John Christian – Susbarbatus

4 reviews for John Christian – Susbarbatus

1. 

   Phil Derby / Electroambient Space – 2022-11-22

   John Christians solo effort Susbarbatus goes back to AirSculptures early, more structured style, as demonstrated on the stellar debut Impossible Geometries.

   Each track is given just enough room to grow, for example the title track with its dreamy atmospheric beginning, which gradually evolves into a cacophony of white noise whooshing by. After it fades a pulsating sequence begins with warm synths wavering over the top of it. A synth lead soars above that as some really nice layering and blending of sounds occurs. It is a gem of a track and a perfect opener to the album.
   LosAshes” is next

2. 

   Sylvain Lupari / Guts Of Darkness – 2022-11-22

   John Christian is a member England EM band Air Sculpture and, in Susbarbatus, he presents us a strong 2nd opus filled by heavy and lively rhythms that has nothing to do with the long atmospheric improvisations of the English trio.

   It is with a fleeing and flickering wave that the title track opens. A morphic synthesized veil which zigzags lazily launches Susbarbatus, where choirs and mellotron atmospheres float in an ethereal universe before embracing a beautiful sequenced movement coated by a sweet rhythmic of bass. Accented, the tempo bites ears and progresses in a captivating cloud of stratas which a synth to melodious solos unfolds under a hammering sequential approach, bringing a very progressive dimension to this beautiful and catchy Berlin School.
   A beautiful opening which leads us to the dramatic and intriguing Los Ashes. Divided into 2 sections, Los Ashes opens with a bass taken out of hell and which pulses with a hypnotic slowness in a strange catastrophic universe. The approach is dark and near TD soil with its flow which swims between two rhythms and its synth to ochre stratas which wrap a desert earth. At the middle course, this crossed rhythm is suspended to give way to a sound passage which scrolls by sections, accelerating constantly the pace to dive towards a heavy sequence to sharp strikes which multiply in a drummed chaos, stuffed by wrapping layers that engulf Los Ashes as waves gobble up cliffs. A superb piece of music at once hypnotic and striking!
   The heavy mellotronned drones of Brane Storm bring Susbarbatus back into the atmospheric furrows of Air Sculpture, but with a darker and obscure approach. A long caustic breath, filled with sonorous strangenesss which coat a morphic piece which we listen as we live a dream.
   After this soft cerebral interlude, Weaver’s Forest Of Beams falls straight in our ears as a sound sparingly that crosses both hemispheres of our speakers pair.To me, its got to be the most beautiful track on Susbarbatus, because it circulates with grace on a magnificent synth to tearful waves and a sequencer to fractured flow broken by its echotic chords which unwind such a timeless sound spiral. Not really given rhythm, but nor devoid of tempo, Weaver’s Forest Of Beams enchants with its continual clashings which knock in an ambivalent structure where the musical poetry moulds to an ingenious sequencer.
   Recorded in concert at the 2006 Hampshire Jam, Mangrove spreads out by strikes of caustic layers of which the echoes get lost in an aquatic environment. A beautiful heavy and sharp sequence appears from this corrosive intro to draw an out of breathe rhythmic which runs under an exhilarating synth, from which sound forms espouse a sweet ghostly madness. Another good track on this John Christian‘s 2nd opus!
   Antiquark concludes Susbarbatus with a sweet minimalism melody which navigates enter soft sequenced chords of Love on Real Train combined to the atmospheric approach of Wavelenght, by Tangerine Dream. Its impossible to not love it.

   Susbarbatus is a strong EM album. Its only fault is to be too short, because John Christian lugs us around in a sound universe fill of hooky and catchy sequences on a highly melodious synth and mellotron. As what EM can be as well beautiful as intrepid. Fans of Berlin School are going to devour that one.

   2009. Sylvain Lupari / Guts Of Darkness

3. 

   Steve Humphries / UK – 2022-11-22

   Listenend earlier to the excellent solo album Subarbatus by Airsculpture member John Christian. If you like retro sequences along with lead line motifs/fx/pads then you need this one in the collection.
   Did I mention it’s a good un!:-)

   2009. Steve Humphries / UK

4. 

   Chuck van Zyl / STAR’S END – 2022-11-22

   Gaining the attention of the Spacemusic community in the trio AirSculpture, John Christian and his bandmates tested areas of sound and music that they would never have entered into on their own. Their epic concerts and recordings are realized through a collaborative process based equally on the creative tension between the three musicians, musical intuition and the inter-connectedness of this close-knit group. The CD Susbarbatus (49’45) is Christian’s expression alone.

   Producing a solo CD after spending so many years in the context of a group allows this synthesist to bring works into the world that align with his vision exactly. Thinking in terms of time