MAX CORBACHO[Max Corbacho has been creating Ambient Atmospheric – Electronic Music for over two decades, combining spiraling, synth-driven drifting harmonies with breathing, timeless soundscapes.][Ambient Atmospheric – Electronic Music - Soundscapes - Space Music]

NOCTURNES II – review by Ambient Visions

max — Thu, 03 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Welcome to another journey into the silky darkness of the night with Max Corbacho as he unleashes Nocturnes II for his fans to devour and enjoy. Nocturnes II was released on April 20, 2018 and from the first notes of Celistia which clocks in at a hefty 23:13 the listener knows that this is going to be a special journey that will leave them wishing for more when it finally comes to a close after the last track called Moon Apparition closes out the album. Nocturnes II to me encapsulates the slow breathing and mystical aspects of those darkest hours of the night when all is quiet in the world and the only thing that breaks that silence are the sounds of crickets, birds or animal calls as they wander the landscape when humans have retreated to the warmth of their beds until daylight once again returns the world to them.

With Nocturnes II Max has created a soundscape that is shadow-encased but in a way that is inviting and urges us to step into the shadows ourselves not in a fearful way but in an intimate way by embracing the darkness that surrounds us at night. Max has outdone himself with Nocturnes II and has given us a masterpiece of music and sounds that will be played over and over again in the coming months. The lush quality of this music and the ethereal mindset that it puts the listener into are perfect for creating a relaxing atmosphere that is filled with deep, dark passages that are appropriate for some serious introspection and contemplation. According to the liner notes Max has woven into the fabric of this music crickets and other night sounds that he recorded live for inclusion in this project. Max has used these sounds in a subtle way to accent the music and to help create the deeper reality that one finds when sitting in the night and listening to the natural sounds that are only hints of what lies beyond our vision within the darkness that envelops us at night.

Nocturnes II shows us that Max Corbacho is adept at crafting long ambient pieces that he expertly weaves into a cohesive work that carries the narrative forward from song to song. With variations and nuances Max is always able to move the listener forward deeper into a state of tranquility, deeper into the velvety darkness that is where the music on this album originated from. Max’s instincts in regards to the choice of music and the production and mixing of this album are impeccable. He shows us that he is an artist who knows his abilities and is more than capable of using his talents to craft a wonderful album like Nocturnes II. This album has 7 tracks and runs close to 70 minutes in length which is more than enough time to immerse yourself into the night that Max has presented to you on this album.

If you were thinking about giving Max’s music a try then I would recommend that this album is a good place to start. The recording quality for this project was top notch and was a sonic delight to listen to. Nocturnes II is an enchanting work of art and a captivating narrative filled with shadowy and slow moving images created by Max’s expert usage of sequencing, synthesizers, samplers, looping devices and atmospheres. This album will give you a new appreciation for what these electronic devices can deliver when put into the hands of a skillful artist like Max Corbacho. Do yourself a favor and go get your own copy of this latest release by Max. Highly recommended by Ambient Visions.

Reviewed by Michael Foster for Ambient Visions

THE OCEAN INSIDE – Review by Dreamfolk.blogspot (English and Spanish)

max — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 08:21:16 +0000

This album, the first I’ve heard from Max Corbacho, is a work of craftsmanship. I mean, I find it a work that uses a more or less defined language and follows a musical tradition that survives and evolves in time through several artists, with more or less clear influences and origins (the space ambient from Steve Roach), and it is also an outstanding work for its excellence. It is excellent because of quality and uniqueness, because it shines with creativity.

The Ocean Inside is a very fitted title for the music hidden by that cover, so blue. There is a really deep ocean within each of us. This music sounds like a journey through this ocean, like an immersion into the dark depth, down to that mysterious light shining in the bottom. It could also well be imagined as a journey through outer space, or to the unknown depths of the dream world. Images may vary, but it is indeed, no doubt, a trip to this space we usually perceive as inner. This album seems to express something of that reality with those deep soundscapes.

