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Compassionate Being by Apollonius & 33 Tetragammon (12-15-2013)

Sometimes the path of a human being takes a sudden shift. Although at times unpleasant and jerking you out of your comfort zone, a realignment with the potentials of the true self might be necessary. Both of us went through this realignment during the making of this album. Old fears resurfaced and ways of clinging onto old patterns were exposed, sometimes by an almost blinding light. Other people were pushing our buttons in such a way that primal pain was triggered. At the end of the day when all is said and done the question remains: ''how much compassion can you feel for those beings and circumstances who showed you a mirror that reflected your darkest aspects?''
The sudden shifts are mirrored by the music of this album. Quite sudden the atmosphere changes almost 90 degrees and one is nudged to adapt to the new direction that unfolds. At each new turn an old layer is peeled away so that the remainder of the journey can be experienced through new eyes.





Review by Sonic Curiosity


This release from 2014 features 74 minutes of extremely minimal ambience.
Apollonius (aka Human Metronome) is Eelke van Hoof. 33 Tetragammon is Wasili Papadopoulos.
Languid tones are punctuated by sweeping electronic swooshes and periodic chimes, building an enduring soundscape of gentle tranquility that stretches on forever (at least seemingly so). But eventually, the flow changes: the tones deepen, the auxiliary electronics change timbre and character, appearing at different times and leaving in diverse directions. Isolated percussive impacts of a metallic nature occur, buried within the sparse mix so as to sound far away. As these beats increase in frequency, the electronic bath deepens, lending a spectral echo to the sedate tempo.
This continues, on and on, with variations too subtle to consciously notice. The textural backdrop sighs with elongated breaths, gradually thickening in resonance. The impacts adopt a crisper manner with more defined reverberations, but they never coalesce into a discernable rhythm.
Erratic rattlings appear, lending an eerie presence to the ambient flow. The eventually introduction of plucked strings banishes this haunting effect, grounding the auralscape with a more conventional temperament. These strings introduce a mellow melodic quality to the ongoing harmonic stability.
Ghostly sounds and sporadic scrapings return the soundscape to a milieu of uncertainty, enhancing the music's otherness. A whisper of soft horns enters the mix, accompanied by chittery beats, lending an organic quality to the tuneage for its final stage, which becomes seasoned with celestial chorales.
These compositions (which are strung together in a seamless fashion) generate a harmonic presence that approximates a sense of unity with one's environment. They are designed to create extreme sedation, lulling the listener with their crafted minimalism.


All rights reserved © 2014 Matt Howarth.




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