Echo of Longing – a descent into darkness (Corbacho, 2019, Boyce review #1)
Those familiar with Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness may enjoy a sense of déjà vu when listening to Echo of Longing, the latest (2019) release by the modern Spanish composer Max Corbacho. This may not necessarily be the comparison Corbacho had in mind but, to my ears, there is a real discovery of a sonic harmony between these two compelling works of the imagination.
Since its original publication, Heart of Darkness has been considered by most literary critics to be the first definitive modern novel of early 20th century fiction. It tells the story of a ’European’ descent into madness upon a steamboat along the Congo River into the primal beating heart of Central Africa. Likewise, its musical counterpart, Echo of Longing, takes the listener on a journey into darkness – not the darkness of delirium, but into the hidden darkness of the human psyche. And it is an extraordinary journey.
The journey discovered on Echo of Longing is divided into three distinct stages of exploration. The first and title track (‘Echo of Longing’) is the steamboat journey along the Congo itself. The soundscape slowly increases in volume in a way that suggests it has emerged up through the subconscious for an indefinite period of time before the listener is fully aware of she/he is already part of the actual composition. A multi-layered harmonic of sounds whose constituent parts are almost recognizable, but always remain just out of reach. As the steamboat slowly meanders its way into dense tropical forests which are both familiar, on one level, and totally outside modern humankind’s experience on another: savage, primal, and eternal. The track slowly coagulates into a number of spikes and pitches of arresting sounds, adding a sense of anticipation to the growing sense of what is going to touch the listening next – in the same way the steamboat never knows what it will encounter around the next bend of the river. The listener is a captive passenger heading deeper into an unexplored soundscape.
The second track, ‘Embryo of Drones’, immerses the listener into dramatic opening vistas of discovery. Spikes of sound pitch upwards and overlap into distinct pinnacles of sensory experience (imagine slow cresting waves of sound) – in much the same way the steamboat discovers the extraordinary Mr. Kurtz in his remote waystation, succumbed to a surreal juxtaposition of ancient nature and primitive tribal rituals, all fleetingly glimpsed. Yet, ‘the horror…the horror’ of the denouement within the book is reassuringly kept at bay by the assured passage Corbacho provides the listener. He is an old hand at the tiller of sound. We float past – and upon – these extraordinary aural events towards a brighter horizon, not left stranded to our fate in the darkness!
The final track, ‘The Noble Beyond’, is a slow burn back towards consciousness. As the steamboat backtracks upriver towards (?) civilization, so too does Corbacho carefully haul the listener up from the depths of the subconscious and back into the reassuring light of reality. Where dark sounds threatened, now an increasingly overlayered soundscape of light encourages us on the last leg of our journey. Quite simply, there are beautiful passages of sound to encourage that all’s well with the world – a world of hope. Finally, to disembark from our journey, somehow refreshed, exhilarated and feeling positive – yet, secretly looking forward to our next trip into the very heart of imaginative darkness on the good ship Corbacho.

About a month ago I reviewed Max Corbacho’s other release from 2018 titled Nocturnes II; it, like this, is a dreamy soundworld filled with beautiful sonic textures flowing gracefully over one another, eliciting a number of sensations and emotions that flow freely and change from one minute to the next, a dense fog of shimmering sound that opens out in all directions, fantastic multi-faceted chord sprites that color parts of the surrounding space in bold hues and pastels, limited only by the imagination. The listener can fall through open space escaping the limits of time and traverse through something of a sonic wormhole, hearing the fabric of everything passing in numerous dimensions. The effect is beautiful, sometimes cold, other times warm, with layers of gentle sounds morphing out of nothing, full of majestic shimmering nuances and expansive chords that reach out to and beyond the horizon, and decaying into interstellar fog. The listener can easily get lost within it all, and in fact should. Total immersion is the best way to experience this – lights out and hadphones on. Technically, there are five tracks listed on the CD cover, but the sound only fades to black at one point after the 28 minute opener “Quantum Cathedrals”, with the remaining four cuts (accouting for nearly 45 minutes) all joined together in smooth crossfades, the pieces just get a little quieter at the junctions. Now I have to say that I’ve listened to both Horizon Matrix and Nocturnes II at least a dozen times each, probably more, and I find it difficult to say exactly what the difference between the two is; This one is probably more up-front and colorful in the nature of the sonics presented, while the former may be a mite more muted, dark and discrete, but both share a vast and abundant world of sonic beauty, and both are discs that the listener could easily put on endless repeat and absorb for hours on end – and I have done so with both.