While listening to the first of the two discs of this double album, you go and enter into that ocean inside, deeper and further away from the surface, by magical harmonies and light waves, down to the darkness of the bottom. A big surprise awaits in the last stage: «Towards the Bottomless Sea» is a gem of contemporary drone: about half an hour of expansive calm by playing with a simple and accurate melody which repeats in a mysterious and hypnotic way, attracting you from the dark ocean floor, like letting yourself rock in mild underwater waves, like leaving yourself, deeper and deeper into a state of sleep and abandonment, in the game of those moving and peacefully beautiful notes. It is, perhaps, the less cosmic and more meditative piece in the album. As if you just crossed a threshold, the second disc takes you into some never explored regions, ranging between light and darkness of underwater realms beyond imagination, until you come to the other long piece of the collection and conclusion to the journey: «Deeper Into the Ocean», a bath for your soul in a watery, crystal clear blue world, whose limpid sounds you can freely float and dive to in soft beatific peace.

Behind that impressive work of sound layers and limpid textures masterfully unfolded by the artist and his synthesizers, there seems to be a meditative intention and a clear message from the creative mind. Perhaps for this reason, it is so satisfying. A journey to unknown destination that gradually wins you by its deep rich details and subtly memorable passages, by this beauty. Also a pleasant surprise, for it unfolds me a Spanish artist who speaks this language, this wonderful musical genre of atmospheres and eternity of space, who is exploring the universe with such skill and inspiration. Let’s enjoy the journey.

Este disco, el primero de Max Corbacho que ha llegado a mí, es una obra de artesanía. Quiero decir con eso que me parece un trabajo que, recurriendo a un lenguaje más o menos definido, el de una tradición musical que pervive en el tiempo y evoluciona a través de diversos artistas, con influencias y orígenes más o menos claros (el ambient espacial de Steve Roach), resulta una obra destacada por su excelencia. Excelente por su calidad y su unicidad, porque rebosa creatividad y brilla con luz propia.

The Ocean Inside es un título que describe muy adecuadamente la música que esconde esa portada tan azul. Hay un océano insondable dentro de cada uno de nosotros. Esta música suena a un viaje a través de ese océano, a una inmersión en sus profundidades cada vez más oscuras, hacia esa luz misteriosa que brilla en el fondo. También podría muy bien ser imaginada como un viaje por el espacio exterior, o por los abismos desconocidos del mundo onírico. Las imágenes pueden variar, pero se trata en el fondo, sin duda, de un viaje por ese espacio que solemos percibir como interior. Este disco parece querer expresar algo de esa realidad con sus profundas atmósferas sonoras.

Mientras escuchas el primero de los dos discos del doble álbum, vas adentrándote en ese océano interior, cada vez más profundo y más lejos de la superficie, de la mano de armonías mágicas y ondas luminosas, hacia la oscuridad del fondo. Una gran sorpresa aguarda en la última etapa: «Towards the Bottomless Sea» es una joya del drone contemporáneo: cerca de media hora de calma expansiva a base del juego con una melodía simple y certera que se repite de forma misteriosa e hipnótica, atrayéndote desde el oscuro fondo del océano, un dejarse mecer en leves corrientes submarinas, un irse dejando caer más y más profundo en un estado de sueño y abandono, en el juego de sus notas, de conmovedora y pacífica belleza. Es, tal vez, el tema menos cósmico y más meditativo del álbum. Como si acabaras de atravesar un umbral, el segundo disco te adentra en diversas regiones jamás exploradas, oscilando entre la luz y las tinieblas de reinos submarinos más allá de la imaginación, hasta desembocar en la otra pieza larga de la colección y conclusión del viaje: «Deeper Into the Ocean», un baño del alma en un mundo acuático, azul claro y cristalino, en cuyas límpidas sonoridades te puedes dar el gusto de flotar y bucear en suave y beatífica paz.

Tras el impresionante trabajo de capas de sonido y texturas límpidas que el artista despliega con maestría a base de sintetizador, se nota una intención meditativa y un mensaje claro en la mente creativa. Tal vez por ello, resulta tan satisfactorio. Es un viaje de rumbo desconocido que te atrapa, que va ganándote a cada escucha con su profunda riqueza de detalles, sus pasajes sutilmente memorables, su belleza. Es también una grata sorpresa, por descubrirme a un artista español que ha hecho suyo un lenguaje, el de este maravilloso género musical de las atmósferas y la eternidad del espacio, que está explorando el universo con tal maestría e inspiración. A disfrutar del viaje.

