Spherics by Michel Banabila

Electronic.

Distinctly cinematic and frequently unnerving, each of the seven tracks is gripped with a noirish sense of isolation and the chill of a lingering menace. Some tracks bridge the gap into dub and others make use of record-popping glitches.

BOSTON HERALD : .
Michel Banabila, who grew up in the Netherlands, has produced a lush blend of atmospheric soundscapes on his latest disc, "Spherics." Banabila, who handles the samples and edits, works with Piet Lichtveld (guitar); Jorien Muste (violin); and Bobby (cymbals, drone). The quartet combines to produce a lush, soothing orchestration that is parts Brian Eno and Snoop Dogg. Each of these seven movements is distinct, though they all have a pair of similarities: they are brooding and hypnotic. "Suma 4 - Blue Mix" is the album's standout. It features a slow beat and warm percussion. The track flows with slow and even layers. At the opposite end of the spectrum is "Worm-Jazz," a heavier, noisier track. Most of these cuts have a low end that powers the trance-like beat. "Tic Tac" settles into a funky groove after opening with some nifty organ. At points, some of these tracks take on a drone-like quality that can be jarring if not downright troublesome. "Science Freak" features a grinding that sounds like (but is not) a record needle on mucked-up vinyl. It's a little too jarring. With "Spherics," Banabila has created a backing track for everyday life. It is moody and low and it hardly ever fails to satisfy. (Michael J. Ryan.)

SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER :
Dutch native Michel Banabila experiments with the darker side of ambient to manipulate psyches with his atmospheric compositions. Nerves frazzle and moods swing. A rich sci-fi soundtrack for primitive living ! Caution: This album could scare children and small animals.

FREQ.ORG:
Blessed with a stern bass presence, Spherics rumbles awake in Dub style, clicks and whips up post-Industrial glitches while spinning a web of atmospherics around the whole caboodle with steadfast dedication to the details of drum sounds and low end pressure. Opening number “A Strong Sense of Urgency” is well named, chilled with clattery skunk breakbeat paranoia and a looming rhythm which propels the listener into unwitting edginess, and matter proceed in similar style from there.

Despite the rhyhmic frigidity of some of Michel Banabila‘s programming and sequencing, there is an organic quality to the arrangements on Spherics. These can be found in the hooting owl and virtual passing car horn on “Tic Tac” or the rainfall electronics of “Worm-jazz”, where brushed cymbals contribute to an expectant mood built on slow Industrial Dub rhythms and what sounds like a steel pressing plant getting to slow grips with Reggae while a big band suffer a nervous breakdown in the nearest crawlspace. Less ominously, “Science Freak” wheezes and snickers complainingly from the depths of an iron lung shot headfirst into the diminishing depths of space inhabited only by needle dust and self-absorbed bass.

The incipient tensions in the album make for a subtly disturbing listen; and the offer of release witheld, while enhancing the edginess, can also be successfully dissipated into surrendered relaxation. The lengthy “Suma 4 – Blue Mix” washes in on a calming tabla-styled rhythm, gentle bass and simple melody, while Jorien Muste‘s soothing violin strokes meshed with crackles and Ambient heartbeat sussurus roll through an equally extended “Suma 3 – White Mix”. The final act of suspended animation thawed into slow pulsating rhythm comes with “Primitive Lab”, where vital signs are restored gently in preparation for removing the electrodes and drifting back to mundane reality. (Linus Tossio).

Spherics release BOUDISQUE RECORDING: 2001, August 23th. (NL)
Spherics release TONE CASUALTIES: 2002, July 15th. (USA)

Originally published by Steamin' Songs, Amsterdam.

In addition to acoustic instrumentation, Michel Banabila uses samples, electronics, synths, found objects and field recordings.

banabila.com
bureau-b.com
knekelhuis.nl
pingipung.de
seance-centre.com