Rudy Adrian – Desert realms

5 reviews for Rudy Adrian – Desert realms

1. 

   Sylvain Lupari / Synth&Sequences – 2022-11-22

   Its inspired by a voyage made in the national park of Utah that Rudy Adrian concocted Desert Realms. These desert kingdoms are composed of 11arid musical landscapes carried on warm winds from a synth with heavy and touching layers as well as flutes which transpierce immense dunes of architectural stones.

   Delicates shimmered arpeggios open Saguaro Silhouette. A soft wave intermingled with Amerindian vocalizes, just like in Circling Hawk, crosses a desert plain where rattlesnakes bells and Tibetans cymbals wrap an atonal movement. The wind alone offers a light undulation in a sound structure as rich as mystical. A fluty sound floats on slightly anvil percussions on Pathway opening. Here, as on the whole 12th opus from the New Zealand synthesist, the movement is linear and without forms except for few fine modulations which are lurching through the sound memories of Rudy Adrian. Desert Realms is a long peaceful powerful ode of American Western South desert grounds. A title with musical poetry which espouses a structure sometimes dramatic on a synth with breaths a little more seizing as on Cloudburst and its spiral flute. Fading Light is synonymous of tenderness and nostalgia. Subterranean River borrows the same musical paths that one can meet on this arid work. Sound samplings of a desert nature are present on each track, as on the morphic Of Clouds And Mountains and Rocks Under Moonlight as well as on the melodious at The Edge Of The Desert which is completely relaxing with it bird songs.

   Desert Realms is an album of a sidereal softness filled of melodious passages that would please to fans of landscapes sounds or to those astral travelers who are able to leave without moving out of their bodies. An album that is very near the floating and tribal worlds of Ray Lynch and Steve Roach.

   2010. Sylvain Lupari / Synth&Sequences

2. 

   Chuck van Zyl / Star’s End – 2022-11-22

   His acclaimed live performances and the ever-ascending quality of his recorded works have made Rudy Adrian one of the most distinctive voices in the ethereal music genre. His talent is in picking just the right sounds, arranging them in unique combinations and rolling it all out in an always-engaging collage of music and atmosphere. This process stems from personal experience or inspiration, as on his CD Desert Realms (69’28).

   The nine tracks are each an electronic expression of his beloved rugged desert landscapes

3. 

   Valeriano Guiol – 2022-11-22

   To compose the music in this album, Rudy Adrian was inspired by the landscapes of the American Southwest desert.

   Desert Realms” certainly takes us to the immense quiet of wide

4. 

   Morpheus Music – 2022-11-22

   Engrossing ambient music with plenty of detail to hold the attention. Desert Realms is built around undulating, silken drones of a soft harmonious nature – these underlying forms variously enhanced by a broad range of additional sound: delicate chimes, clanging gongs, meandering vocalisations, suggestions of desert fauna – the blending of organic sound with synthetic is seamless and very effective. The expressive flute work of Nick Prosser drifts thickly across a number of pieces – woody, breathy plumes of melody across the expansive smoothness of the sonic terrain. Percussive aspects are subtle – the distant dull thump of a bass drum, tinkling chimes or cricket chirps – for the most part, however, Desert Realms is beatless and wide open. The music at times drifts like immense cloud movement, at other times stillness pervades – steady tones shifting ever so slightly, birds, flutes dancing in the soundspace or hints of melody touching the air. Water recordings, thunder or bird song assist in establishing an environment in places – working to compliment the mostly serene mood, the feeling of natural peace that runs throughout.

   Desert Realms is a jewel case release adorned with suitable photographic imagery. The front cover shot runs across to the rear cover when the case is opened – a striking red rock arch against empty blue sky. Track titles barely distract from the pictorial impact – a light white font off to one side with track times for each piece. Opening up an arid scene of layered stone runs from immediate foreground into far distance – deeply grooved, heavy shadows and bright sunshine in powerful contrast. Here to the top left are brief thanks, artwork credits and contact details for the artist. The remaining page of the insert features an explanation of the album’s origins and a gear list for the music. Hidden away behind the disc – a hazy portrait photograph.

   New Zealand based Rudy Adrian produces music for film and television as well as developing his own releases. This album comes once more and consists of eleven panoramic soundscapes inspired by the deserts of the American South West. Previous Rudy Adrian releases have also explored a more sequencer based sound with Berlin school influences. The album includes a live performance by Adrian and Nick Prosser from 2001 – Nick’s expertly played baroque flute appearing on various tracks across this album.

   2009. Morpheus Music

5. 

   Phil Derby / Electroambientspace – 2022-11-22

   Inspired by a weekend tour of North American deserts in 2002, Desert Realms finally comes to fruition in this 11-track, 70-minute set. Two tracks feature Nick Prosser on Baroque flute, adding to the desert theme and sound. This is a mellow Adrian set, devoid of the upbeat sequencer passages that he often creates.

   Instead, a very specific mood is conveyed throughout, and as such this is probably Rudys most cohesive thematic work, although he certainly has done similarly focused efforts, most notably The Healing Lake. Slightly dissonant bells carve out a unique beginning on Saguaro Silhouette