[releases] afe093cd
bestia centauri: teratogenesis

Track List:

1.  X  5:16

2.  Teratogenesis  11:20

3.  Spores  7:57

4.  The Shaping of the Nucleus  17:44

5.  Nebular Embryo  6:08

6.  E Faucibus Draconis, E Profundis Barathri  15:08

Description:

Bestia Centauri is a solo electronic music project begun in 1999. "Teratogenesis" is its fourth release after "Ubbo-Sathla" (Somnambulant Corpse Recordings, 2002), "The Antideluvian Earth" (Afe, 2003) and "The Self Immolation Rite" (Somnambulant Corpse Recordings, 2004).

The aim of Bestia Centauri is to create sonic landscapes that convey a sense of the numinous, the horrific, and the extra-human. Its sounds have much in common with those of electroacoustic music, but the compositional structures generally display a much greater sense of flow.

Although Bestia Centauri's music is (to put it mildly) very different, the early releases of Tangerine Dream (circa 1972-1975) remain a tremendous source of inspiration for the composer, along with the orchestral, choral, and organ works of the composers Gyorgy Ligeti (Atmospheres; Lux Aeterna; Lontano) and Giacinto Scelsi.

Older works of electroacoustic or tape music, such as the compositions of Basil Kirchin, Tod Dockstader, and Iannis Xenakis, offer the listener another frame of reference.

With the new release, "Teratogenesis", Bestia Centauri defies once and for all the persistent mischaracterizations of its sound as belonging to the "Dark Ambient ghetto".

Electroacoustic and computer music elements come brazenly to the foreground, and contribute even more so to the flow of "crawling chaos" that has always characterized and inspired Bestia Centauri’s compositions.

The genesis and development of a monstrosity is the theme of this new work, which charts a course from mutated unicellular sonic DNA to the resultant life-form that reaches "from the jaws of the dragon, from the depths of the abyss".

With "X" and its deranged rhythmic outbursts, which suggest a creation gone radically wrong, with "Nebular Embryo", a microtonal and minimalist homage to the work of Giacinto Scelsi, and with "E Faucibus Draconis, E Profundis Barathri", a pure electroacoustic work of epic scope, Bestia Centauri demonstrates a new-found range and mastery in its work.

Four years in the making, "Teratogenesis" represents Bestia Centauri's most mature mating to date of flowing soundscapes and electroacoustic sound design. It also represents a point of departure for even more radical works, to come.

This albums comes as an Eibon Records / Afe co-production whose artwork was designed by Chris Donovan of Somnambulant.


Reviews:

"Bestia Centauri contro il suo ego riflesso... Rimangono pressanti e violente le influenze di Ligeti, Scelsi, Xenakis e Tangerine Dream che costituiscono il "Nebular Embryo" dal quale succhiare vita e insofferenza totale. Spore e nuclei delimitano poi la fauna elettroacustica nella quale imbattersi prima di essere deportati in un campo di concentramento sonoro da cui fuggire è pari a miraggio..."
Dagheisha [more]

"Teratogenesis" è un tragitto spaventoso attraverso un mondo infinito, che definire "esteriore" o "interiore" è compito di chi ascolta, in relazione alla sua singola percezione: il vascello naviga in regioni buie, costruite attraverso quella che sembra una manipolazione digitale molto spinta di campioni alla cui origine di fatto non è più possibile risalire, se non in rarissimi casi, quando si intuisce che la sorgente sonora "concreta" è un qualche liquido. Il risultato non è mera giustapposizione di suoni trattati, bensì – appunto - flusso continuo, tanto che in alcuni momenti si prova un senso di vera e propria immersione. "Teratogenesis", dunque, è in potenza cibo prelibato per gli appassionati di dark ambient, in atto invece è più vicino al gusto di chi si interessa alle varie forme di sperimentazione legate alla musica elettronica: di recente, con la stessa qualità fluida e strisciante, si è sentito qualcosa di simile nello split tra Stephen Meixner e Scott Taylor e - soprattutto per quanto riguarda la manipolazione estrema delle sorgenti sonore - da Z'ev nella sua parte dello split con Francisco Lopez."
Audiodrome [more]

