Released in 2018, this three-track 20+ minute long EP is much more interesting from my viewpoint. ‘Qomolangma’ is based on Everest and George Mallory, and is much more in the realms of Mike Oldfield, Vangelis and Jean Michel Jarre. The electronic beats have disappeared and instead we have sumptuous layers of keyboards as we are taken on a journey. The opening title cut even has some throat singing in the background, and there is the feeling that whereas ‘Atmospherik Mekanisms’ was in some ways single-faceted, in only a couple of years Martin has developed his composing and arrangements so that it is now truly multi-dimensional. Oldfield is obviously the key influence, and this time the only real issue with this release is that it is too damned short! The title cut is the longest at just over ten minutes, but one feels it could easily be moved to at least double that.
I recently heard from Martin, who tells me his next album is a whopping 118 minutes long, with nine tracks, influenced by Jean Michel Jarre, Vangelis, Moby, Mike Oldfield, with a bit of Hans Zimmer. It is going to be interesting indeed to hear that and see how those artists blend together, but until then this EP is well worth further investigation.
Rating: 8/10
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Track list:
1. Qomolangma
2. A Prayer For Mallory
3. Majesty
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