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!

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.

Paul Rijkens, E-dition magazine

The Spaniard Max Corbacho is a master in creating atmospheres. It is not the first time that I have put my admiration for his music in writing, for «The Talisman» this will not be different. Stronger: in my opinion with this album he has created his best work until now. Armed with modern synthesizers like Korg Triton and Z1, he makes wonderful stretched sounds that together form a magnificent moody image. But the music absolutely not sounds if he uses the presets from these instruments. The cd has eleven tracks but they all flow into each other in an intriguing way. Corbacho’s sounds are warm, intense, deep but also accessible. Actually, he goes further where Steve Roach, apparently a great example, has started long ago. It sounds like a text of an advertisement or tearsheet but I can’t help it because you must undergo this music like a warm glow. Tracks like «Reborn To Expansion», «Three Circles», «The Talisman» (especially this one) and «Cellular Memory» are absolute masterpieces in this ambient/space-area.

For me personally the music of Max Corbacho is the absolute top in this genre at this moment.
It seems a pleasure for me to see this man live some time.

Paul Rijkens

Paul Rijkens, Dutch progressive rockmagazine iO Pages

On his records, Spaniard Max Corbacho follows the footsteps of the groundbreaking American ambientcomposer Steve Roach. He does this solo and in collaboration with somebody like Bruno Sanfilippo on the CD Indalo (look in iO Pages 54 for a review). The on CDR released Moontribe contains four tracks from the period 2000-2001 that not have seen the light earlier and two new pieces from 2003. Corbacho’s music is high-grade, intense and very relaxing. The tribal rhythms that know so well from Roach are present regularly, just as the most fantastic ambientsounds that are created with much care. These sounds form a warm bed as cover for the special rhythms. Unknown Radiance is a great example of this. Corbacho’s music is really of the biggest quality. Actually he goes further there where the music of Roach has become a little less good the last years. The unbelievable great and intriguing atmosphere of tracks like Across The Spectrum and the titletrack are of an unprecedented beauty that I consider masterpieces. In the genre this is the absolute top.

© 2004 – Paul Rijkens, Dutch progressive rockmagazine iO Pages.

Paul Rijkens, Dutch progressive rockmagazine iO Pages

The Argentine Bruno Sanfilippo who lives and works in Spain is a versatile musician. This versatility can also strongly be heard in the album Indalo that he created in collaboration with the Spanish ambient specialst Corbacho. Corbacho already has made a number of special albums with rather intense music. In the summer of 2001 Corbacho en Sanfilippo made a trip to Almeria in Spain. The spectacular nature as well as the historic symbol Indalo inspired them in making this music.

It contains a range of naturesounds from Almeria that are added with the ambientsounds and the nearly ancient rhythms of the duo. This is music where artists like Steve Roach, Robert Rich and VidnaObmana are masters in but in where these gentlemen are also very well at home. The sounds are widely spun, almost like a wave, above the organic rhythms and intriguing atmospheres. The titletrack of almost 22 minutes, with which the CD opens, immediately takes the cake. Quietness is an important element in the music on this CD. In tracks like The Agave Emerges On The Dry Earth and Lava Atmospheres this quietness as a matter of speaking blows around the listener. This is a very special experience. Cabo De Gata and Petrified Wisdom are rather dark. The dreamy A Lucid Dream Of Strange Landscapes takes together the concept of the CD very well.

Highlight of the album in my opinion is Signs Of Former Experiences that almost has a heavenly atmosphere.

2004 – Paul Rijkens, Dutch progressive rockmagazine iO Pages.

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. «