[reviews] afe085lcd
dronæment: ezoterick muzick

Dronæment is a "brand name" which in my estimation always stands for thoughtful ambient albums usually offered for retail in highly original and well-designed packaging.

"Ezoterick Musick" is no disappointment on either count; the music is wonderfully executed, and the CD-R comes in a sturdy, colouful cardboard sleeve slightly taller than your average CD, in a short run of only one hundred and fifty copies.

Marcus Obst is Dronæment and he is said to have gained inspiration for this project by immersing himself in the music of India - especially that of a more meditative nature, evening ragas and all that, I suppose.

The result is a soothingly optimistic sound with a dash of Subcontinental spice laid out across a generous banquet of samples and field recordings. And while the predominant mood may indeed be characterized as meditative, this record manages to convey a raft of emotions.

The downright jaunty "Trip to Surja" gains its unique sound from having been programmed into a superannuated drum machine, while "Yamuna" is repose itself after a long journey on foot, at a monestary by a riverside, the air filled with the sound of bells and whirring prayer-wheels.

One of his best.

[Stephen Fruitman]