Rock and Roll used to refer to a particular style of popular music typified by its beat and instrumentation. Now it seems Rock and Roll means anything that isn't performed by a symphony orchestra or a Peruvian pan flute group. Case in point is the new EP, El Wire Pacifier by Channel Dark which is the stage name of one Jonathan Maxwell. Jonathan is an electrical engineer and his music sounds like the kind an electrical engineer would create. This style of atmospheric electronica used to called "New Age". He claims his debut EP "falls somewhere between the trance-like vibes of Aphex Twin and the soothing ambience of Tycho". I don't have any idea what that means.
I've heard New Age before, Yanni, and of course, Vangelis, whose Chariots OF Fire soundtrack music is iconic even though wildly anachronistic since it's synth music for a story taking place decades before the first Moog was ever dreamed of. As this sort of thing goes I suppose El Wire Pacifier's lead off single, Feather, is okay but never having done Ecstasy or been to a Nineties rave I don't really see the appeal.
The other tracks that have vocals fare better and I could see the crowd at a disco dancing the night away to the catchy track Don't Care About It or the vocoder heavy Taller Skies. Like Madonna, Lady Gaga and Techno Disco, Disco isn't dead, it's just hanging out in the clubs all night. If they were to remake the movie Scarface, this CD would make cool background music in the shootout in the Miami nightclub scene.
Boy, and I though the music was repetitive...
But take out the heavily effected vocals and what you basically have is Ambient Music. Ambient Music does have its following these days, I guess it's the 21st Century version of Musak (elevator music for you youngsters) and sometimes I do listen to this sort of thing but it's always late at night when I'm trying to fall asleep. The track from El Wire Pacifier, Feather, is too uptempo to be relaxing though. It's more Trance Music where you might use it to dance to, keeping your body in a rhythmic pattern that helps you clear your mind and attain a nice Alpha state like the Whirling Dervish like to do. Music and dance has always been used in religious ceremonies and to achieve meditative states. Feather, although it sounds soft and light, has more of a groove with a BIG, throbbing bass and textured synth lines. It has been described as 80s Synth Pop and I suppose that might be because the synth sound like synths as opposed to synthesized acoustic instruments.
I'm guessing Channel Dark doesn't want to give away it's best tracks for free but giving only the instrumental, Feather, as an example is really cheating itself. Feather gives you an idea of the music but only as far as the backing tracks go. Most of the El Wire Pacifier EP is a bouncy, catchy and yes, melodic CD of positive, upbeat and very competent singing. See if you can find other examples online since I've had my hands tied.
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