The ambient genre has never been more alive, it seems, than today. Decades after its birth (to the degree that a date of origin can be fixed), recordings continue to pour forth at an amazing rate. Recent releases by long-standing practitioners Erik Wollo, Steve Roach, and Max Corbacho provide a good representation of how things currently stand and show how artists associated with the genre individuate themselves while staying true to the fundamental principles of the form. Philosophical themes relating to time, space, and infinity are common to all three, and though indexed tracks are present, each assumes the character of a long-form meditation. Wollo’s distances itself from the others, however, in excluding synthesizers; everything on his outing was created using electric guitars, EBow, and harmonizers.

Like Infinite Moments, Max Corbacho’s Horizon Matrix unfurls at a stately pace, with in this instance the material flowing without interruption through five parts; similar to Wollo, he also draws from philosophical concepts, with temporality as the guiding principle and inspiration coming from Plato’s characterization of time as a “a moving image of eternity.” It’s a somewhat more pure ambient-electronic production than Wollo’s, however, for the fact that the Barcelona, Spain-based Corbacho created all of it using sequencing, samplers, and synthesizers. The epic, twenty-eight-minute opening piece, “Quantum Cathedrals,” establishes the album’s tone with crystalline synth textures that alternately undulate and whistle. Everything moves in graceful slow-motion, which, coupled with softly shimmering atmospheres and organ-like textures, bolsters the luminous character of the material. Also like Wollo’s recording, the parts in Corbacho’s do form a cohesive whole yet also exhibit differences, the shift from one part to the next clearly discernible. After “Quantum Cathedrals,” the sound field expands to billowing proportions in “Temporal Horizon,” with tidal washes surging dramatically and high-pitched tones offset by stormy undercurrents. The intensity rises yet again with the immense, reverberant swells of “Beyond the Light Storm” before culminating in an epic climax in the fourth part, “Into the Ocean of Time.” Much like the material on Corbacho’s previous releases, there’s little that’s earthly about the expansive soundscapes on Horizon Matrix, which give the impression of being located in a realm outside the space and time of human experience.
January 2019

I’ve been following Max Corbacho since discovering his debut «Vestiges» in 1999. It opened a world of passionate ambient sonic splendour unravelling until this very day. A highly atmospheric, enchanting, vibrant and expansive ambient-space is found on the five tracks making up the 73-minute «Horizon Matrix», an alternate aural dimension even tapping into the infinite occasionally. While composing grand opener «Quantum Cathedrals» Max even realized he was re-entering the same sacred, far away spaces of his 2009 recording «Ars Lucis». The full recording is an imminent, vast canvas of fluid patterns, ethereal soundscapes and profound liquid textures interacting and melting seamlessly while releasing its imaginative yet delicate sonic perfume through its leaves. Here, immersion comes naturally as the listener is surrounded by the continuous ebb/flow and gentle shifts of rich, harmonious pads caressing the heart and mind. However, great dynamics and intensity surface on the stellar «Into the Ocean of Time» without abandoning the ethereal thread.

