David Morley :: The Origin of Storms (De:Tuned)

Ambient music with a rich and textured techno depth. Inspired by Conrad Schnitzler, Morley draws on a soft and serene selection of sounds, swirling them into a soundtrack of storms.

I love getting in a good ole natter about electronic music. I don’t want to listen to someone drone on about some flash in the pan stuff doing the rounds. What I want is nuts and bolts and history and opinion rolled up and deposited in my ear.

It was during such a conversation with a mate that the name David Morley cropped up. I hadn’t come across him before, and as ever when given a tip by a musically minded mate I get discogs digging. Between the late 80s and early 90s Morley produced a swath of music in quite on labels like Apollo and R&S. His mainstay was working with other artists, an impressive collection of names like Andrea Parker, Renaat Vandepapeliere and CJ Bolland, and serving up cracking techno. But on his own the sound was, well, ambient.

And that’s the style being pursued in The Origin of Storms, ambient music with a rich and textured techno depth. Inspired by Conrad Schnitzler, Morley draws on a soft and serene selection of sounds, swirling them into a soundtrack of storms.

A wonderfully expansive piece of work,“Re-Volution” orbits the listener. Sweetened chords stretch, bending overhead in this lilting lullaby. “NAB” is just a lofty. Wisps of sound float, bass lines tethering the track to this mortal plain. But not everything is brightness and soft and the clouds are looming. “ORF” is a darker entity, skittering percussion speckled with liquid synth. Thick banks of synth form, rolling in, doubling and reforming in the shimmering “Radge” before the final calm of “Gematria.” Blips and clicks soothingly echo, strings swimming as the sun breaks.

A vinyl album is a tricky endeavor in this age, an ambient vinyl album is near impossible. Why? Finances really. Dreamy and beatless isn’t the go to sound for the would-be bedroom DJ. But something is being missed with this mindset, The Origin of Storms would be missed. Headphones on, lights off: immersion.

The Origin of Storms is available on De:Tuned.