Stephen Parsick - Traces of the Past redux

3.5

Release data:

Stephen Parsick – Traces of the Past redux
CD, Private Release, 1998/2007

This version of “Traces of the Past” is a reworked, improved version of the album that originally came out in 1998 on Spheric music. It comprises a collection of ten tracks which Stephen composed between 1994 and 1997 with only limited gear and sound tools.

As Stephen explained in an interview, the original version of the album was more or less a compromise between what he actually wanted to do and what he could actually achieve at that time.
As this fact always bothered him, he finally decided to redux it by means of getting rid of what he considered “musical dead weight serving no other purpose than making the music lengthy”.
For example, the closing title track lost more than fifteen minutes of dead weight, providing the opportunity to include all the music he had originally wanted.

In addition, Stephen added three previously unreleased bonus tracks to the album (“Hydra”, “Ashram” and “The Keeper of Time”) and invested some more work in remixing and remastering the sonic content and EQ´ing the tracks slightly, as he felt Klaus Hoffmann-Hoocks’ old mixing desk sounded a bit dull and muffled, as the original tapes were more than just a bit hissy as well.
To me, the “redux” outcome breaths out of its sonic nerves, the actually sonic beauty really shines through the analogue soundscapes and sequencing which especially comes to the surface on the enigmatic “Totem Poles”, the mesmerizing beauty of “Quicksilver Sea” and the mellotron-dominated title track.

A new level of depth can be discerned as Stephen devoted a lot of attention to detail to make the 75 minutes of music tell its story as best as possible.
Congrats on a job well done, Stephen.

Website: www.parsick.com

You can see what reviews I have done of this artist on the Stephen Parsick artist page