| Purchasing options - Visit Robert Fox Page at A.D.Music (Gemm, Amazon, iTunes, MSN).
Review of Blue
Mountains Suite:
Graham Getty, Synth Music
Direct.
"Most people would
preserve memories of a trip to Australia via photographs, slides or even a video. Well
Robert Fox goes one stage further with this CD which derives its inspiration from the
aforementioned visit made during the summer of 1991. Robert describes it as "...very
much a Westerner's musical interpretation of the visit...but in no way an attempt to
emulate Aboriginal music or, indeed, their culture".
'Spirit of Oz' opens in
typically grandiose fashion, percussive Aboriginal samples forming the backdrop to a
deceptively strong melody which makes good use of light and shade. 'Sydney Harbour' adopts
a lighter stance with a simple motif played over all manner of superb atmospherics. 'Into
the Mountains' picks up the pace expertly being a perfect combination of sequence,
percussion and melody punctuated by samples of train station announcements which trace the
journey it portrays.
More atmospherics lead
into 'Three Sisters' and the theme which runs through this track, I believe, represents a
creative peak for Robert - it is quite simply tremendous. The 'second side' opens with
'Painted Desert' which comes across as a slightly more subdued, almost ominous, sounding
piece. The magnificent title track follows and for those of you who have already
experienced this via Sampler 1 it needs no introduction. For those of you who haven't -
the powerful piano lead and sweeping synths punctuated by thunderous drums make this piece
an inspiration.
'White Man Dreaming'
returns to the slightly more restrained formula hinted at on 'Painted Desert', and again
the fantastic melody and perfect atmospherics produce another awesome high point.
'Farewell Blue Mountains' winds up with the return journey to that made on 'Into the
Mountains' and is another epic voyage through high power melodics. On this album Robert
Fox shows that the rich seam of inspiration displayed on his two previous albums shows no
signs of diminishing. It is a stunning example of sonic imagery at its best and an
undoubted essential purchase for collectors of quality Electronic Music". |