Album Review by EDF
There are many forms which electronic music can take. From the obvious commercial dance oriented tracks to chill-out and ethnic sounds from groups such as One Giant Leap and compilations from the Music Mosaic label. UK based Arrhythmia have taken ethnic chill-out sounds to a different level. Arrhythmia’s front man is Darren Ferguson and his main purpose is to move people with the effective use of sounds that are indescribable and shouldn’t exist.
The album begins with a one-minute intro, CONTACT (PART ONE), and a mid tempo, big beat wall of chill out synthesisers chords. This flows into the ethnic sounding EARTH INSTINCT, full of rich chords and vocal, sounding like it has come from another time and place. Darren studied classical piano and this is best experienced on LUCIUS IS SAFE and sounds like it has been influenced by groups such as the Future Sound Of London, Massive Attack and the Art Of Noise. Ferguson also uses the technique of using some of the vocal sounds as musical instruments, examples of which can be found on tracks such as OUTCAST and NITRO.
At times, this album can sound similar to the Art Of Noise. Darren’s use of hip hop beats give some of the tracks a slight edge over the more conventional chill out artists. WE CAN FLY floats the listener off on a wave of a repetitive “dream” before it breaks down into what we expect from a chill-out track. In fact, the album is great for relaxing after a hard day at work, where the sounds remind you that the world has a lot more to offer then the daily grind.
