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Ian Ion - Gringo Locomotion
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Top level
Music reviews
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Author: PKS
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Publishing date: 12.02.2008 14:45
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New ambient/IDM album out on Chill Tribe Record by Ian Ion, also known for groundbreaking projects such as Koxbox, Saiko-Pod, The Overlords, Sri Hari etc.
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Norwegian Chill Tribe Records is back with a new album, this time with super talent Ian Ion from Denmark, most known for groundbreaking projects such as KoxBox, Saiko-Pod, The Overlords, as well as other noted bands such as Conamore, Sri hari, Epoptika and Russia Heat.
Ian Ion - Gringo Locomotion (Chill Tribe Records) 2007 (CTRCD06)
Releasedate: December 2007 / January 2008
Style: Ambient/IDM
1. Noises Of Us
2. Slappna Av
3. Postcards Are People
4. Monica’s Hunger
5. Tablatronix
6. Scarborough Unfair
7. Ziggurat
8. We Could Be Housewives
9. Dim Summing
10. Coon Calling
11. Sunshy
12. To My Future Past
Ian has been a recording artist for over twenty years, exploring two decades of electronic music in many forms. He has kept an innovative spirit alive with tremendous success within many areas of the music industry, including producing, programming, composing, djing, engineering, mastering, teaching, consulting work, visuals, promotion and sales, besides touring all around the world. He has also worked behind the scenes for Sony Playstation, Roskilde Festival, Bang & Olufsen, Denmark's Radio, TC Electronic, The Danish Music Academy to name a few.
Here he gives us his first ever solo ambient album, selecting the fruits of ambient works from the past ten years, exploring deep journeys into sound and experimental creativity. This project was first seeded at the Roskilde Festival in 1998, when he was asked to serve a one hour soundscape for their octaphonic sound system at D-Day. The project has grown from there, and is now finally available for the listeners worldwide.
Distributed by: Arabesque Distribution
Ian Ion:
http://www.myspace.com/gringolocomotion
Ian Ion discography:
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Ian+Ion
Chill Tribe Records:
http://www.myspace.com/chilltriberecords
http://www.chilltriberecords.com
Review by Mattman:
Read the digipak sleeve, and you’ll see this album has an interesting concept! We all know Ian Johansson from Koxbox and Saiko-pod, but music under his alias Ian Ion is new to me. A debut such as this, with an IDM / Ambient release is impressive. There is much about this album that reminds me of other artists. Elemental Journey (Matt Coldrick and Matt Hillier) is a name that pops up, and of course, there is a level of familiarity with previous work of Ian. The 12 tracks are quite diverse in terms of feel and sound. There’s a good balance between having to be relaxed listening to this and how much it relaxes you - and I also get the feeling that the album is doing a great job of surpassing the casualness and “let’s be experimental just to be experimental” feel that other IDM musicians might have a tendency to express. No, this album follows the exact same quality of production as other Chill Tribe Records releases have – and that’s impressive to say the least. The album is roughly divided into three parts, and everything is mixed in a way that gives great fluency. Vocals, live instruments and synthesizers are all working together, and with good headphones or a decent sound system, you’ll hear the impressive amount of work put into the effects of stereo sound. Most of the soundcapes are in the higher level of frequencies, and the level of detail is remarkable. This really is IDM on a very high level, and you won’t have to run through the album many times to understand the structure and sense of direction it offers. The middle part of the album is full of ear-candy. Really, sit down and concentrate on what you’re listening to, and you’ll realize the talent presented in the build of effects and layers of sound. “We Could Be Housewives” is an excellent example of this… I’ve never been a big fan of this kind of music other than ‘the greats’ within IDM, and this album is definitively one of those that jumped out at me to shake my frame of mind regarding my personal preferences. Stick this record under the Christmas tree and watch the holiday stress fade away in the blink of an eye. Interestingly, the last third of this album offers something completely different. Sunshy’s crisp guitar play, with a touch of Röyksopp, a voice message and a Casio-watch beep are all in store to change the mood to something else. And, for my part, the last track - To My Future Past - is what pushes this album from great to excellent. This is absolutely blissful music. By then you’ve stopped thinking about “is this ambient or IDM?” your head is soothed and you’re anticipating what this last, long track has to offer. It’s like a big cookie at the end, in contrast to the shorter (and at times very short) tracks in the previous two thirds. The lower parts of the levels of frequencies kick in, mid-base and even lower base. Ah, you simply don’t want this to end! I love this part of ambient music when you’re able to turn the sound up at very high levels without having to regret it when your brain starts to pulsate painfully… Instead, you’re enhancing the detail and the structure of the tracks that lifts the atmosphere greatly. This has definitively a Scandinavian sound to it; Biosphere is another name you’ll be thinking about throughout this hour. I can’t do much else than to tell you that this is some of the most impressive beat-less music in my collection, and any lover of IDM and Ambient should not be without it.
Review by Le Lotus Bleu :
This album is differently conceived from the classic chill albums, as a result my perception can't be focused on the 12 tracks cut but on the global content. Actually, listening to Gringolocomotion is like listening to an hour chill mix for me, that's why i consider the whole. One of the main characteristic of this project is the continuity, the linearity of the production. I mean by this, a fully catchy masterpiece from scratch to to bottom. It's a very possessive production which takes you & makes you loose your sense, bewildered, you won't really take care to the elements. Although there's this special cold atmosphere floating all along, cold but blissful or intimate nearly selfish packed with an old school flavour (could remind you some techno-ambient productions from the early to the mid 90's) through the bank tones Belwildered because all is calm, sweet, slow but times flies swiftly while the listen. Sometimes you don't find many words coz you prefer turning back to listening, that's what i'm doing here with Ian Ion – Gringolocomotion & i invite you to do the same asap.
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