Released
(late) 1997

Label
Outsider &
Aquese

Reviewed by
Kim Ann Alexander

Contact
Delphium


Visit

Aquese & Delphium



Last Edit/Update
05 July, 1999

Delphium

How Can You Hide From What Never Goes Away?

Initital pressing of 500 copies with stunning full colour artwork. A 78
minute collection of selected tracks recorded 1993-1997 including the
odd deleted single and remix; although by and large it is quality
unreleased material, ranging from the trademark dark breakbeat dub to
orchestral weirdness to low atmospherics...no easy listens here...
[Taken from the Aquese Web Site]

Track Listing

1. Bellon 1
2. There Is Nothing Than Other
3. Stringsong 3
4. Darkheart
5. Untitled (Again)
6. Left For Dead...
7. ...Behind The Outside Boundaries
8. Sertraline
9. Natols
10. Irises And Tulips
11. No Longer Feel Pain
12. Bleed
13. Amplifier
14.  Heaven And A Hope Eternal

     Mmmm... what a wonderful release. It's smooth and deliciously tempting with deep bassy hydraulic drones of differential timbre, clinking, chiming and clanks ("Bellon 1"). Swishy drum and bass with droning faded hornlike atmospherics, and synth sampling of strange noises abound in "There Is Nothing Than Other", "Stringsong 3", "Sertraline", (which brings to mind M. Harris from Scorn.) Lengthy evil drones touched lightly with synthetic high pitches, rumbles, and lurking swirls of ambience expand in "Darkheart."  Leading to "Untitled", a sassy exchange between elements of percussion, tempo, beat and minimal keyboard work, brilliantly delightful.
    "Left For Dead" moves into yet uncharted sounds on this release, powerful noisey drum/bass/hydraulic injections flow together to bring brief walls of tasty noise then slowly fades into a wicked off key chaotic end.  "...Behind The Outside Boundaries", is yet another strange track, upbeat in tempo, it even seems a bit happy in sound and synth, more power drum and bass, horn samples and a marchlike quality.
    More atmospheric textures, drum/bass, intense beats and whipping synth sampling kicks on "Natols", while a more quiet track comes next with the title track "Irises And Tulips", more of that hydraulic drone with fade in timbre plus clinklings of bells, low beating bass and a electro-slaps keeping pace, very nice. The last four tracks are for the most part in keeping with the rest of the CD. Dark, methodic, well composed, very synthetic, churning electronic drones, whirrs and chinkling chimes, powerful elements of percussion (drum/bass/metal de metal, valve-like compressions), a taste of dark orchestral movements ("Amplifier" [I believe this is a live version), and enough diversity to retain my interest ("Heaven And Hope Eternal") and spin this CD on a regular basis. Definitely music with which to pay attention.