Most of all, «Horizon Matrix» is another example of high-quality freeform ambient dwelling in the void, opening up endless vistas while any sense of place has dissolved. Highly recommended for aficionados like myself who love to submerge in immensity…

The Spanish Maestro of deepest sonic meditations is back again with his latest aural cathedral entitled «Source Of Present». As a reviewer, even if it’s just my free time hobby and passion, I should maybe stay more objective, however, many of you might have known and it’s no secret that I have been always utterly fascinated by Max Corbacho’s soundworlds. I am simply unable to hide this and when a new album by Max is announced, every time I am looking forward to it just like a small kid for his fave candy. Of course «Source Of Present» CD, created during 2015-2017 and released at November 10th on Max Corbacho’s own Silentsun label, was no exception. How could it be? The album comes as a 4-panel digipak with glossy cover image created by the artist himself, while the layout duties are handled, as usual, by Michael Rodriguez Pletz.

«The Beginning Of Remembering» is not only the opening, 24 minutes long opus, but to be straight, also one of the most monumental epics Max has ever carved and undoubtedly one of the most jaw-dropping compositions since his ultimate milestone «The Ocean Inside» released at the end of 2012. How can I resist when such gargantuan driftscape invades my listening room? Ultra tenebrous and voluminously humming, yet gracefully multidimensional stratums swiftly steal the whole, breathtakingly immersing scenario. However, warmly spellbinding vistas clandestinely permeate as well and persistently juxtapose with tiding ear-blowing transcendental meridians. I am loosely gliding across the unfathomably subterranean Eden, enter now and experience this pure magic!!! «Soul Of The World», clocking to 7-plus minutes mark, maintains its monstrously engrossing splendor, but this time more illuminating as the sweeping vastness is insistently amalgamated with flamboyant range of sheets, both intricately mindscaping and balmily titillating. «Echoing Shade» promptly dives into magnificently expansive deserted solitudes, holding the unmistakable southwest signatures of no one else but Max Corbacho’s iconic guide. Panoptic serenity at its most majestic!!! «Transparent Phenomena», at 4:17 the shortest piece on «Source Of Present», rides on the wings of abundantly scenic and thrillingly overwhelming immenseness, where colossal drone layers continuously resonate, counterpoint and dazzle with ear-tickling glimmers. Nearly 19 minutes long title composition «Source Of Present» unfolds in absolute stillness and then calmly extends into an awe-inspiring panoramas of sheer atmospheric delight, incorporating own myriad of floating, reverberating, twinkling, glimpsing and crescendoing insignias masterfully reinforced by superiorly prodigious flickering mirages reminiscent of the master. A huge dose of sonic ambrosia is offered here!!! The closing 13-minute track «On This Journey» ceaselessly reveals and tightly keeps on the path of incredibly sublime sceneries, perpetually magnified by sweeping and ebbing vertexes, eternally enrapturing and staggeringly transporting. Evanescing tranquil horizons inconspicuously sneak in and are as much spectacular and soulfully exquisite as its quintessentially billowing and tenaciously monolithic companions. Gorgeously enigmatic finale!

Although the amount of influential earmarks is to my taste a bit stronger at some stages, Max Corbacho returns with almost 74-minute «Source Of Present» masterwork, as well as with the previous «Nocturnes» album, to the ultimate pedestal celebrating all geniuses of powerfully engulfing atmospheric soundforging. That’s the place where he has already stood after sculpting unquestionable magnum opuses such as «Ars Lucis» and «The Ocean Inside». And this position fits to him more than perfectly! Bravo, Max, you fully deserve this!!!!

Richard Gürtler (Jan 01, 2018, Bratislava, Slovakia)

Matt Howarth, Sonic Curiosity

This release from 2009 offers 74 minutes of regal ambience.Corbacho plays sequencing, synthesizers, and atmospheres.Ethereal electronics achieve a stately presence that remains rich with sedative properties.Vaporous textures unfurl to fill the chamber, then undulate to bring these attenuated layers into endearing contact with each other, merging to produce a delicate density that retains a demonstrative softness.

All of the auxiliary electronics share this mellow touch. Twinkling with crystalline beauty, the tones reverberate with an airy character as if the sounds themselves can convey an airborne buoyancy.Although melodic hints lurk within the fluid mix, this music relies mainly on harmonic structure to achieve its idyllic dreaminess.

