Last by Redshift

DS009 : 2007

Redshift headlined the Hampshire Jam 5 Festival in 2006 and this is the recording of their performance. Ian Boddy replaced James Goddard for this concert joining Julian Shreeve and Mark Shreeve on stage for the first time.
Musically, the style is rather more aggressive, distorted even. There are fewer sweeping chord sections but more in the way of "roughed up" sequencer and electronic percussion lines.
Ian Boddy plays synthesisers, sequencers and an electric piano. Julian Shreeve plays synthesisers, sequencers and electric guitar and Mark Shreeve plays synthesisers and sequencers.
The encore,"Torn" is the only track that has a more formal structure although even here the sequencer rhythms can get a little wild sometimes.


A couple of reviews:

" Boy, what were these guys on when they performed this crazy music that night?
This is some of the maddest, baddest electronic music I've ever heard. During the main pieces the synthesisers seem to machine gun the audience to death before briefly offering comfort and solace only to scream back into the attack again.
It seems like each member of the band was running his sounds via gigantic Marshall stacks.
As you listen through the sheer dynamics are mesmerising, from the most delicate of intricate patterns that suddenly demonise into a violent assault. My girlfriend summed it all up as she walked in halfway through. "This sounds mental…". She may well be right, but boy does it get the juices going.
There is a sublime moment just over halfway into "Damage" when, during a dark and creepy interlude a jagged bass part suddenly enters using the most ugly and angry sound to set you up for the final onslaught of sequencer hell (I know it's normal to say heaven but it seemed rather inappropriate here).
I have to mention also that "Tormentor" and "Damage" are also the most apt track titles ever.
There are subtlety's too of course, but by the end you are left with the impression that your senses have been mugged. A world away from the usual tepid slush of most electronic music.Lunatic but fantastic.
Paul Graham 2007".



"This is a recording of their performance at Hampshire Jam 5. The band this time were Mark Shreeve, Ian Boddy and Julian Shreeve.
Dark symphonic pads sounding almost like a swarm of bees get the opener 'Tormentor' underway. Very deep slow pulses rumble forth as a wonderful slow sequence forms underneath. It's the sort of sequence that is thick, powerful and above all moody. The sounds created through Mark's big Moog really aren't producible by any other instrument and when this instrument is wielded by such an expert the results, as here, are simply devastating.
Things subside slightly only to rebuild wonderfully and as with many of the tracks here things continue to build, reach the most devastating of climaxes but just when you think that is the peak there is yet another surge which takes us to even greater heights of ecstasy. The sequence is never just left to run, it morphs this way and that, rising and falling all the time and just when I thought we were gently winding down for a finish it surges once more to the most incredible explosion of power.

'Nightshift' on the other hand is rather short but still ominous and moody bringing up images of being alone in an underground station at night, faint metallic sounds in the distance and a chill wind blowing down the tunnels. It reminded me a little of some of the more atmospheric tracks from 'Sorcerer'.
A tinkling melodic sequence materialises for the title track. The pulsations gradually become more intense then another heavy sequence falls into formation with the first, complimenting it wonderfully as things become increasingly exciting. A virtual guitar type lead lets rip and I am in Heaven! Again there is an ebb and flow to proceedings, the intensity only being reigning back to make the next surge even more devastating.

We get the second and last interlude with 'Long Way Out'. All rather relaxing in a haunting sort of way.
'Damage' initially continues through in a similar mood before the pulsations and locomotive type rhythms start on their devastating journey of build, morph, intensify, spit venom, intensify once more then go ape. Each crest and trough brings fresh waves of excitement as we journey from one to the other on the most awesome organic sea of sound. In the seventh minute all descends to the subtlest of sonic colouring. Just a touch here, little motif there.
This is very different to anything else on the album so far, subtlety taking over from raw power. By the eleventh minute moody stabs of raw energy are ripping apart the peaceful atmos as gradually things become more aggressive. We are back in full flight as another sequence is cranked up, gaining extra bite by the second as we return to the rise and fall of awesome walls of blistering pulsations. Incredible stuff!

The audience demand more and are rewarded with the encore 'Torn'. Little melodic note droplets juxtaposition with an almost bestial backing. All structure momentarily departs then the biggest mother of a sequence it can surely be possible to create literally tears through the air, vaporising atoms as it goes. The lead lines are pretty damned devastating and uncompromising as well. What a track! What an album! (DL)"

Redshift came into existence in 1994, initially as a solo project by Mark Shreeve. Shreeve had already established himself with his own more "structured" style of electronic music, along with pop songwriting, film score, TV and Library music output.
The idea behind Redshift was to create a darker, organic style of electronic music using mainly, though not exclusively, old analogue synthesisers.

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