Background/Info:
Nevel
is a solo-project set up by Bart Van Meulebroeck who’s already active for years
now in the Belgian electro fields. He got involved with very different projects
such as Propulsion, Ex.Es, Nebula-H ao. “The Hageland” is the Flemish region in
Belgium where the artist is living and, which has inspired him to compose this
work. “The Hageland” is a new chapter in Wool-E Discs series “Belgian NeuMusik”
devoted to ambient music.
Content:
The
first disc entitled “The Hike” is not really ambient at all, but a mix of
instrumental dance-piece with groovy sequences and other dubby bass lines and
rhythms. There also is something trance running through a few songs. The
compositions remain instrumental versions, but sometimes featuring spoken
samplings. Notice by the way Propulsion and Traumasutra each collaborated to
one song at this disc.
The
second disc “The Cooldown” is more into ambient stuff. We’re here discovering a
sonic universe made of reverie and featuring relaxing sound treatments although
there are a few darker passages as well. Sometimes close to soundscape and
later on a bit as a wink to electronic pioneers “The Cooldown” is rather
diversified.
+
+ + :
Bart Van Meulebroeck clearly is a man of many talents. He’s a kind of
sonic chameleon, which can deal with very different music genres. There’re a
few cool –and especially the dub-inspired cuts at the first disc (cf.
“Hermansheuvel”, “Holsbeek”) are noticeable songs. I also enjoyed “Vlooiberg”
featuring Propulsion, which is pretty danceable-like and even reminding me to a
mix of Snowy Red and Universal Nation. The ambient lovers will be more pleased
by the second disc and the colder-like “Gasthuisbos”, which even has something
Klinik-al like and the ultra cinematic “Stort”.
–
– – :
“The Hike” is a cool work, which I even prefer to “The Cooldown”, but
it’s not really fitting with the concept of the series. Some of these tracks
would even be more efficient by the addition of real vocals.
Conclusion:
“The
Hageland “is an interesting exposure from an artist in love with the place
where he lives and transposing images into sounds!
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