EL Heath
Reflecting (Ambient and Loop Tracks, Autumn 2006)
Phantom Channel

EL Heath, or Eric Heath (Instrumentation, Ideas, Production, Pictures/Artwork, Concepts, Realisation, Frustration), is a very productive/highly creative Welshman. He's an honorary member of Epic45 and a member of Welsh Krautrockers Strap The Button. Phantom Channel say that: "...it's a wonder how Mr. Heath finds time to record such captivating sounds..."

Phantom Channel further state that EL Heath: "...finds beauty all around him; in the country side, around his home, in childhood memories, in early morning light and in dreams." When checking Reflecting..., I believe El Heath's investigated darkness and nightmares, yet still finding beauty.

Opening track, "Shadows On The Carpet", immediately hooks you and drags you along. This is quite spooky and highly addictive music. Music as collages. There are even somewhat sacral moments, as within "Ambiance d'Organe de Corde". Heath uses a 20 year old tape recorder for his recordings, and he play the ondes Martenot, which is an old, eerie sounding synth, related in sound to the Theremin. Fascinating stuff. "Macau" is both spooky and humorous, as being sort of a fitting soundtrack to some German expressionism comedy. "Dragons Chasing Their Tails" is a swirling piece of music, like its almost chasing its tail. The closing "Epick" is somewhat epic, even though its running time is only 4 minutes. In fact, this is a very short album, almost a mini, clocking in at 16 minutes. But, mind you, it seems to last much, much longer. Weird. Like if time is standing still while reflecting.

Reflecting (Ambient and Loop Tracks, Autumn 2006) is smart, instrumental music. It wasn't quite what I expected when putting on something I knew were some ambient, droney, instrumental music, tagged ambiofusion. It was so much better. Someone has described Reflecting... as: ...William Basinski's decomposing symphonies laced with the expansive nature of Vangelis' Blade Runner score". Quite fitting. The ondes Martenot hs been used in many film scores. Reflecting... sounds very cinematic. Highly recommended.

Copyright © 2009 Håvard Oppøyen