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Where usually EMs are converting electrical current into sound, we find Chris Meyer transforming the vast, mythic landscapes of the Southwest into heartfelt tone poems taken up by the spirit of this beloved region. Under the name Alias Zone his meticulous recorded realizations rise out of the regulated studio improvisations he regularly sends himself through. Paradise Lost (65:43) presents four tracks of supreme sonic excellence. Every detail feels distinctly his. Heavy with premonition, dark with revelation, this work possesses all the glimmer, shimmer and promise of transcendence possible from such a soulful statement. The tension between stillness and motion is unintentionally perfect for the moment we live in. To draw us along on his journey within, Meyer leads the listener to and from the deepest recesses of the mind with a steady and subtle metrical element. Creating, then exploring space he shapes our aural adventures by stretching and compressing time through shifts in sound, density and timbral elements. Beyond the beats there are thought zones and tones where the feel becomes more settled - locating a less kinetic, yet decidedly energetic terrain. As palpitating percussion softly grooves snd twines with imaginative sequencer patterning an earthen warmth emerges. With its breathy flutes, knowing female voices and luxurious swaths of whirring, murmuring synths Paradise Lost resonates with, then haunts the listener. Feeling resolutely unhurried, even as rhythms crescendo and crest this album remains as precise as a prayer - while diving headlong into a magical twilight territory. From the heart of the dark, to the assuring pulse of dawn, becoming lost in this music might just shape us for the better.
- Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END 11 September 2025 |
