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product info

Digitally recorded and mastered at Orbian Studios, Westlake Ohio, USA. All music composed, arranged, produced and recorded by Mark Dwane.

review

Mark Dwane has established himself as one of the hottest and most prolific artists currently in the electronic-space music genre. On The Monuments Of Mars, Dwane takes the listener on a tour of Mars and introduces them to its cities, monuments, architecture and a highly advanced civilization. Dwane's approach to synthesizers is very different from others in that almost every sample and keyboard voice you hear is played or triggered by a MIDI guitar. This approach makes Dwane's music more expressive than most artists. The Monuments Of Mars is a breathtaking CD, full of powerful melodies, soaring anthemic themes, melodic rhythms and an overall fresh approach to electronic music composition. Houston WEST

review

The cosmic appeal of this 1988 release is instantly obvious. Tonalities soar unhampered by atmospheric friction, harmonious riffs swell and unravel like sparkling lights in an always-dark sky. The presence of soft e-perc lends rhythm without earthiness to the pleasant tuneage, injecting lazy but compelling tempos to the electronic melodies. Mars is the focus of the instrumental music on this 39-minute CD, grounding the space music to closely examine the foreign geological formations of our curious planetary neighbor. The nature of sounds utilized by Dwane varies from the crystalline crispness of heavenly airs to the inspired heights of denser melodics. Although much of the music exudes a stately calm, elements of subtle dynamics scurry through the mix, accentuating riffs and focusing the music's emotional impact. This music may be ambient, but it also possesses strong compositional vibrancy. Delicate melodies assert themselves with understated power, contrasting aural textures with demonstrative ease. Matt Howarth / Space.com

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The music not only has the exotic, visionary quality that so many people are looking for now, it actually conveys a sense of "place". The fact that everything but the percussion is MIDIed from guitar is astonishing, and contributes to the evocative and captivating immediacy of the music. Brian Earle, Clear Productions

review

I have seldom encountered a complete set of works such as "MONUMENTS", that has so enthralled me from the first time I heard it and failed to lose its intensity time after time. Discovering "MONUMENTS" is like finding a marvelous symphony in which every movement leaves the listener longing for more. Ken Keith, WCIN

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Dwane vividly evokes an atmosphere of crumbling alien grandeur in these new-age instrumentals. A big, slow, timeless sound. Jim Aikin, Keyboard Magazine

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Stunning work! Mark's compositions and personal style are completely original. Everybody, and I mean everybody that I know who has heard this album has been heartily impressed by it. You'll be too! SYNTHESIS