Mieli
Version
Feral Media

Mieli is solo artist Ryan Gobbe, based in Brisbane and also responsible for recordings under the name Two Tone. Scratch, crackle and subtle dub abound on Version, a meticulously crafted album where sounds are customised, cut and manipulated to complement an insistent pulse.

Gobbe has embraced technology and from his extensive home set up has created an incredibly beautiful, tender dubby-flavoured blipscape. Following two sparse openers, proceedings expand outwards for the throbbing bass and crackle of "Fly-over" and shuffling gentle house tones of "Eighty-hour Sequence".

The track selection and sequencing is exquisite and given the album is just over forty minutes the self-imposed confines are the making of Version. More so considering Gobbe has mixed and mastered it all within his own home, it speaks volumes about modern audio technology and his own intuition and abilities. The beautiful closing track is aptly entitled "Persistence of Vision".

Version has been road tested, accompanying me on several late night dashes between Sydney and my home South on the freeway - or autobahn if you prefer! Despite repeated spins it never fails to turn up aural surprises. One of my favourite releases last year was the electro dub of Deepchild's What's Going Wrong? and in Version we have yet another quality Australian ambient electro release. If only life was as pristine and faultless as this album. Another captivating and sublime slice from the Feral Media pie!

Copyright © 2004 Brian Stradbrook