Darren Tate & Ian Holloway - The Moon As A Hole
While everybody by now should know who Darren Tate is, you could even be forgiven (certainly not by me) if not remembering that Ian Holloway is both the mastermind after the ever-intriguing Psychic Space Invasion project and the boss of great little labels like Elvis Coffee and Quiet World. This, their very first collaboration on disc, is a perfect showcase of their talents and styles, mixing elements from both artists’ aesthetic views in a gorgeous collection of highly engrossing subterranean prophecies. This kind of music should be reserved for special occasions, which of course one can’t really foresee; but something can be done with a little patience. The first necessity is solitude, because just thinking of ruining the regular pulse of these subdued, low-frequency based electronic landscapes with the noise of neighbours watching TV or children running around the house is like swearing against your favourite god. Then, a pinch of luck; when you’re a good enough boy it happens sometimes. While the pre-recorded birds, the blurred repetitions or that imaginary muted choir (in the fabulous second track) were meshing with the surrounding circumstances, the August sun suddenly disappeared - just like eclipsed - because of giant clouds that had arrived without being noticed. Right then and there, the first “abstract variations” appeared: steady synthetic waves shifting in the stereo field, airy currents of uncertain origin, vaguely extraneous melodies hinted by disembodied keyboards and what sounds like a decaying cello. The third movement is a little more impenetrable and slightly dissonant, being also crossed by more irregular emissions - just to add that Dada touch so important for Tate - and metalloid improvisations. But the slow chordal transition heard in the background places every detail in its right context, transforming the whole in a delightful quandary from which one would never get out. The glissandos that cause our lungs to lose steam in the last section nominate “The moon as a hole” for the masterpiece status. Electronic investigations with huge quantities of humanity, containing the sound of a hundred ideas, not a hundred sounds hiding half an idea. - Massimo Ricci, Touching Extremes
New album from Darren Tate of Ora/Andrew Chalk fame with new collaborator Ian Holloway. A psychedelic set from this pair that blends underwater sonorities with chattering birdcall sounds, slowly erupting tones, episodes of cold electronic paralysis that feel a little heavier than usual and the kind of bedroom hermeticism that lines up nicely alongside fellow loners like Ian Middleton, Scott Foust et al. - David Keenan, Volcanic Tongue
The Moon as a Hole is a collaboration of two ambient/drone veterans from the UK, Ian Holloway (Psychic Space Invasion) and Darren Tate (Ora). It was released by Tate's own Fungal label, in a limited edition of 120. The presentation of this album is somewhat unremarkable (only a printed CD-R and a glittery paper in a sleeve), which is a pity, because this is actually a very interesting album, full of excellent dark ambiences and drones.
The four untitled tracks span over almost an hour worth of detailed soundscapes, filled with subtle sounds and samples. The first and longest track mixes a deep drone with bright bird samples, chimes and other scintillating sounds. The result is something like a mixture of more traditional waving dark ambient and the more organic works of projects like Alphane Moon and Blodeuedd. The subtle development makes it constant yet varied throughout its length. The same goes for the second track, which is slightly darker than the first, combining a sad, repetitive dark wave (which reminds me of Kammarheit's style) with various sounds, such as wooden chimes and manipulated spacy effects. The third track is relatively short, but it consists of a very interesting and dense blend of chimes, bells, drones, guitar and noisy outbursts. The final track is based upon a flowing, mid-tone drone, interspersed with various tones, sounds and strange effects, lending the whole a surreal effect.
Thus, despite a rather unimpressive look, this release holds some very fine dark ambient music, that combines elements from various areas of the genre (organic, spacy, minimalist) into an excellent whole. So good that I actually believe a more ambitious presentation and release would do this album a lot of good, and might have pushed the mark a bit higher, too. These top-notch soundscapes are deserving of an extensive visual accompanyment and broader audience. One of the best new ambient releases I've heard this year, surely. - Oscar, Evening of Light
