STYLE
Bright, digital downtempo grooves, with clean synthetic melodies. Subliminal Melancholies opens with some deep spacey ambience - expansive and open, the plaintive cries of whales echoing in the depths before one of the most delightful, glitchy beats sets in. The album unfolds into a series of carefully crafted tracks where alien voices, didgeridoos, and guitars enhance the primary synthesiser arrangements. Electrypnose doesn't overdo the use of arpeggiation or the repetition of cycling patterns - there are plenty of well developed motifs and melodies here. One of the most enjoyable aspects of this CD is the beat construction - fragmented rhythms that are constantly varying and twisting - lo-fi crunches and muted loops, patterns fed through rolling effects, all enhancing the basic rhythms..


MOOD
Lucid electronic dream spaces - at times hypnotic and trancey, then melodic and wistful. Indeed a melancholy air in keeping with the title is held through many of the tracks - the choice of key and chordal patterns leading to harmonies and themes that automatically suggest gentle sorrows.

ARTWORK
Clear sky blue panels support a variety of graphic abstractions in shades of grey suggestive of undefined technical equipment. The CD comes with a two page booklet that opens out to relay thanks, credits and contact info. Track details are on the rear.

OVERALL
This is a strong downtempo debut from Switzerland's Vin's le Barde. As Electrypnose he has already had tracks featured on Ajana's 'A Magical Journey' compilation series. Electrypnose describes his chosen styles as "hard night, trippy, totally disturbed, full on, morning, melodic and .... ambient, trip hop, melodic electronic music, sofa surfing, experimental inspired by Aphex Twin or venetian snare ... and more" - quite a range, yet the result is tightly coherent and with a tidy vision of its own. As his most inventive Vin's produces tracks where almost every bar differs from the next - especially well done in the excellent opening track 'Submarine'.

WHO WILL LIKE THIS ALBUM
Chillout fans looking for pure electronica with a bit of emotive content. Electrypnose will appeal if you like something that demands a bit of attention and rewards your concentration.

MORPHEUS MUSIC
Chill/worldbeat/ambient/electronica info hub
www.morpheusmusic.co.uk