John Ov3rblast: Yours Faithfully

Title: Yours Faithfully
Artist: John Ov3rblast
Released: March 2013
Genre: Ambient
Artist Country: Greece
Label: monokrak
Catalog Number: monoKraK145
License: CC BY-NC-SA

There are two ways to look at this release from John 0v3rblast.  The first would be to say that it is a show case of styles that the artist works with, showing a depth and range of proficiency.  The other way to look at is as if it was an un-focused work by an artist that needs to shoe horn himself into a single category in order to be accessible.

To me, this release is in the first category: it is a show case of the passion that carries through all three of the pieces on this release.

I’ve said before that there are different styles and concepts of Ambient music.  And, it is quite apparent that 0v3rblast is not only familiar with them, but he finds his own deep, abiding connection to several of them. And, since there are only three tracks on this release, it’s only fair to talk about each of them and discover some of the passions of this artist.

On Yours Faithfully the style is purely electronic.  Deep keyboard swells and gradually shifting tonalities make me feel as if I am floating in mid-air.  I am suspended in time, and nothing can interfere with the pure isolation and security of it.  This is space music, Briano Eno ambient style in it’s purest form.  The ten minutes this piece takes to unfold are nothing, imperceptible to the mind and body.

Fractal is a shift into the deep-drumming, rhythmic based jungle style of ambient.  Drum lines come and go, shift time, and change patterns effortlessly.  Noises and drones accent the rhythm patterns.  It’s a combination of Steve Reich meets Aphex Twin style, and the affect is wonderfully self-pacing.  You feel as if you are on a safari, riding in a jeep through the amazon, in the darkest night time you can imagine.

And finally, In The Park takes us into deeply layered drones with birds and wild life all around.  This is a kind of merging of the first two pieces.  The swooping keyboards of Yours Faithfully are transformed into textured drones, while the jungle feel of Fractal is transformed into rhythmic chirping of birds and insects.

While each piece on Yours Faithfully bears the hallmark of it’s own distinct personality, they work well together.  And, each of the pieces is highly infused with John 0v3blast’s passion for ambient music.  And, given the depth of the experiences and perspectives in each of the individual pieces, it is a joy to listen to.

FYI – a side note.  If you decide to check out this work, make sure to check out the release through monoKrak below.  There are very high quality WAV and FLAC versions of the release available for an even more immersive  experience than the MP3 version supplies.

John Ov3rblast: Yours Faithfully

Free / Donation

9

Rating

9.0/10

MonoKrak

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