Before I explain… please indulge me in a wee story: I have a deep love for Vangelis’ soundtrack to “Blade Runner”. I have a number of copies of it and only recently found a bootleg that presents the existing music plus unreleased incidental music in chronological sequence. I can’t express how much I love this album. Part of my love for it comes from the fact it is indelibly linked to the early days of my relationship to my wife, Olly. We’ve been together for 20 years and married for 15… and in the formative years of our relationship the “Blade Runner” soundtrack was a regular feature on the hi-fi when we were together. It is therefore blessed with some wonderful memories and spiritual connections.

So when I refer to “lost links” as being sensual and seductive it is because it has something of the quality of Vangelis’ soundtrack to it. When I listened to it for the first time I made this association and haven’t yet broken it… and doubt I ever will or even need to.

This is not to say Corbacho’s album doesn’t stand on its own… of course it does. It is a truly splendid slice of richly seductive and appealing ambient somascape… in fact, if I was to describe it as ’just beautiful’ I feel I would be doing it and Corbacho a disservice. It is exquisite. I truly love it and could easily consider it a successor for the “Blade Runner” soundtrack in terms of that seductive, ’go to’ quality when I need something warm and sensual to curl up to.

The album features seven tracks that varying in length from nearly 6 minutes to a delightfully longform 16 minutes.

Each track features the most languid and sublimely downbeat somascapes. Corbacho’s use of synths is my kind of wonderful… there is almost an organic, earthy feel to his playing as if this is actually what “space” or “place” sounds like. His mimicking of the unforced rhythms of nature is inspired… and gives this release it’s soul… it’s feeling.

This is one album that I would struggle to pick out any particular track for specific mention… each track coexists together on this album… sequenced in a such a manner that it draws me in and just feels right.

I guess this is crux of my thoughts on this release… I feel it. It is truly a masterpiece of sensual music-making. It is also exemplary of the power and magic of ambient music… the way it lightens my mood and enhances all that is around me without being overly precious about my complete concentration.

This is head music, yes… it provides space to think and to observe… but it is more… it is body music… it is something that can only be felt within… and whilst this is hard to explain and to extrapolate further, it is how it is for me.

I would recommend you take the time to immerse yourself in this release… soak in it and soak it in. Only then will you really get what I mean… “lost links” by Max Corbacho needs to be felt and experienced as much as it needs to be heard.

In fact, if I may be so bold, I would go so far as to say it needs to be shared with that special someone… this is an album that those extra-special connections can be made with… it has the potential to be ’that’ go-to album.

The irony is… according to Corbacho:

«All these pieces were created to appear on previously published albums. For various reasons, they were not included, and remained in my archives. I usually do not delete any of my pieces; I know that, at some point, simply because of the passing of time, they acquire a special character, and their time to be revealed appears.»

I’m so glad he compiled them into this one album. Recommended.

Original article

Spanish synthesist Corbacho has been crafting ambient tuneage for a long time. With this CD he presents a collection of unreleased or forgotten tracks of merit.

A variety of delicate texturals are tempered by additional electronics, generating atmospheric tapestries of endearing fragility. This fragility mirrors man’s position in the cosmos, yet the subtle power invoked by these tunes celebrates mankind’s latent potential. In general, the vantage point of the composer is removed from the real world, creating auralscapes that herald the existence of deeper realities, realms that exist entirely in the mind or in conceptual perceptions of things the minds of men cannot fathom. Music like this is intended to grant the listener access to those realms; from there what occurs is up to the individual, for each introspective voyage is personal and the details cannot accurately be communicated to others.

The electronics are ethereal yet substantial in their subconscious effect. Relaxed tonalities are established and serve as foundations for equally tenuous sonic threads that embellish the minimalism into crystalline structures of inspired beauty.

While these tracks do not possess a thematic constant, their relaxed demeanor unifies them. Their flow is gentle and holistic, despite the soulless machinery utilized to create the music. This touch of humanity is a keynote characteristic of Corbacho’s work.

Review by Matt howarth/Sonic Curiosity

Ambient composer Max Corbacho describes Lost Links as a compilation of “deleted, unreleased, forgotten tracks” which were not included on previous albums. Despite the chronological and conceptual differences this implies, Lost Links portrays a uniform vision and the quality of the music betrays its origin as a collection of unused pieces.

