Mysteries of Sound

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Mysteries of Sound is Artemiy Artemiev's fifth and latest collection of electronic compositions issued on his own, Moscow-based label Elektroshock. Previous CDs like The Warning, Cold and Point of Intersection have all shown him to be a composer of the highest water, whose talents have followed a constant upward curve in their evolution. However, last year's Five Mystery Tales of Asia, the result of his travels in Mongolia, China and Japan and incorporating sounds from these cultures, indicated how far he has progressed since his debut in 1993 - the relative melodiousness of his earlier works now becoming invested with something heavier, more elusive. This trend continues with his latest release, Mysteries of Sound. While this album could easily be slotted into the "dark ambient" genre, its subtle shifts of mood locate it far beyond a simple genre piece. The four long tracks seem to have subsumed the Asian influence while at the same time never reneging it. The opening "Pictures of I. Bosch & P. Breugel" is a sublime aural landscape shot through with dark, shifting undercurrents, a mirror of the work of the artists referred to; playful yet ominous. While one would assume that, given our history, a track with the title "Cataclysms of the XX Century" would be the most cacaphonous piece on the album, it is actually the half-hour long second track, "Mysticism of Sound, Part #1", which roars and groans with the clash of swords and noise of upheaval. "Cataclysms..." is a collage-like documentary exploiting reverb effects and perhaps indeed telling the story of our sorry century; it reaches its resolution after a quarter of an hour with a quiet, meditative mantra, with a whimper or a sigh, not a bang. Finally, the second installment of the title track allows the Asian influence of Five Mystery Tales..." to once again surface, this time dotted with percussive elements and electronic embellishments. Artemiy Artemiev has proven once again that he is an exciting and innovative composer who deserves much more exposure in the West.