"Teratogenesis" need to be experienced with all your senses, not just with your ears. Let the sound take control and feel what it does to the body and your consciousness. Fluxing patterns shifting constantly, penetrating your mind and giving the psyche a massage... The music is oppressive but also silent and peaceful sometimes; it moves constantly and is not to catch in one simple description. I hope you get curious enough to try this album yourself because there are not enough words to this mysterious silver disc that keep hold of my CD player for a few days already."
Gothtronic [more]

"Disque nocturne par déduction logique, disque livre par ambition, "Teratogenesis" est de ces expériences secrètes et obscures auquel on aimera se plier en des circonstances toujours particulières..."
Guts of Darkness [more]

"Teratogenesis" is almost unnameable... Mixing avant-garde tendencies with a refined electro-acoustic approach and cosmic vibe the soundscapes the artist creates takes music into hitherto uncharted terror-tories. The miss-spelt word deliberate on my part but summing up succinctly the music that defiles the ears... I had forgotten just how much this artist likes to play on the senses. To take things to extreme levels and back again, generally headfucking all those who come in close contact with it, whilst still making it reasonably approachable at the same time... There is this feeling that you are privy to something special taking place all around you but the mind cannot fully comprehend the information as it desperately tries to decipher the meaning of it all. Leaving you isolated and vulnerable as the chaos reigns all around. The shrill frequencies that abound, appearing at the most unexpected times, a caustic reminder that this will be no easy ride for the uninitiated... As the last note from the last track flickers and dies you realise just how powerful a piece of metaphoric music "Teratogenesis" actually was. The full force of the music only truly appreciated amongst the descending silence... A class "A" release in every sense of the word."
Heathen Harvest [more]

"...Dennoch wird auch "Teratogenesis" seine Hörer haben. "Klingt wie…" lässt sich hier unmöglich erklären. Dem interessierten Leser sei eine Hörprobe auf der Homepage der Band oder des Labels dringend empfohlen."
Terrorverlag [more]

"...descrivere questo CD è un'impresa difficile perché c'è poco di tangibile a cui appigliarsi: la materia sonora di Bestia Centauri è composta da tappeti liquidi di sintetizzatore, fruscii, gorgoglii, fino a raggiungere il puro e semplice rumore bianco. Detto così sembra una cosa inascoltabile e, vi assicuro, per certi versi è vero, nel senso che non si tratta di un lavoro per tutti, di facile fruizione. Eppure c'è un fascino incredibile in questa musica: sembra davvero di attraversare dei veri e propri paesaggi alieni, solitari, dimenticati. Ognuno di voi avrà le sue impressioni personali durante l'ascolto, ma io mi sono sentito ora all'interno di una strana astronave in viaggio attraverso una tempesta elettromagnetica, ora catapultato nelle profondità della terra, tra cristalli opalescenti e silenzi interminabili, oppure sprofondato nei più remoti abissi di un mare extraterrestre, tra rumori ovattati e immagini sconosciute degne dell'universo lovecraftiano. Io ho visto questo, ma chissà, forse voi avreste sensazioni diversissime e, in fondo, è proprio questo che rende così affascinante questa proposta. Un voto non saprei darlo, ma questo non è importante: ciò che conta è che questo CD è riuscito a comunicarmi, attraverso le più strane forme sonore, immagini e sensazioni nuove e vivide..."
Shapeless Zine [more]

"...Like a more digital, refined Aural Hypnox release "Teratogenesis" is a great starting point for the work of Bestia Centauri, a solid and inventive effort, and won't disappoint, especially to those unfamiliar with his work."
Blood Ties [more]

"Teratogenesis" takes a further step away from dark ambient realms. In fact it's an example of electroacustic mastery with a thick gloomy atmosphere. The irrecognizable sound sources now resemble more the most enigmatic Xenakis ("Persepolis") but feel newly fresh in this context. This remarkable work is a co-production of Afe Records and Eibon."
Chain D.L.K. [more]

"...on an abstract level, few music forms are as capable as ambient in reproducing the biological rhythms and sensations of birth, especially drones. But this is not what is on offer here, as Bestia Centauri has adopted an experimental cosmic ambient approach, creating a comparatively busy number over constantly shifting and at times uncomfortable patterns. It certainly is not as accessible as, say, Raison d'Être due to their comparative lack of structure (not that the structure of dark ambient would generally be considered as such by those more accustomed to typical rock patterns of verse-chorus-verse), but that does not necessarily mean it is any less pleasurable to listen to for the more open-minded."
Chronicles of Chaos [more]