Corbacho’s music is, at least on the surface, spacey and spacious, conveying vast vistas of starry skies and yet it has an earthy quality. Compared to the ambient work of say Klaus Schulze the listener is not so much taken on a cosmic journey as earthbound and contemplating the cosmos. Deep warm synth pads are accompanied by synthesized insect- and bird-like effects. Admirers of the music of ambient pioneer Steve Roach, whose work often evokes the less-explored areas of the world, will gravitate towards this earthiness.

The ambient music of Brian Eno has been described by author Eric Tamm as the “vertical colour of sound” meaning that time slices of Eno’s individual works essentially convey the same atmosphere without much in the way of narrative development. The pieces on Lost Links do not strictly adhere to that school of ambient. Pads come and go to be replaced imperceptibly by other sonic devices, lending a seamless flow to longer pieces such as the 16 minute One True Light.

The ambient music scene has in recent years taken on a much darker edge; unsettling atmospheres, sound design which has been influenced by horror soundtracks. Lost Links is a refreshing collection against this backdrop. It has a very human, emotional component but also a depth and expansiveness which prevents it from being in any way New Age background hum. Play this album loud and you will be enveloped in a huge cathedral of rich and vibrant sound.

Review by Alternative Matter

Spanish Maestro of deep tranquil soundscapes returns with a very nice collection of, as mentioned on the booklet, deleted, unreleased and forgotten tracks on ambitious US label Relaxed Machinery. Really nice effort, because Max Corbacho belongs undoubtedly to the most respected and potential European ambient composers and certainly it would be a pity not to reveal some of these rare tracks even if they maybe weren’t good enough to make the final roster of gems like «Ars Lucis», «BreathStream» or «The Talisman» for example.
The collection opens with «Earthflow Trance», a truly serene celestial journey with slowly evolving and rotating texture precisely displaying spectacular cover artwork (created by Max). Beautifully floating «Sky Resonance» with strong yearning effect reaches even «The Lost Pieces» territory of The Master who might influenced successful career of this Barcelona based artist. Highlighting «Third Exposure» with its deeply organic ambience is a really delightful late night wandering, but this gracious journey flows also through the next two compositions, «One True Light» and «Mandala», I think both these ecstatic pieces might fit easily to «BreathStream» album, wonderful voyages!!! Graceful slow-motion drifs on «After Dream» are recalling phenomenal «Ars Lucis» album while the closing ethereal «Slow Thunder» is sligtly less massive and more breathing. A very nice mesmerizing conclusion of these «Lost Links»!
Even if recorded in longer period of time, all tracks work perfectly together as a whole and I am very glad Max has saved all of them for this collection. And my big thanks go also to Relaxed Machinery for bringing these archived recordings into the light, I hope this compilation won’t be the last of its kind. Last but not least, stay tuned for new collaborative work with Bruno Sanfilippo entitled «Bioma», that is scheduled for release later this year on their own ad21music input.

Richard Gürtler (Bratislava, Slovakia)

El nuevo trabajo de Max Corbacho se titula Lost Links, un trabajo que supone el regreso a su habitual línea compositiva etérea y melódica tras el atmosférico y algo más abstracto Deep Time, aunque en esta ocasión con la sorpresa de ser un recopilatorio de piezas olvidadas y descartadas.

Perfectamente ubicable entre álbumes como Nocturnal Emanations, Talisman y sobretodo BreathStream, este álbum resulta imprescidible en su discografía por suponer una estupenda y nada desdeñable recopilación de ambientes sonoros y melodías cósmicas que complementan y expanden el ya de por sí rico universo del compositor. Con una apertura poderosa de la mano de Earthflow Trance, un tema compuesto para un concierto en 2005, lleno de detalles y sonidos altamente evocadores, este álbum hará las delicias de de quienes, como él mismo, adoran la obra del maestro Steve Roach. Esto se nota especialmente en temas como One True Light y Mandala, dos largos temas heredados de BreathStream que recuerdan poderosamente a la época de Structures of Silence y DreamTime Return gracias a sus atmósferas expansivas y densos pads. Mientras, piezas como Third Exposure o Slow Thunder, dos piezas descartadas de la época del álbum Talisman, sólo pueden recordar a Corbacho con sus inconfundibles acordes, su impecable producción y esos sonidos de otros mundos. Sólo un tema, After Dream, se recoge aquí de los descartes del meditativo Ars Lucis, lo que se puede apreciar por su cariz algo más estático, lo que aporta equilibrio a este trabajo.