While these compositions embody a discriminating celestial flair, their expansive presence is imbued with a divine elegance that excellently captures the awe inspired by viewing cathedral architecture (which from the song titles we learn is the album’s general topic). The simplicity involved is quite deceptive, for what seems to be sparse is in actuality a lavish compendium of gentle pulsations. These lucid creations divulge majestic splendor with each tenuous passage.

As an artist, I have been fascinated by the deep meaning which these objects have held for humanity since the darkest of times. Their connection with man´s deeper primordial dreads, fears, and desires form a map which defines some of the most complex aspects of the human psyche.

«The Talisman feels like awakening in an ever-evolving ocean of pure sonic bliss»

…tapped from Max Corbacho’s deepest sound-research, one of Spain’s finest soundpainters, here he represents his latest most exquisite release to date, ‘The Talisman’.

Working, studying, digging on this sacred project for quite some time, envelopping, constucting, growing into various forms, it finally has reached for the light. The title refers to the mysterious, sacred meaning of the amulette to those people who wearing it, believing in the fortunate, the spiritual them to happen.. only for those who truly believe, them will happen the incredibility ..

The Talisman is divided in 11 tracks stretching nearly over its 73 minute during soundexcursion. Ranging from 11 till 3 minute pieces, all full with miniature details and sonic twists. It took me some time to take a grab on this ever-morphing ocean of simmering fuzz. But once that gate is open, the discoveries within are endless.. and beyond. The Talisman is defined as Max’ most intriging, finest and deepest work to date.

From the opening track ‘Amnios’ we are slowly on spiralling -as you can feel the air starts to thicken- into other-worldly, dense atmospheric realms of stark expansiveness beauty and wonderful luminosity. There’s a constant flow, rising and ebbing, of deep intimicy and utter calmness. Vibrating tone zones where Max find it’s comfort and challenge at the same time, reflecting upon them. We move from the expanding & the majestic with rising and falling soundoceans ‘Reborn in Expansion’ to slowly blooming, beautiful pieces like ‘Connected Spirits’ & ‘Three Circles’ We can hear hints of distant angelic voices surrounded by sonorous synth pulses, floating in and out.. all nourishing from start till end. The soundscaping here is elegant, deep & sensitive.

We can feel that Max meditated carefully and deeply onto this project, and the results here are simply exceptional.. feel and hear, surrender yourself to the world of ‘The Talisman’.

(Stéphan Geschiere , independent reviewer, Holland)

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This release from 2008 features 73 minutes of gentle ambience. Vibrant electronic textures are embellished by additional atmospherics to produce a lavish excursion into cerebral introspection.

Tonalities of rich definition and sparse substance flow with expansive deliberation, generating moods of rewarding depth. The tones are compelling despite their ethereal nature. Sustained chords swell and recede, approximating breathing and establishing cogent connections between the music and the listener’s lung capacity.

Amid this steadfast serenity, a series of sidereal sounds lend subtle garnishes, sprinkling the minimal tuneage with glittering augmentations, not unlike twinkling stars scattered throughout a majestic void. These auxiliary sonic decorations serve to provide a semblance of variation to the even temperament of the ambient foundation. The progression from track to track is seamless, crafted to maintain an uninterrupted stream of pacifying drones.

This music seeps into the flesh like a fine mist, spreading relaxation through the bloodstream and settling in the brain where its intended work truly commences with the suppression of external sensations, regulating body systems into a state which prospers psychic pursuits. The subject is left with their soul at easy access, while cognitive capacity remains undisturbed.

While basically devoid of complex melodic structure, these compositions thrive on their harmonic presence. Pulsations ebb and flow, generating a soothing milieu designed to eliminate external distractions and enhance meditative functions.

Corbacho is back again with a beautiful ambient album that express a deep sense of connection and unity.