debut album from Echo System, an electronic duo from the UK consisting of Garry Hughes and Nick Fisher. The two, who are long standing fans of electronic / experimental ambient music, and who are "enthusiastic supporters of a stack of unpredictable, but character filled synthesizers and oddball devices", have been working together for years and have collaborated on remixing and productions for a diverse range of artists from Europe, Africa and North America, including remixing new recordings by Salif Keta and Effective Force. They have featured on many notable releases in a playing, programming and production capacity, including records by Bjork, The Shamen, Garbage, Sly And Robbie and Pop Will Eat Itself. They have also worked extensively with producers such as Trevor Horn, Nellee Hooper and Youth.

Their own studios are filled to the roof with vintage synthesizers collected during the years, when no one wanted them, as well as technology such as A-DAT and Pro Tools systems. For Echo System, their music is based on live improvisation and performance mixing restructured in Pro Tools and improvised, mixing, editing and wrapped again until they get side-tracked onto another piece (or the pub opens).

Having previously released a highly sough after sample CD together via AMG/Time & Space, entitled 'Global Trance Mission', Garry has also produced for Jungle Rhythm and his 'Zanzibar' and 'Viva La Revolution' has appeared on compilations on Six Degrees (USA) and others aside: St. Germain, Banco De Gaia and Loop Guru. Garry and Nick recorded 'Headland' during 1995. It is a lush electronic sound tapestry that achieves the delicate balance between authenticity and artifice, sounding completely 'real', and synthesized at the same time. With electric techniques, their music evokes the pan global electronic spirit of albums. Echo System have been compared and described as a new and improved version of the mid 70's Tangerine Dream.

Garry and Nick, describe their music simply as "humanistic" and their 'Headland' is a timeless high spirit creation..!

 

 

 

Tracklist

 

1 – Bosphoressence

2 – Jahna (The Vast World)

3 – Drum Fish

4 – Shimmer

5 – Hydrophonics

6 – Mystic Ships

7 – Chant 96 (The Dome of Light)

8 – Modulator

9 – Ish

 

 

 

Review

 

It’s my second time doing an ambient review…I’m going to try it like a voyage (it’s my favourite way to listen ambient music:))

 

Bosphoressence starts very quiet, it has a flute like the ones that snakes charming use very hypnotic…this track can be like the start of a Islamic bible trip, we can hear too some electronic sounds, I think is the start of a mystic journey for sure!

 

Track 2 starts with some deep electronic percussion, with nice ambiences inside…it does remember an Indian ritual and at the same time a desert field, it puts your head in pure meditation...

 

Drum Fish is the return from the desert to the green fields of Portugal; we can listen to simple sounds that look like ewe or cow jingles, always full of electronic elements together.

 

Shimmer is very pacific, it does remember a sunshine after a strong night or an after war period, when people looks to past and just remember some images, or for other side it can be the perfect soundtrack of David Lynch “A Simple Story”, when the old man find his brother.

 

Track 5 takes you to a dream with a submarine trip, it seems like I’m seeing the underwater life right now I’m sure if National Geographic knows this track is going to use it for an underwater chapter

 

Mystic Ships takes us to an African village, where Echo System accomplished by other musicians plays a live stage at a beach bar in a beautiful summer day sunset…all people is sitting at the floor, drinking some pineapple punch and relaxing, thinking how life is beautiful

 

Track 7 is another pure ambient track, another which takes you in a mood that you don’t know if you are dreaming or awake…it remembers me a deep coma state, seeing the light at the tunnels end but can’t go there…

 

In Modulator, after very efforts, we finally go through the light and wake up in an electronic world full of animals of all colours and with a tropical landscape in front…

 

Track 9 seems to have a classic atmosphere, good but a bit repetitive - although was very small.

 

For me the only bad thing is the last track, I think it could just have 8 tracks, or 9 but with a different one to finish this masterpiece.

 

8/10

 

Pedro Gaspar aka Juggler