![]() ![]() Good evening, this is the voice of Enigma. The album’s slow, evocative introduction is also surprisingly outré “The Voice of Enigma”, both in its title and content, boldly breaks the aural fourth wall in a statement of intent that even goes so far as to suggest how the listener might engage with the music: Indeed, it may well have contributed to the worldwide renaissance of Gregorian chant, that blossomed within a few years (spearheaded by the famous monks of Santo Domingo de Silos), and even sooner than that, acts such as The Orb and Future Sound of London were forging their respective ways forward, clearly indebted to Enigma’s imaginative cocktail of sound sources. was a potent force in shaping the sound of the ’90s. Released as it was on the very cusp of a new decade, i don’t think it’s going too far to suggest that MCMXC a.D. Hot on its heels, released 20 years ago yesterday, came their first album MCMXC a.D., even more ambitious in the breadth and scope of its imagination. Still trying to get my head around this most unlikely music, i immediately bought the CD single i was hearing: Enigma‘s Sadeness (Part 1). Firmly in the foreground, a fake but plausible shakuhachi, ululating its melody above warm, low ambient soft pads beneath all of that, a strong but subtle dance beat in and around it-utterly incongruous yet sounding entirely right-a chorus of monks ensconced in their standard issue Gregorian chant. Having made my way down the narrow stairs to the basement where the CDs were kept (cassettes only upstairs), i stumbled into a collection of sounds the like of which i’d never heard before. It’s one of those curious memories that remains surprisingly vividly-the time: mid-December 1990 the place: Our Price Records on Cheltenham High Street. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |