The ambient pieces in particular have a genuinely filmic essence. Epic proportions are scaled by some very minimalist productions, which helps create vast open soundscapes that slowly unravel their beauty in an impressive and immersive fashion.
Luscious melodic pad sounds are gentle on the ears
Synesthesia by Beta Consciousness is the latest album from German electronic artist, Frank Rumpelt on …TXT Recordings. Rumpelt is also known for his work as Nyquist, a project he sometimes partners up with Norken on and various others. Most notably perhaps, 2xirtam who have released on labels such as Carpe Sonum—the FAX tribute label.
The album itself is a lush blend of ambient, Berlin School / kosmiche musik and IDM, although definitely more of the ambient, minimalist variety and as such, it suits this album perfectly. Rumpelt creates the most luscious melodic pad sounds that are gentle on the ears and an actual pleasure to listen to. So many pad sounds today are generic, thin, arpeggiated, angel choir-esque and ultimately lacking that rich depth that surrounds you and draws you into the piece. He also creates very engaging basslines that often have a beautiful melodic element to them.
Although this release is effectively a compilation of earlier releases by Rumpelt with several new tracks added, it most definitely flows like an album and this doesn’t actually surprise me. He is an artist who is consistently top drawer, his productions are flawless and for me at least, if you listen closely enough, often enough, you’ll hear he has a signature motif that helps him stand out—his melodies are always beautiful, warm, enticing and very catchy.
I had already heard the originals from this album upon their first release and they’ve definitely benefited from the valve remasters that were done for this release. There’s simply no comparison in my opinion to valve masters, they really open the pieces up and allow them to breathe in their own space which allows the dynamics to flourish more naturally. For me personally, digital masters tend to lose some of the dynamism in the extremities of the frequency range and as such, it feels like the mix has collapsed somewhat into the midrange. It also leaves less room for the dynamics to flourish as mentioned. This is my personal opinion though and I’m sure others will disagree. However, wow. This album really sounds great on a technical level, too. The ambient pieces in particular have a genuinely filmic essence. Epic proportions are scaled by some very minimalist productions, which helps create vast open soundscapes that slowly unravel their beauty in an impressive and immersive fashion.
If you’re a fan of ambient, IDM or Berlin school, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be very impressed with Synesthesia. It is an accomplished piece from start to finish with not a minute wasted on pointless noodling. …TXT have been slowly but surely building a solid reputation for themselves over the past few years and this album is certainly another quality release from them. I’m sure we’ll hear more from them in the future. I’ve purposely not highlighted a favorite track on this album, as it really is one of those albums you should sit down and listen to in one go. It deserves it.
Synesthesia is available on …TXT. [Bandcamp]
