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Kit Watkins may be familiar to you from his group Tone Ghost Ether, an improvisational group including Brad Allen and John Tlusty. That group, from 2001 was only the latest musical project of Mr. Watkins has been involved in over the years. Mr. Watkins has become an outstanding artist in the Ambient genera and this CD is a fresh, lovely and enjoyable new offering from the artist.
There are twelve tracks on this CD, for a total playing time of 51:57 minutes. The tracks vary in time from just under three minutes to almost eight minutes.
Track One - Snake Charmer, provides us with a little over three minutes of what the rest of the compositions promise, a smooth combination of primal percussions mixed with sometimes spacey, sometimes very electronic sounds filling the spaces between the beat.
The work progresses to the World Fiction tracks I through VII. The first track, which opens and closes with vocalizations, is part beat, part jazz, and all enjoyable. The blend of primal beat with jazz is not unusual, but the jazz is electronic in nature, and does give it a very different feel from the traditional jazz you may be accustomed to, but it does not offend. Rather, it draws you into it. Track II again starts with a jazz feel, saxophone in nature, to draw you into the composition. Very progressive, but again, it is electronica. It is a short piece, no heavy beat, but it provides a break between the first and third tracks. The third track draws us back to the primal drumming, with electronic sounds of voices, birds, wind, percussion and again, is a short piece that now draws us to the fourth track which is a longer, more melodic and again, returns to the jazzy wind instrument. This piece lures you into the feeling of a full orchestra accompanying a sax, but it gradually becomes more electronica in feel till the electronics take over. A lovely soundscape, relaxing, imaginative and a worthy showcase for the artists talents.
Track V starts with a percussion, builds, adds vocals, and creates a driving beat accompanied by electronic instrumentation that gives this an almost "other world" feel. The electronic instrumentation sounds electronic, very spacey, very driven, sometimes distorted. A noticeable change to the almost jazzy feel to the CD up to this point, but not unsettling. Rather it challenges the listener to follow the change over and accept it as they follow the artist from world to world.
Track VI return to the driving beat, the spacey electronics and is a much gentler contrast to the previous track. Again, a wind instrument blended with primitive beat and blowing spacey electronic effects and lulls the listener back into the original tones of the CD. The beat is given solo reign at the end of the track, which sets up for the V11 track. This track opens with some heavy percussion, which sets the mood of the piece and clearly becomes the main focus of the piece. The electronica takes a back seat to the beat. It is a short piece to be sure but It is a "get up and out of your chair and dance" piece which I particularly enjoyed.
The titles change at this point. Track 9 is entitled Mondo Panda, The driving beat is still here, but there is the suggestion of a base guitar and a keyboard fill that gives this a different flavor from the rest of the compositions so far. Again we hear a suggestion of wind instruments, maybe trumpets, and the flavor is again almost jazzy, but very electronic. This piece drifts off and we are transported to a duo of compositions called Delirium 1 and Delirium 2.
These are bouncy, upbeat compositions of percussion and electronic sounds, the first having a very light feeling balanced against a very heavy electronic backing. Another "get out of your chair and dance" piece, the beat is very contagious. The second Delirium piece has a different tempo to the beat, more electronica but a tad darker than the first. Again, it begs you get out of your chair and move, but maybe a bit more seductive in its call. The melody is almost invisible in the piece, until you look for it, and is easy to follow behind all the electronica.
The final track is World Fiction VIII. This piece flows, suggesting guitar, keyboard, and has a more spiritual feel to it. It has a subtle beat, added vocals and a prominent wind instrument giving a contemplative melody to the work. It sums up the entire CD, in feel, in composition, and as a tip of the hat to the ability of the artist to produce a very enjoyable and original work.
Overall, this is a very enjoyable and contemplative work of Ambient Music. If you are familiar with Mr. Watkins work to this point, this is an excellent addition to your library. If you are not familiar with Mr. Watkins, this is an excellent introduction to the man's work and highlights his musical versatility and his expertise at composition in the Ambient genera. maf
