Distant Star [6:10] Moebius Phase [1:10] Semiotic Sequence [5:12] Lifepools [6:43] Leviathan's Lament [8:02] Silicon Alchemists [7:54] Cathedrals of Stone [6:22] Tetrahedral Anamolies [10:50] Memento [4:43]

product info

All music composed, manipulated, performed and sequenced live by Christopher Cameron and Gregory Kyryluk on vintage analog and digital synthesizers and samplers. Johannes Neuer - guitar on track 9. A collaborative musical experience joining Gregory Kyryluk (Alpha Wave Movement) and fellow synthesist Christopher Cameron. Fans of late late 1970' and early 80's electronic music like that of Tangerine Dream, Ashra, Danna & Clement, Walter Holland, Brian Eno etc will enjoy Context. Melodic sequencer based music with ambient atmospheres full of vintage digital and analog Moog, Oberheim and Yamaha synthesizers. Recorded live at the Cameron Obscura studio in Hartford, CT during 2001-02. Press Information

review

This release from the end of 2002 features 56 minutes of rhythmic electronic collaborations by Gregory Kyryluk (aka Alpha Wave Movement) and Christopher Cameron. Also appearing is Johannes Neuer on guitar on one track. Delicate electronics establish an atmospheric realm (a "context", so to speak). Electronics of more rhythmic constitution embellish this foundation with pulsation tempos. Sinuous keyboards and clever sequencing generate winding melodies that fill the sky with peppy threads of shimmering sound. While the ambient background seethes with breathing nebulas, the intertwining riffs elevate the sonic configuration to a more nimble state. Pleasant melodies unfurl with sparkling quality, driven by softly thumping E-perc. Even the passive tracks that lack percussive beats retain a sonic strength hiding in their ambience. These pieces convey a subtle but invigorating sentiment, achieved through the delicate manipulation of day-lit electronics. Darkness and ignorance are banished, replaced by a softly purring sense of awe and wonder. This tune age is crafted in the old Berlin School of electronics, but the music is fairly tempered with ambient sensibilities, lending a tranquillity to the spacey excursions into cosmic mystery. There is a distinct optimism to the music that reverberates among the crystalline notes and turns the songs into agents of cerebral rejuvenation. 2003. Matt Howarth / SonicCuriosity

review

Thought Guild is comprised of Gregory Kyryluk (a.k.a Alpha Wave Movement and Open Canvas) and Christopher Cameron. Their collaborative debut Context is both an innovative and improvisational output of vintage and modern electronic music mastered on digital and analog equipment. It evokes many familiarities of the Berlin-school style of music's past while embarking the listener on a journey into outer-space futurism, beginning with the opening track "Distant Star", which is dominated by shifting sequencers and a sound closely reminiscent of the Bladerunner score (upon relating this observation to Gregory he revealed that Cameron used a Yamaha CS-50, which is described as the little brother to the CS80 that Vangelis used in all his classic works). One unique aspect of Context is that while the nostalgic sci-fi leanings and heavy use of retro-equipment are prevalent on this album, the music is straightforwardly warm and pretty? For the most part in contrast to the typically colder and more robust penchants of a lot of vintage EM. Context is an excellent recording from start to finish with a lot of stylistic diversity ranging from the sequencer-driven nuances of "Distant Star" to the bubbling repetitions of "Leviathans Lament", to the spaciously drifting harmonics of "Lifepools" and "Cathedrals of Stone", and the added brushes of electric guitar on the closing "Memento". However, the most beautiful moments on this CD seem to be those which capture a bit of everything at once from modern space-ambience to vintage EM. Among these include "Semiotic Sequences", which reveals a drifting cosmic melody accompanied by sauntering shooting star effects and warmer washes of synth and sequencing; as well as the transcendental radiance of "Tetrahedral Anomalies" with it's glowing and flickering harmonics that eventually dissolve amidst astronaut voices towards the end of the piece. Fans of Gregory's own Alpha Wave Movement project are sure to treasure this recording, as well fans of the Bladerunner soundtrack who are urged to make it a top priority listening. Context is one of the best albums of its kind further validating Gregory's rightful place as one of today's most outstanding and innovative electronic music composers. It has also peeked my musical interest in the other half the Thought Guild duo, Christopher Cameron (whose work aside from this album I'm unfamiliar with), of whom I'm looking forward to more artistic output from. I highly cherish and recommend this recording! 2004. Candi B / Ambient Musings ezine