Resulta inevitable preguntarse si Corbacho no será a veces demasiado estricto en términos de calidad con su propia música y si tendrá muchos más temas como estos encodidos en sus cajones. Me hace desear desde ya la publicacion de más volúmenes de esta más que notable serie de piezas perdidas.

Lost Links supone además la entrada definitiva de Max en el sello discográfico Relaxed Machinery, con quienes llevamos unos meses colaborando estrechamente en el sello AD21 Music, y pronto verá la luz en formato CDR también a través de la Hypnos Online Store. Mientras, y hasta el próximo día 24, este nuevo y altamente recomendable disco se puede descargar de forma gratuita desde su website con sólo suscribirse al newsletter. A partir de entonces se podrá adquirir, como de costumbre, en la AD21 Music Store.

Lost Links (Relaxed Machinery 0018) is a new collection of “lost pieces” from ambient-electronic wizard Max Corbacho, created during 2003-09 for other albums, but left out “for various reasons”. Fortunately, Max saved them for another day.

Created with synths, sequencers and atmospheres, the seven pieces on Lost Links, running 67 minutes in total, cover Max’s typically vast sonic range while sharing – given the circumstances – surprisingly common ground. All of the music has Max’s trademark sublimity, luminosity and depth.

You may find it difficult at first to choose favorites, as I did. They may emerge later. I admit to being partial to longer pieces, and there are three gems here, in the 12-16 minute range. The longest, the beautifully meditative One True Light, flows by effortlessly in no time, with wildly-bouncing glassy/reedy melodic sequences (like particles in the light) and brightly-lit pads. It’s followed by Mandala, thick with texture and color, rich tendrils of each chord spiraling out from the center, dazzling in its veiled effulgence.

The other long track, Slow Thunder, closes the album with 13 minutes of rich bass and ghostly chords, building and foreboding, all breathing like a big weather system. The piece is leisurely and perfectly paced, resisting any urge to hurry, its dramatic intensity quietly building – the feeling reminding me of Steve Roach’s wonderful Dynamic Stillness album, to which I was irresistibly drawn immediately afterwards.

The album opens very strongly with Earthflow Trance, a mystic, deep-earth illumination. This piece placed me in a cave cathedral, its blazing, eerie pitch-bent chords, thrilling and tantalizing dissonances, and roaring didgeridoo-like bass adding up to an irresistible mixture of searing etherea and deep earthcore. The glassy organ-like sheen of After Dream, with tones racing off into space, swells and contracts like a cosmic harmonium.

Sky Resonance and Third Exposure share a common mood of deep serenity, in contrasting modes: the former a darkish light, with the thrilling feel of discovery. An uplifting progression leaves us floating and soaring, feeling joy and wonder in encountering the unknown. This is the most common feeling I have in listening to Max’s music. The latter piece, with its night-like sounds, follows the bliss of a fine sunset and comforting twilight.

As is usual for Max’s albums, the artwork simply must be mentioned here. Max created the cover image himself with Apophysis software. It is vast, brilliant, gorgeously designed and sublimely beautiful. Steve Brand, Relaxed Machinery’s resident album designer, handles the package layout with his usual deft hand.

Lost Links is a perfect introduction to Max Corbacho’s music. If Max’s music is new to you, when you hear the quality of these pieces – leftovers from Max’s other albums – you will find it hard to resist discovering how great those albums are. That is an ongoing, joyful process: in my view, Max is one of our top-ranked ambient-electronic artists. His music is, quite simply, unforgettable, essential listening.

Lost Links is another strong release from the rapidly-growing Relaxed Machinery label. It’s available by download (MP3 and lossless FLAC) from AD21 Music and by CDR from Hypnos. Highly recommended!»
By eyes cast down, on June 24th, 2011