Well, what is got here is electronic space music from the Maltese (!) musician Brian Vassallo, who steps forward with an album he already seems to have released back in 1998.
It’s a pity it remained so long in whatever vault, as this is a real gem for fans of the genre. There’s only 31 minutes of music split in six tracks, in which we enter the vast territory of space, accompanied by great floating synth washes in the opening track “Are we Alone”.
After a while things develop in a soft bouncy Berliner School-structure, but the vastness of space remains, also when we get in the realms of “Distant Stars” with atmospheric wind-effects.
The fourth track “Where are we going” returns to some light Berliner School sequencer/rhythms, both engaging and offering a vast sound spectrum.
“Heartbeat above Earth” is another deep floater with echoing piano-keys, warm but with mysterious undercurrents, before we delve in the closing title-track.
This is an overall adventurous, slightly eerie soundscape drifting off into the deep cosmos, which is abruptly cut-off after 3.36 minutes although the journey just started, so this really needs a proper fix.
The mastering & production of the album are outstanding, headphones are a must.
All in all, Beyond is a strong debut of which I do hope lots of the same quality will see the light. Spacefans out there, make sure you check this one out!
Website: brianvassallo.bandcamp.com
You can see what reviews I have done of this artist on the Brian Vassallo artist page
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