On Water by Christian Fiesel

Studio welcomes the second album release of Christian Fiesel, 'On Water.' An excellent, four track, dark ambient and experimental collection. Inspired by the sounds of water and their effect on human emotions, and in reference to Brian
Eno's most famous ambient album, "On Land"

Here, a review from Babyblaue.
http://www.babyblaue-seiten.de/album_17214.html#oben

"On Water" is probably the most up-to-date record by Christian Fiesel, especially as all the recordings on it seem to be literally fresh. According to the author, Fiesel bows to Brian Eno and his album "Ambient 4: On Land" (although Eno himself, interestingly enough, had used the word "Water" several times in titles), and the naming is followed by various uses corresponding samples of rushing, rippling or trickling water. According to Fiesel should also be heard a toilet flush, but definitely not noticeable sonically (and for a corresponding humor à la Frank Zappa this is not the most appropriate style anyway).
Despite these backgrounds and undeniable ambient passages, "On Water" is a very accessible, because musical record. For from the thicket that is created with these samples and also the usual rumbling and booming atmospheric sounds, melodic and harmonic voices rise again and again for quite a long time, their inserts neatly structuring the individual pieces. "A Balloon Across The Rim", opener and, of course, the heart of "On Water" with its 28-minute season, is of course the prime example: Already at the beginning, a solo voice reminiscent of an organ rises in quasi-vocal phrasing Sound effects and accompaniments gradually crackle, producing a sort of rhythmic effect through tremor or pulsation, while the melody leads to a kind of saxophone imitation, but which consistently keeps the previously exposed motifs in focus by means of variation.
Later in "A Balloon Across The Rim" there are actual rhythms in the form of ostinati and sequences, which sometimes even degenerates into polyrhythmic, while the leading voices are always varied in sound (and well-ordered polyphony is no exception). And the overall sound is sometimes full and dense, sometimes Spartan. Some introspective passages reminiscent of the more commercial aspects of a Jean Michel Jarre, and as if one had guessed, there's still a danceable loop-rhythm after about 23:30 with a playful melody, but also some bizarre interruptions. But, for almost half an hour, Fiesel makes it as varied as it is inventive.
On the other hand, the three other pieces on "On Water" did not turn out to be quite as extreme and expansive. After all, "Waving With A Wet Hand" with thoughtful motives and gently rising sounds that spread the optimistic mood could also be on records of other genres (there as well as here just as an interlude), whereas "Poems Of Endless Drowning" and "Under The Surface "actually rather uphold the ambient flag. At least the first one is still exciting overall, because with echoing hover sounds and tremolo chords as a rhythm substitute creates a fragile mood, especially as everything is gradually louder and more intense, after a high point in the middle abruptly drops and at the very end again the initially presented motives picks up. "Under The Surface", on the other hand, is only half successful, because after a strong kick-off with a powerful bass and the interplay of a Vangelis-like motif and "answering" string chords, this number falls back into abstraction after about three minutes and comes to the end barely off the mark despite a short rise around 7:00.
Despite this damper at the end, "On Water" gives a pretty round overall impression. It is once again remarkable how Fiesel brings together ambient and classic electronic sounds without being bored. Due to the quality of "A Balloon Across The Rim" I am even inclined to classify "On Water" as Fiesel's best work since "Ode To AEM". In contrast to this, however, the "musical" component predominates here, which makes "On Water" a suitable starting point for electronics-yes-ambient-na-ja-listeners (is there such a thing?).

Studio 4632 is a net label showcasing an array of electronic ambient music.
Visit our website for information on our artists, their music and how to submit your music to the label.

Studio4632.com
SoundCloud
Facebook
Twitter
Twitter