Parallel Worlds – Shade

12 reviews for Parallel Worlds – Shade

1. 

   Cuemix Magazine / Germany – 2022-11-22

   Since the release of his brilliant album Obsessive Surrealism” its no secret that you can name Bakis Sirros from Greece one of the most innovative synthesizer artists producing wonderful electronic music. His approach working with synthesizers in the classic way combined with his visionary groundbreaking compositions is nonesuch.
   Now with the release of his new album called “Shade” Bakis aka “Parallel Worlds” goes one step further.

   This album combines classic electronic synthesizer music with a futuristic ambient electronic sound. It seems to me that Bakis took the best out of two musical universes and mixed it together like a DJ with the right feeling for the audience. But dont get me wrong when I use the word Dj

2. 

   Stefano (Alio Die) / Italy – 2022-11-22

   I just got your new album and I’m listening to it, and again it is great!!!!!!! as usual and more than usual!

   Great electronic music, your peculiar liquid rhythms and unique analogue sounds, are so meticulously assorted together… your dreamy cocktail ofvitality, organic with a slight subtle nostalgia, have no comparison with others.. it is your personal style, and I like it !

   You have a strong passion, and a great ability, I hope you’ll get the acknowledgment you deserve 🙂

   2009. Stefano (Alio Die) / Italy

3. 

   Divine / Italy – 2022-11-22

   Seguo l’operato di Bakis Sirros ormai da diversi anni e quello che mi ha sempre colpito nella sua ricerca musicale l’assoluta capacit di dare un tocco romantico e moderno all’utilizzo ossessivo di strumentazione analogica e in particolare di sintetizzatori modulari come il Doepfer A100 di cui acceso sostenitore.
   ‘Shade‘ il quinto lavoro in studio dei Parallel Worlds e ha il compito di superare i risultati raggiunti da ‘Obsessive Surrealism‘.
   Una volta ascoltato attentamente l’album lecito affermare che i due ultimi episodi della discografia dei greci sono molto diversi tra loro. Il primo aveva una capacit di trasposizione visiva incredibile e nelle sue note potevi veramente raffigurare i tuoi sogni o le perplessit riguardanti la societ di oggi e i suoi malanni. In questo ‘Shade’ invece Siros ha lasciato che le sue carezze melodiche rivolgessero le sue attenzioni a un tessuto pi ambient e meno articolato rispetto al passato.

   ‘Entities’ e ‘A Moment Frozen’ liberano la mente prima che la realt muti e tutto attorno le macchine prendano il possesso dell’universo. In un contesto tanto opprimente i rintocchi delicati di ‘Shade’ possono apparire come piccole luci di speranza ma anche malefici ghigni di chi ha scoperto il modo pi subdolo per perpetuare dolore. Non riesco a scegliere quindi.

   Sia ‘Obsessive Surrealism’ che ‘Shade’ sono due sfumature del surrealismo elettronico dei Parallel Worlds e l’unica certezza che Bakis Sirros rimane uno degli esponenti pi lungimiranti dello scenario elettronico alternativo.

   2009. Divine / Italy

4. 

   Reflections Of Darkness webzine / The Netherlands – 2022-11-22

   PARALLEL WORLDS is the project of GREEK native Bakis Sirros whos ever since the projects inception pulled off four acclaimed albums. Now, 2 years after Obsessive Surrealism hes coming back with an all new collection of work, namely Shade.

   Frightening Frontiers first builds up some muffled rhythmic groundwork and then phases in the notion of a gloomy mood thats starting to branch more and more becoming a roof of sophisticated and alluring atmospheres as the beat s coming out of its muffled hideaway to the front pleasing the ears with its diversified sound design.
   Entities follows a similar strategy regarding the atmospheres toying with different preferably dark-coloured layers piercing through the flipping structures of the rhythmic machines.
   Bubbling, crackling synths wrapping themselves up in a cloth of nostalgic appearing effects are the foundry of A Moment Frozen while droning out melodies circle around inside its enthrals.
   Undeniably the core piece of the album is Mutating Realities going over a distance of over 10 minutes toying with shifting moods and mouldable spheroids of tangible atmospherics dragging you deeper and deeper into the shadowy realms of Shade.
   The rhythm admittedly changes as well yet the changes remain on a minor scale Compulsive Mechanics in its early stages is like a chaotic swamp of monotonous machine noises but slowly a structureorder becomes audible bringing disquieting undertones up to the surface as well. Only from the distance we hear indefinable sounds and melodies as were entering the last chapter Ungreat Certainty. But during the tracks almost 4 minutes the distance shrinks and the wintry beauty of the tune becomes apparent.

   Carefully crafted atmospheres and rhythms is what youll get on Shade while especially the atmospheres are outstanding pieces of work. Even though the projects released already 5 albums including this one, this was the first time I ever heard its name but Im sure to keep an eye on PARALLEL WORLDS from now on and you should as well.

   2009. Reflections Of Darkness webzine / The Netherlands

5. 

   Gothtronic Web Magazine – 2022-11-22

   Shade is the fifth album of Parallel Worlds, a musical project of the Greek Bakis Sirros. The reviews on the previous album Obsessive Surrealism were full of praise so I got quite curious for the electronic music of this project. To directly come to a conclusion: nothing too much was said.

   The warm analogue synthesizer sounds meander in a rich musical soundscape characterized by terms such as ambient and electronic music accompanied by sparse electro influences. Bakis Sirros managed to invoke a dreamlike and dark romantic atmosphere resulting in a timeless musical world which for a listener it is nice to dwell in. Analogue rhythms and sequences melt with modern electronics and ambient music which gives the music a nostalgic and at the same time modern sound which is a unique quality of the music of Parallel Worlds. The cinematographic spheres combined with the rhythms and beats ensure a certain depth in sound. Shade moreover is excellently produced and mastered and thus a pleasure to enjoy with headphones on.

