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73+ min long form work that slowly drift along transparent synthwashes, developing through silent landscapes in his formation, almost hostile, sometimes underground, always stony, ancient. Nocturnal Emanations presents a series of sound spaces that have his seed in the piece that gives title to the work. From the beginning of the cd, the treatment of all the sonorous elements is totally free,
almost randomly. The use of sequencers has reduced to the minimum to increase the atmospheric feel and the tempo is sensitively slow. The first piece, A Spark of Deity, introduces us squarely in a world that in spite of his apparent aridity wraps us of life, and transports us slowly to the second piece, which represents the gravitational center of the whole cd: "Nocturnal Emanations". The track´s sinuous movement was created without any type of synchronism, in this way the layers of synthesizers move freely along the whole piece "rubbing" harmonically some with others. The occasional visit of grooves alters momentarily the semi-moonstruck
state of all the tracks, altering the surreal architecture, intriguingly and deeply organic. This CD conjures up an amazing world that we feel remotely past, like a forgotten sanctuary, approaching the sonorous aridity to human senses.

"Corbacho has arranged a beautiful backing with a vast aray of environmental sounds and fx's, giving the musical painting an almost dense atmosphere."
Bert Strolenberg, E-dition Magazine.

( Phil Derby / Electroambient Space)

Max Corbacho “Nocturnal Emanations”
8 tracks, 73.29 mins

Although he has explored darker ambient before, as on the excellent Resonant Memory Of Earth, this time Spaniard Max Corbacho truly delves right into the source of things that go bump in the night – or in this case, drones that echo resonantly into caverns of infinity. “A Spark of Deity” has crickets, low rumbles, restless churning, and all sorts of wondrous textures that reach out into the darkness. There is an undercurrent like slowly moving water, hints of noise that vaguely resemble percussion, otherwordly stuff. After this auspicious start comes the title track, bringing more remnants of dark memories, strands of dreams, images of caverns and precipices. This one floats a bit more, though dripping water or a shifting pebble occasionally become audible. “The Slow and Wandering Dust” glides into sounds similar to Steve Roach’s fractal grooves – and a great groove it is. Bright shimmering synths float over the top, reminiscent of older Roach like Dreamtime Return perhaps. It rides the groove out for several minutes before settling down just a bit, though some semblance of rhythm continues to the end. The delicate floater “Abandoned Wind” is a beautiful counterpoint to those rhythms. The deeply tribal “Along the Moonlit Rift” is another high point. “Deep, Ancient” says as it does, a sparse abstract selection that is yet another winner. Dark ambient fans rejoice.

© 2004 Phil Derby / Electroambient Space