Etiqueta: flute

is a continuous kaleidoscope of visionary power. It sounds as if it emanates from deep desert places in a realm from the near future.

The pieces are built upon a blend of deep ambient characteristics, looping, textures and harmonics mixed with subtle and hovering. The tracks follow a zen-like flow, through exotic flutes, bringing the listener’s attention down to a distinct stillness.

Space Between is a heady mixture of sounds, alternating between hues both beautifully light and magnetically dark.

A trip to your mind…

All music composed, performed and produced by Joxan Ruiz, 2012-2013

Mixed & mastered by Ran Kirlian at The Blue_Room, 2013

Recorded between 2011 and 2012, Gaze has the intention to transmit sound of colors, where the most important thing is linked to fantasy. The Gaze is a process where the object makes the subject look, keeping the breath in mind, joining the inner and outer realm as the invisible energy of spirit.

Gaze is made of hypnotic drones and loops, melodies and memories, using digital synthesizers and processed riffs, in a sonic experience of meditation and stillness.

Gaze represents the first ambient album of Joxan Ruiz on Altera Orbe. A more than welcomed incursion into ambient genres that was mixed by Ran Kirlian at The Blue_Room and mastered by Max Corbacho in 2012.

Review by Richard Gürtler

Spanish label Altera Orbe, run by Ran Kirlian and Landru, keeps on growing, with «Gaze» they introduce a brand new name on their roster, Joxan Ruiz from Madrid. «Gaze» is Joxan’s debut work, although he has already appeared in 2011 on Jamendo’s download release by Skaven entitled «Divine Intervention», where Joxan appears as guest on didgeridoo and singing bowls.

The album launches with «Blue Light», sublimely drifting and sorrowfully cascading primordial soundscape. «Gaze», the title track, meanders towards the sky high realms, with gradual expansions into more massive and intense dronewalls, and backed here and there by hazed cybernetic infusions. «Afterglow» moves in its orbit quite monotonously, along with few more dramatic, but vague intrusions. Beautifully tranquil waves of «Ocean Vibration» are masterfully bridged with gentle cyber grooves and soothing coastal recordings. In the second half distant gauzy tribal beats join this deeply mesmerizing sonic experience, magnífico!!! «Zero Point» enters into more meditative terrains with quietly minimal texture. «Virtual Darkness» unfolds straightly with mysterious drones, enriched by distinctive electro pulses. Both, the darker and the cyber-tech substances are perfectly synapsed into a whole new listening sensibility.

Certainly one of the highlights introducing Joxan Ruiz at the top of his artistry!!! The next piece, «Finding The Way», effectively merges the ancient and the modern in slightly discordant way. «Painting Bubbles», one of the shortest tracks on «Gaze», clocking to nearly 3 minutes, is sculpted with minimal warm washes and serenely tinkling sounds evoking upcoming Christmas season. «Hypnos» dives deeply into shadowy subterranean domains, where slow mind-bending drones are spiced by assorted spooky low resonating rumbles and swirls and high-pitched spiraling soars, accomplishing a genuinely trance-inducing atmosphere. Cavernous rumbles lead «Sirenis», the longest composition getting over 10 and half minutes, which flows on minimal, meditative waves coupled also with various crystalline tinkles. Another deeply primordial focused soundscape. «Alpha» immediately returns into monotonous and monstrous drone scenario, again blended with assorted distant noises and sharper cyber-electro-organics. The drones graciously glide throughout and expand into hugely immense panoramas, ranging from more intense and cinematic to more sublime and relieving. Another standout piece, a pure, 10-minute sonic bliss!!! 2 minute long outro «Gone From Here» is sculpted with expressive solo piano.

A fairly colorful and distinctive debut by this Spaniard and a perfect addition to Altera Orbe’s portfolio. Fellow countrymen Ran Kirlian and Max Corbacho are responsible for the mixing and mastering duties. If you like a wealthy mixture of mysterious dronescaping and few hypnotic cyber-tech escapades, you will enjoy «Gaze»!!! Joxan Ruiz has a quite big collection of flutes and as a member The International Native American and World Flute Association, I am sure he has a lot to offer within the fusion of ancient flutes and electronic sound design.

Richard Gürtler (Dec 09, 2012, Bratislava, Slovakia)