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Chris Meyer is a New Mexico-based music industry veteran who recently came to my attention. He created vector synthesis and served as technical chairman of the MIDI Manufacturers Association in the ‘80s and ‘90s before turning his attention to video/film and later to creating his music. “Finite Space’s” (mastered expertly by Spotted Peccary’s Howard Givens) concept deals with an abstract questioning of what happened to the romantic promise of outer space, looking at how most of our uses of space have turned inward: from telecommunications to the waging of war over the finite territories of our planet. Musically, the spatial and most detailed sounding recording -contains three lengthy and one shorter track, combined modular (“The Monster”), hardware, and virtual synthesizers with radio communications, acoustic percussion, and more. During the years, Chris developed a unique, interactive approach to sequencing that brings human phrasing to music otherwise created by machines. The goal is to create a fresh, modern, cinematic interpretation of the traditional Berlin School and Space Music electronic forms, blending in touches of jazz, classical and world beat. Moreover, the previously mentioned themes are explored with a wide variety of electronic and acoustic instruments and sounds including complex pads, languid leads, haunting choirs, deep basses, field recordings, and acoustic percussion, each adding layers of detail and texture. The cinematic, dreamy, and even immersive vibes shimmering through the ambient-atmospheric music is imminent and vibrant, emphasized by the snippets of radio communication integrated with the outcome, and even more impressive when listened to by quality headphones. The final piece of the complex release, the 26-minute “Nightfall-Kyiv” deserves a special mention: the idea for this impressive, most touching piece came when Maks Histibe of Mask Movement (https://maskmovement.com/) in Kyiv, Ukraine contacted Mr Meyer. As part of the invasion of Ukraine, their power grid is often knocked offline, and he was looking to raise money for solar panels and batteries to keep his studio operating. To do this, he created a series of captivating field recordings of the war and life during wartime in Ukraine and crafted them into a virtual instrument called Swords to Ploughshares. Chris gladly purchased it and used it as the basis for this piece, which flows from the realities of life during wartime to attempting to lead a normal, happy life…only for the war to intrude, and drag people back in. All in all, “Finite Space” makes no easy recording, but proves most rewarding when the listener invests sufficient time and attention to grab its full content and impact. Overall verdict: between 3.5 and 4 stars. |
| Website: aliaszone.bandcamp.com
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