review

Spacey cyber-ambience and sequence based retro-electronica. The official web site describes the musical intent this way - "Context suffuses the sound of Berlin-school electronics circa 1976 with a global consciousness". There is undoubtedly a strong mid 1970's European influence in the choice of sounds and compositional structures employed, nevertheless, Thought Guild wrap all of this up in a contemporary package that is clearly at home in the new millennium. Context is primarily a gentle, tranquil album where warm ambient clouds swell and swirl like back lit mists, where bright, crystalline sequencers mesmerizing revolve around and around, where the digital percussion is light and the programmed melodies optimistic and pretty. The mood is spacey but not as strongly so as Alpha Wave Movement, here there is also an earthbound sense of looking inward, a sense of the wonder of existence, a cerebral flight of fancy. The front cover photograph is suitably ambiguous, the textures of metal and glass glowing under the sun. Darkness bathed and bleeding with orange light. Text here is minimal, not competing with the imagery. Inside we have a solarized image of the musicians and their studio, clearly proud of the vast array of equipment surrounding them. Track titles suggest the distant, the esoteric and the technical - Distant Star, Lifepools, Silicon Alchemists, Moebius Phase. Gregory Kyryluk (Alpha Wave Movement) and Christopher Cameron came together to become Thought Guild with Johannes Neuer playing guitar on the final track Memento. The result is an delicate, atmospheric collection of pieces that could have been painted with light - at times flushed and subdued, at times glittering, pulsing, shimmering, just occasionally incandescent, aflame. Many of the tracks are rhythmic carried either by bubbling sequencers or deft electronic drum loops. Sampled sounds introduce some subtle organic elements to the mix and there are some beautifully presented textures layered in certain passages. If you enjoyed 70s/80s Berlin electronica and wonder what it could sound like revisited, if you like flying around inside your own head accompanied by warming synthesizer music, if you enjoy Alpha wave Movement - this could be just what you need. Morpheus

review

The latest CD from Thought Guild, [context] is an exciting retro-synth CD that showcases a talent for creating live electronica and an extensive knowledge of classic synth music. Thought Guild is made up of Gregory Kyryluk and Christopher Cameron. Kyryluk also records as Alpha Wave Movement and Open Canvas. Johannes Neuer plays guitar on one track. On [context], the tracks capture the group’s live performances and sequences. This was the approach taken on many classic recordings by artists like Tangerine Dream and Vangelis. By recording this way, Thought Guild seems to be challenging themselves to create interesting music using the same tools and techniques use by the early synth gods. The result is an exciting CD that should appeal especially to fans of synth music from the late seventies and early eighties. Thought Guild’s list of equipment for this CD includes many of the highlights of the early days of synthesizers, including the Ensoniq ESQ-1, Korg MS-20 and Wavestation, Maestro Rhythm King, Moog Prodigy, Oberheim Matrix 6, Roland TR 606, and Yamaha CS-50. All this vintage gear helps contribute to Thought Guild’s retro-synth sound. An out-of-tune synth line even rears its head occasionally, which you don’t hear much on most modern recordings. These quirks are part of the charm of the CD, though. In addition to a museum’s worth of classic synth gear, Thought Guild brings an encyclopedic knowledge of early synth music to their work. It’s clear that Kyryluk and Cameron know the innovative 70’s work of Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Klaus Schulze and Michael Stearns. Listening to the CD, the influences melt together, as if you’re listening to a lost collaboration by some of these synth greats. The CD starts of with Distant Star, with drones, chimes and a synth solo that immediately brought to mind Vangelis’ work on Blade Runner. The track gets things off to a great start, because it establishes the retro-synth sound, and highlights the musician’s talent for this style. Several other tracks stand out on the CD. Semiotic Sequence takes things to Berlin with its percolating sequences and distorted lead lines. Silicon Alchemists explores a meditative soundscape not unlike those pioneered by German synthesists Klaus Schulze. It evolves from a mellow, almost ambient texture into sequence-driven, old-school trance. In addition to more driving tracks, [context] includes some beautiful slower or pulseless tracks, including Lifepools, Leviathan’s Lament, and Memento. These tracks bring to mind early American space music pioneers, such as Michael Stearns. They are drone-based pieces, with synth strings and ambient washes that seem to surround you. The CD is very good overall, and especially impressive since it is recorded live. The CD does have a few transitions that seem abrupt – probably a side effect of it being a live recording. Also, while Thought Guild does a great job of evoking the past, they don’t do as good of a job at carving out their own unique musical identity. [context] is powerful electronic music that evokes the synth gods of the seventies. Full of interesting synthesizer and electronics work, it’s a must-have for fans of early synth music. Synthopia