http://dreamfolk.blogspot.com.es/2013/02/max-corbacho-ocean-inside.html

Quando Brian Eno ebbe l’intuizione dell’ambient music, le idee si indirizzarono dapprima verso gli spazi definiti (aeroporti, stazioni, etc.) ma furono probabilmente i musicisti ambient statunitensi ad espandere il concetto dello spazio da «ricoprire» facendolo passare da uno ampio ma comunque con dei confini, ad uno vastissimo che non poteva non riguardare gli elementi fondamentali della nostra natura. L’oceano era uno di quegli spazi che pur non avendo il requisito infinitesimo del cosmo, era comunque una delle forze più espanse della terra. Su quest’argomento la musica ha sempre avuto un riferimento, ma solo l’ambient music si prestava ad una descrizione sensitiva più verosimile della realtà sonora: al di là dello sfruttamento ricevuto come musica di riflessione e relax e dell’ambiguità suscitata dall’argomento, versioni «serie» che poggiassero sulla considerazione che si potesse simulare un’esplorazione delle profondità oceaniche non ne vennero fatte poi molte. Uno dei tentativi più riusciti che io ricordo di entrare nella imprescrutabilità delle acque profonde è stato quello profuso da Robert Carty in «Oceanic Space» che strutturò un’intero album dedicato all’argomento (con una lunga traccia «concreta» in cui si raccolgono suoni marini), ma è indubbio che moltissimi musicisti, anche fuori dal genere ambient, si siano avvicinati al tema (in forma non organizzata) conservando la loro prospettiva stilistica. La recentissima pubblicazione di Max Corbacho rientra in quello sforzo musicale teso ad una completa compenetrazione dell’ambiente di viaggio sotto il mare che mira non solo ad una semplice simulazione sonora che faccia godere l’ascoltatore di momenti rilassati di benessere ricostruiti con un «drone» sintetico, ma che faccia rivivere un nuovo senso del viaggio sottomarino, che cerca di catturare l’animo «biologico» delle acque e dei suoi abissi, risultato ottenuto attraverso un lavoro musicale pazientoso tendente all’abbinamento delle due preposizioni «increspature dell’oceano»/»sfaccettature del suono». «The ocean inside» ci fa perdere la memoria del tempo come in un buon film di fantascienza, e attraverso le sue minime e calcolate variazioni, è un colossal sugli effetti pseudo-psicologici provocati da un attento ascolto delle turbe marine: correnti che suscitano idee, spazi di mare inperlustrati che evocano ricordi; sembra di assistere ad un documentario in cui chi prende la parola è il soggetto che si racconta, che sembra allontanare il desiderio di spiegare abusi e soprusi degli uomini e dichiara la propria funzione, ne riconosce la propria importanza e lancia messaggi di spiritualità. E’ incredibile come tutto questo possa essere fatto da un uomo con un semplice sintetizzatore.

FAR BEYOND THE IMMOBILE POINT – review by eyes cast down

max — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

by eyes cast down on April 28, 2011

I think Max Corbacho is driven by a love of life’s great mysteries. His music is fully informed and animated by this, by (as I’m hearing it) a quest for something transcendent, something far beyond our conventional, mundane states of being. I believe that, in this respect, Max is a kindred spirit to Lucette Bourdin, whom I recently featured here. In its feeling of reverence, its quest for purity, Max’s music often reminds me of Steve Roach’s magnus opus, Mystic Chords & Sacred Spaces.

Max recently re-released his second album, Far Beyond the Immobile Point, originally released in 2000. Two key features of this new, remastered version are (1) Max was able to segue all the tracks together, so we get to enjoy it as an unbroken flow, and (2) two bonus tracks. This all-synth, beatless, deep-ambient album now includes nine pieces, totaling nearly 75 minutes.

Any one of Max’s albums is evidence enough of his talent, commitment and maturity as an artist. Even this early in his career, Max’s sound-sculpting skills are clear, and goosebump-exciting to hear.

Primigenial Frontier is an ideal opener, capturing the entire album’s essence. It’s far away and vast, soothing and chilling. Everything is strangely illuminated, deep and still. A boundless intelligence, patient and probing, is suggested. “Primigenial” means firstborn, original, primary – and this feels just like that. We’re on the threshold of the unknown (and perhaps unknowable). It’s not even drift – this is a mesmerizing standstill. “Tantalizing” is the best word I can conjure for it. One just wants to behold this, with no need to move or look elsewhere.

Our journey proceeds through the unnerving, yet tempting Predawn Darkness, with its ominous, tectonic roars, to The Threshold, which can be a gateway to whatever the listener dares. Mystery, knowledge and the great power that comes with it, are all beckoning.

