Release data:

Ben Swire – From Here to There
CD, Preservation, 2010

“From Here to There” is the first full-length release of San Francisco-based composer Ben Swire, who I knew from his “Equilibrium”-Ep, out in 2002 on The Foundry.

The album features eight tracks melting processed electro-acoustic instrumentation, densely layered field recordings, and sophisticated electronics with occasional glitchy bits, minimal beats, rhythmic elements and rather strong jazzy flavours.
It expresses a sense of yearning and longing in its own peculiar way, staying on the inside as it looks out over wide but remote panoramas.

“Summer”, “Far Removed” and “Halfway” and “Forever” are moody, melancholic outings, while “Passing Through” and “And There” in my opinion are less attractive due to the strong jazz signature of the double bass.
The second half of the album is the strongest and most coherent in my opinion, finding the right balance and roaming in similar atmospheres.

Mind though there’s quite a lot of experimentation going on this recording, as it scorches its way through currents of organic, introspective, precisely calculated electronics with watery effects.

All in all, “From Here to There” is not an easy ambient recording, but possibly rewarding for those who like to travel a bit further into the deep end, and certainly for followers of the DataBloem label.

Website: www.benswire.com