Release data:

Michael Whalen – Nightscenes
CD, Alchemy Records, 1996/2004

This cd, on the original release subtitled “Music for the Evening”, is made by the accomplished American musician Michael Whalen. This Emmy award winning composer and music supervisor has made numerous tunes and commercials for radio and television next to a whole range of soundtracks.

This brilliant disc offers a fine range of introspective “night music” after the slightly rhythmic album opener. Here we enter an overall relaxed soundworld with dreamy sceneries. It’s electronic space music of the finest where Michael is accompanied by David Torn (who added “hyperdrones” and gentle guitar textures).
The outcome is smooth and contemplative, surfacing somewhere between the works of Giles Reaves, Brian Eno, Robert Rich and the first releases of Richard Burmer.
In addition, there’s the varied use of the EWI (electronic woodwind instrument), which immediately points into the direction of Kevin Braheny.

This perfectly produced and mastered album is an excellent companion to round out the final hours of daytime. All in all, “Nightscenes”, is a magical journey into a sonic landscape where melody and form gently blend with each other while it takes the listener by the hand to somewhere out there.

Originally released by Hearts of Space Records in 1996, the album was newly remastered and repackaged for re-release in 2004 on the Alchemy Records. The latter contains three previously unreleased bonus tracks, which nicely fit next to the original pieces.

Website: www.alchemyrecords.com