Soundless Sign is enigmatic and still, a mystic vision of expansion and depth. The bass sounds like our frame of reference dropping off below, as spacetime flies away from us in all directions.

This all brings us to the title track, by far the album’s longest piece at over 23 minutes. A wonderful glassy, shimmering and chiming, over a thrilling depth. Glorious, luminous chords slowly flying past. We have travelled a long way – where are we? Look within for the answer.

Delightful bursts of living light dispel the murk; exhilarating and sobering. There is so much we don’t know and cannot know, so much we can’t even imagine, but how can that matter when we are given so much? Our vision – our sense of what is possible, despite so much unknowable – is expanding. The final few minutes settle us right here, in an unimaginable fertile vastness, as we reconcile with that unknown.

The two bonus tracks, which conclude the album, both have striking titles. Ancient Transition instills a sense of eons past. What changed, and what of the ancient ways was lost in transition? Hundred Miles of Emptiness is calm, but not serene – still, but foreboding. Mysteries remain, and there is no presumption of answers here.

Far Beyond the Immobile Point is thrilling, ecstatic, beautiful and joyous to hear. Highly recommended!

FAR BEYOND THE IMMOBILE POINT – review by Bert Strolember

max — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Bert Strolember, Sonicimmersion

This is the second release of Spanish composer Max Corbacho, presenting a collection of seven non-rhythmic, highly atmospheric ambient space tracks, so taking a different road than was heard on his nice debut «Vestiges».

The inspiration for «Far beyond the Immobile Point» actually came from the first chapter of Umberto Eco´s novel «Foucault’s Pendulum». Eco’s poetical vision of the universe presented in his work inspired Max to do a much more introspective and contemplative work. The music breaths far more abstraction and the lack of rhythm and percussion reinforced his vision of remoteness in the universe.

Overall, the quiet, slowly expanding and flowing music breaths a beautiful sense of darkness but remains accessible all the way.
«Invisible Jewel» is of a lighter nature and is strong piece of harmonious textural spacescapes drifting by.
The album, which is especially suitable as night music, concludes with the 20-minute title track, a great floating tour-de-force into the grandness and serenity of the cosmos surrounding us.

Recommended, especially for fans of Steve Roach.

P.S. In March 2011, «Far Beyond the Immobile Point» was re-released as a digital download, which included two unreleased bonus tracks («Ancient Transition» and «Hundred Miles of Emptiness») recorded at the same time of the intial recording of the album. In addition, all gaps between the tracks have been fixed, resulting in a seamless atmospheric ambient experience as originally intended by the composer.

BREATHSTREAM / Phil Derby, Electroambient Space

max — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Phil Derby / Electroambient Space

I really like the direction Max Corbacho has taken with his most recent releases, The Talisman and now BreathStream. He seems to be delving deeper and deeper into pure floating music – no rhythm or melody at all, just serene calm tones that thoroughly soothe and placate. BreathStream is a particularly focused work on the art of diffuse sound, as contrary as that may seem. Track titles are very appropriate; “Act of Light” has a shimmer and sheen to it; “The Great Breath” seems to echo into infinity. Perhaps the most delicate and subtle of the lot is “No Day nor Night.” The beauty is in the way Corbacho makes something special out of next-to-nothingness. The challenge is for me as a reviewer describing this minimal musical excellence. Suffice to say if you enjoy ambient music as a means of escape or relaxation, look no further than BreathStream.

FAR BEYOND THE IMMOBILE POINT / Paul Rijkens, E-dition magazine

max — Thu, 21 Sep 2000 00:00:00 +0000

Paul Rijkens / E-dition magazine

«The second album from the Spaniard Max Corbacho is a so-called «DAM-CD». It contains the audio-tracks, a multimedia-section and MP3’s. His first one,»Vestiges», was a great ambient album in the style of Steve Roach. «Far Beyond The Immobile Point» goes even deeper, much deeper. The album contains no rhythms and is filled with very intense and sometimes rather dark andlong-stretched sounds. Great examples of this are «The Threshold» and»Soundless Sign» which, to me, sounds like a soundtrack for a movie about the prehistoric. To my opinion, the best track is «Invisible Jewell» which has some traces of the recent music of Robert Rich. The title track is with 20:13 minutes the longest piece on the CD. It follows the path of the other music but with some more drama to it. This is one of the best ambient/space-albums I’ve ever heard. «