Imaginary Friends

Having heard some time ago that Nova was working on his second compilation ‘Imaginary Friends‘ for Ultimae Records, I was intrigued to hear if he could meet the high standards set with his previous offering ‘Albedo’…

Following a detailed theme that conveys personal moments of solitude, Nova has fashioned a collection of compositions that merge into an awe-inspiring musical journey, that breathe a more experimental nature compared to previous Ultimae offerings.

This being clearly demonstrated with the introductory track from Field Rotation entitled ‘Regenzeit II’, a remix of a track on the ‘Hope‘ album from Fluid Audio. A perfect induction for the listener, capturing the pure beauty of the original, and at the same time demonstrating Field Rotation’s creative abilities and his versatility to move way beyond the realms of standard electronic existence.

We move gently into ‘Three Weeks‘, an impressive piece from another new artist to the Ultimae stable, Kevin Andrew. Even though some may say this track has a strong resemblance to previous Alva Noto material, it still manages to capture it’s own unique design and resonates perfectly with the solitude theme that the album paints.

Next up the talented Nalepa manipulates Rena Jones’ ‘Photosynthesis‘, creating a mysterious, almost mythical feel to the remix, that fits perfectly into the scheme of Nova’s plan and is just as good, if not better, than Rena’s original.

offthesky proceeds with ‘Gently, drown the Scene’, a more ambient affair that softens the mood of ‘Imaginary Friends‘ in a perfect way. Being an aficionado of all previous offthesky releases, I was thrilled to hear that Jason was involved in the project and this track doesn’t disappoint.

On first listening to ‘Grey Daze‘ by Murya, the next track on the compilation, I was a little unsure at first and felt it had that ‘done a million times before’ feel to it. However, having listened a few times now I have warmed to it considerably and feel it captures a strong sense in what the album wants to convey.

We now enter into the ‘Ultimae Heavyweights” section of the album, with the next six tracks all coming from well established artists, all of whom have had previous full releases on the label…

The journey takes a gradual turn from here on as each composition (apart from James Murray’s final track) has a slightly more upbeat feel to the proceedings, which is a good thing in many ways, but I would have liked to see further gradual experimental patterns flowing within the ‘Imaginary Friends‘ adventure, as it almost feels like there are two albums within one.

Do not let this put you off in any way though, as the continuation from the established Ultimae artists still flows in a formidable way: from Cell’s Masterpiece, entitled ‘Out Of Breath‘, an expansive track that I am sure is the shape of things to come from his upcoming new album, to Aes Dana’s ‘Resin‘, an electronic composition that captures everything we have come to love about the artist, through to mesmerizing tracks from Asura, Hol Baumann and Solar Fields.

And so the journey comes to an end with James Murray’s ‘Eleven‘ (Decades Mix). James is at his very best with this arrangement, and it will without doubt be in our top 10 tracks of 2009. It is as if the previous offerings on the album have led us to this ponit in time ever so deliberately, as ‘Eleven‘ haunts the listener with its gorgeous undertones and faded drum patterns, and concludes the album perfectly!

‘Imaginary Friends‘ is a worthy addition to the Ultimae catalogue and I am left with a real sense of craftsmanship from all artists involved in the project. 8/10

Review by Daniel Crossley – Fluid Radio

What the label say:

Nova honours the legacy of 2005 Albedo with another outstanding narrative-driven compilation showcasing more intimate yet intriguing fresh sounds. [ Imaginary Friends ] features a melange of styles, different facets of ambient electronica infused with neo-classical moods, acoustic sensibilities, epic melodies and impressionistic textures and tempos for a vibrant and overall warm feel.

As always emphasis was put on gathering original and tailor-made compositions from a variety of well-known artists on Ultimae and interesting newcomers such as Murya from Iceland, offthesky from the US, to create a musical palette that shares Nova’s own eclectic and unconventional vision.  “With Imaginary Friends I’ve wanted to speak about solitude but not seen as alienation, disillusionment or isolationism. Loneliness somehow involves the release of human spirit and the consequent building of a new paradigm. Personal moments, like to plug in a pair of headphones and go for a walk in a park, sitting in a café watching passers by or when writing a poem. Poetry is not a simple form of art, no matter what language is. It requires some skill, a bit of logic, and lots of heart: it’s about intensity, like ambient music.”

The Imaginary Friends are Field Rotation (Germany), Kevin Andrew (Indiana), Rena Jones & Nalepa (Oregon and California), offthesky (Kentucky), Murya (Iceland), Cell (France), Aes Dana (France), Hol Baumann (France), Asura (France), Solar Fields (Sweden) and James Murray (England).? ?This Audio Poetry mastered by Vincent Villuis comes with 3 parts digipack and 16 pages booklet presenting original pictures from Stefano Terranova, Maya Berthou, Ysabelle Gomez and poems from Nova.

www.ultimae.com