A meditative album featuring tracks of ambient electronic loops that lull a listener into a state of relaxed awareness.
Soothing in an unusual way
Joseph Auer’s Shanghai Gateway is a meditative album featuring tracks of ambient electronic loops that lull a listener into a state of relaxed awareness. “Skygen” maintains a sci-fi tone with synthetic arpeggios adorned with swells and rises—the track is reminiscent of Robert Rich’s Electric Ladder. It also has some traits of generative music, reminding me of some compositions I have heard based on progressive tonal patterns. “Aranya Crush” is a mellow piece; is quite loopy and repetitive, with some rhythmic sequences added as seasoning that makes for a very light ambient sonic journey—it’s a simple, restorative sonic mantra. The title track is another loop-based ambient composition. The repetitive electronic blips and bleeps measures are hypnotic and entrancing, and while the track is fluffy in tone, it also blends in well with the rest of the album and sets the tone for what’s being unraveled.
As a whole, Shanghai Gateway is soothing in an unusual way. The loops could have been used as parts of more complex compositions. Taking a risk with repetition results in an album that some listeners will really enjoy while others may tire of the redundancy of the loops. I appreciated the album, and found it to be a pleasant listening experience.
Shanghai Gateway is available on Rednetic. [Bandcamp]
