May 2017
Smooth, drifting ambient electronica.
Nocturnes sees Spanish ambient master Max Corbacho delivering some of his most silken, airy ambient fabric to date along with some uneasy dark shrouds that lift and curl in the unseen slow-motion currents of the night. The enormous opener wafts by in delicate filaments of sound, overlaid one upon another, hypnotically heaving, becalmed, meandering. This is a tranquil composition that naturally wells up and over the listener, submerging, buoying up, carrying one afloat… Subsequent tracks see what had until now been background shadow bleed forward, building an uneasy weight that gathers subtly in Stellar Time and more prominently in Ghost of the Moon. There is a distinct sense of infinite space and the immensity of empty sky that is obviously heightened by the accompanying artwork and track titles revealing the inspiration for this rather personal project. Nocturnes is an ambient work of the highest calibre that rewards a full and persistent immersion.
Nocturnes is presented within an elegant digipack of twin panels adorned by Max’s own atmospheric imagery captured over a series of night photography sessions. An otherworldly panorama spreads across the outer cover – the enormity of the bejewelled night sky acting as backdrop to the album and track titles. Within, another crepuscular vista glows with curious nocturnal warmth, credits and background information once more set out upon the sky. The disc is clasped upon the right inner panel repeating the cover art in reverse. The engrossing beauty of the visuals enclosing this music invite the listener to experience something of the wonder that lead Max Corbacho to compose the music of Nocturnes making the package a pleasingly tight whole.
The discography of Max Corbacho has grown into an impressive body of work over recent years, given weight by the artists’ obvious depth of commitment to the genre. Here Max Corbacho presents a complete musical/visual experience inspired by after-dark excursions into wild open spaces. The soft-edge subtleties, the serenity of after hours and the feel of the vastness of the open air are all threads picked up and woven into this enveloping production. The three tracks range from the huge Dark Sky Opening at fifty two minutes fifty seconds through the eleven forty four Stellar Time to the concluding piece Ghost of the Moon at just over nine minutes. Promotional material explains, «In this new work, Max Corbacho vanishes edges and shapes of sound to introduce the listener to a surreal landscape of ghost textures, blurring time and projecting a new world, hidden before the sunset. The characteristic elements in the sound depth of Corbacho are firmly present: dense harmonic layers of synthesizers combined with rich overtones flow freely in time like shadows in a dreamlike, fuzzy blooming of colorist chords and textures.» Why not listen for yourself at Max Corbacho’s extensive Bandcamp page or explore more of the release at the official Max Corbacho web site.
MORPHEUS MUSIC REVIEWS