US artist Craig PADILLA have been creating and releasing for more than two decades, and has an extensive discography at this point, featured on more than 40 albums as a solo artist or as part of a collaboration of some kind or other from what I understand. “Sonar” is his most recent production, and this double vinyl album is a compilation of material made from 1996 and onwards that so far hadn’t been given an official vinyl or CD release. This production is one available to vinyl enthusiasts only, issued in a limited edition double LP by UK label Fruits de Mer Records.
As far as the music on this album goes, this is a production that resides fairly safely within the electronic music universe, and rather firmly secured in the ambient part of it as well. This is not, however, a new age album, at least not as I define that kind of music myself, but this is a fairly tranquil album still. Words like dreamladen does describe the contents in a good way, and arguably even a word like hypnotizing may fit the musical expression explored. This is music of the kind where sharp contrasts and dramatic arrangements are all given a soft, smooth coating, the perfect soundtrack for meditation purposes and other kinds of inner journeys.
Padilla’s compositions are more sophisticated than your cliched new age artist however. While the contrasts are soft they are still present, with dark fluctuating textures or drones rarely if ever maintaining any distinct presence without a light toned sound of some kind or other representing the opposite side of the tonal range. There are dramatic features present as well, stabbing keyboard details, swirling, fluttering and nervous effects, and atonal and noise oriented nuances have their place here too. On one occasion the compositions even opens with a twisted, machine like sound that to my mind gave the association of a machine screaming in pain. But as with all contrasting features, the dramatic details are also toned down, distanced, smoothed over or masked so that the dramatic impact is lessened rather than enhanced.
In addition to this Padilla is fond of creating multiple textured arrangements, and by multiple we’re talking about half a dozen or more rather than more than two. Not that he is a stranger to minimalistic arrangements with a single or dual texture only, but they are used in a more limited manner, as the starting or concluding phase – or both – of a composition, or as a sequence that is a part of a planned development where it is surrounded by arrangements and themes of a more elaborate nature. This is an ambient production of the kind where a word like majestic can be used in the literal meaning of the word, and where a word like rich easily can be used to describe many parts of just about any of the electronic journeys we’re invited to as well.
In terms of mood and atmosphere, cosmic is something of a key word I guess, and whenever that association doesn’t come across as a natural one the deep oceans is just about always the fitting alternative. Ebb and flow developments and fluctuating textures, as well as at last two occasions where a sonar-inspired effect is used, caters for the latter. As far as the cosmic associations are concerned, the main ingredients that invites to that association are fluttering, nervous or swirling sounds light in tone and somewhat intense sounding most often, but also some of the darker, slower moving fluctuating textures and some drone effects comes with an automatic deep space character to them.
It all adds up to a well made collection of material. Always with some details or others that maintains a high interest level, at least if you tend to enjoy music of this particular kind. Artists like Tangerine Dream and Jean-Michel Jarre are some of the stated inspirations for Padilla’s music, and fans of those artists are probably something of a key audience for Padilla. Personally I suspect his commercial reach should cover a somewhat broader range in this particular universe, and suspect that fans of artists like Gandalf and at least to some extent Vangelis are others that might want to lend an ear to this artist, or at least this specific compilation. Alongside those who find a description like ambient, cosmic electronic instrumental music an enticing one.
My rating: 80/100
