Intricate, pristine, spacey, restrained yet exhilarating ambient electronica that will keep you warm during the cold winter months ahead.
[Release page] Lyon based record label, Ultimae Records, the ECM of ambient and downtempo electronica some might say, delivers another release of capturing panoramic beauty. This time it’s a collaborative album made by Paris based sound designer, Alexandre Scheffer, aka Cell, and Tokyo based sound designer, Hidetoshi Koizumi, aka Hybrid Leisureland. Both have previously released materials on Ultimae—several tracks on some of the label’s finest compilations and also a solo album each. After a brief meeting in Paris in 2011, they decided to join their sonic looms together. The outcome is a meticulously woven 71 minutes long soundtrack to a thrilling, epic, unmade Sci-Fi movie. Scheffer’s and Koizumi’s solo albums on Ultimae are equally emotive and atmospheric, but quite different from one another when it comes to movement, texture and emotional scenery. On 9980, Koizumi’s widely spread, otherworldly, organic, sustained wizardry, compliments Scheffer’s spiraling, liquid, delicate yet sumptuous acid ambient type architecture. This combination creates a kinetic and spacious tapestry that stimulates the mind and soul.
Most of the tracks on 9980 are collaborative efforts that exhibit Hybrid Leisureland’s dreamy and nostalgic ambience elegantly orbiting Cell’s cerebral yet emotional designs; however, “Evolution 1:1,” “Snow Park,” and “Take Off,” were written and produced by Cell alone, and “Time to Time by Time,” was written and produced by Hybrid Leisureland alone. In a way, for those who never heard their solo albums, it can serve as a distinguisher that shows the differences between Cell’s and Hybrid Leisureland’s type of work. When it comes to musical influences, I’m not sure what are those of Hidetoshi Koizumi, but Alexandre Scheffer’s love for classic electronic music from the 70s and maybe even 80s, is gracefully felt in the threads of 9980, tastefully planted—sounding retro yet modern at the same time. As someone who has been following these two artists for quite some time, and owns both Hanging Masses—Cell’s solo album that was released on Ultimae in 2009—and Scroll Slide—Hybrid Leisureland’s solo album that was released on Ultimae in 2010, I believe I can more or less detect which parts are made by Cell, and which are made by Hybrid Leisureland. Of course, I could be completely wrong.
Ethereal and majestic, 9980 is made of intricate, pristine, spacey, restrained yet exhilarating ambient electronica that will keep you warm during the cold winter months ahead. As most of Ultimae’s releases, 9980 comes in a luxurious three parts digipak with a 16 pages booklet. The Ultimae team always delivers great packaging and artwork that do the music justice. If you have ever ordered an album from the label you will know exactly what I mean. 9980 definitely deserves a spot in the essential releases list of 2012.
9980 is available on Ultimae. [Release page]