   To give some references one should actually look at the influences that can be traced back in the music, like from artists such as Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Tomita, Biosphere, Seefeel and Kraftwerk. Not the least of names to be compared to.

   2009. Gothtronic Web Magazine

6. 

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

   Deux ans aprs le surprenant et audacieux Obsessive Surrealism, Parallel Worlds (Bakis Sirros) nous prsente un 5ime opus avec comme toile de fond les ombres et leurs frontires inconnues.

   Utilisant toujours une vaste panoplie dinstruments autant numrique quanalogue, cet ensorceleur des sonorits ambiges explore les recoins de lobscurit. Un sujet audacieux parcourir sur une distance de 63 minutes. Frightening Frontiers ouvre le bal avec un doux rythme chotique et hypnotique. Le travail des percussions est efficace et accompagne une ligne de basse nvrotique qui inspire une course folle dans les pernicieux couloirs dune angoisse croissante aux sonorits aussi bigarres quintrigantes, croisant le dramatique et la schizophrnie latente. Les arrangements sont dun ralisme saisissant, allant jusquaux derniers souffles dun nvros hors dhaleine. Entities continue cette exploration des peurs nocturnes avec des arrangements squencs saccads, crant un rythme imprcis qui suit une tangente un peu comme sur Frightening Frontiers. Mais avec une texture plus jazz, plus lounge, grce une superbe basse qui foule des sentiers brumeux et un piano aux accords charmeurs qui roucoule dans une ambiance sombre pour une aussi belle ligne mlodieuse. Un beau mlange entre Spyra et Vangelis.
   A Moment Frozen est un titre sombre et inquitant avec sa dmarche emplie de statique et de avec boucles circulaires sur effets sonores gutturaux. Toujours imbib dune recherche sonore trs efficace, Mutating Realities est une longue marche dans les couloirs sinueux du complexe monde des ombres et de la noirceur. Graduellement, le titre gagne en crescendo, partant de dmarche craintive aux contours sensuels lexploration tactile de la peur. Bakis Sirros a beau dtendre latmosphre avec un mellotron flt la TD que le rsultat reste sensiblement le mme, surtout avec lajout deffets sonores des plus htroclites date sur Shade. Avec ses percussions lgrement enclumes, brandissant le spectre des chaines fantomatiques, Compulsive Mechanics est un superbe titre qui volue musicalement dans une structure lourde et abstraite. Malgr ce mode, et ce monde surraliste, une trange mlodie macabre merge de cette approche musicale industrielle. Le genre de titre couter en haute dfinition, afin den gober toutes les subtilits sonores qui y coulent paresseusement.
   Une basse intrigante ouvre Not Being Mirrored qui progresse dans un univers sonore parallle avec une approche constamment en qute dune mlodie des ombres. Une mlodie qui fait son nid parmi une panoplie de sonorit composite, dont une guitare qui laisse ses accords glaner ici et l, ouvrant le passage entre le ralisme et la fantaisie. La pice titre est une belle mlodie minimalisme qui coule au travers un piano mlancolique et une ligne de percussion inoffensive dans une faune sonore unique Parallel Worlds. Aprs cette douceur, pourquoi pas une explosion initi par une marche nvrotique? Indescriptible, Urgency crve dune violence retenue avec ses boucles symtriques qui survolent un tempo nerveux, explosif mais hsitant. Une retenue qui asticote la passion de la peur se terminant dans une douceur inconfortablement mtallique.
   Towards et Ungreat Certainty concluent dans un calme relatif. De lambiant sombre et planant avec des intercades menaantes, histoire de rappeler le contexte de ce 5ime opus de Parallel Worlds qui ne cesse dtonner avec une approche musicale aussi curieuse que mlodieuse.

   Histoires dormir debout, histoires de peur sonore, Shade est un bel album dune musique plus contemporaine qulectronique pure, qui droutera plus dune fois cause dune profondeur sonore insouponne, des rythmes imprcis qui se situent dans un genre de lounge pour weirdos, mais qui cache de belles mlodies qui rendent la noirceur un peu plus sympathique.

   2009. Sylvain Lupari / Guts Of Darkness Web Magazine

7. 

   Dieter Doepfer / Doepfer Musikelektronik – 2022-11-22

   I listened to your new album several times. Definitely a masterpiece of modern electronic music and a pleasure to track your musical changes during the last few years from Insight” via “Far Away Light” and “Obsessive Surrealism” to “Shade”.
   It’s kind of a musical evolution of your compositional creativity that comes closer and closer to my personal liking.

   From my personal view you have developed to a really brilliant musician during these years! It’s difficult to pick out a favorite song from the new album. Whenever I listen to it there are new aspects of each song I wasn’t aware before. But I think the theme song Shade is outstanding and that’s probably why the album got that name. My other favorites are Frightening Frontiers and Urgency. But this may change if I listen to the album again and again as I find new aspects during each passage that may change my mind.

   In any case: outstanding stuff and keep up the excellent work. And I hope our A-100 system will continue to be a good partner for this job.

   2009. Dieter Doepfer / Doepfer Musikelektronik“

8. 

   Phil Derby / Electroambientspace – 2022-11-22

   Its not hard to see why Ian Boddy likes Parallel Worlds aka Bakis Sirros.
   Quirky, darkly aggressive tracks abound, sounding very much like the sort of compositions Boddy himself creates. Shade occupies the same sonic territory as Bakis previous release Obsessive Surrealism.

   This is shadowy, moody music that you can tap your toes to, as on Frightening Frontiers.” If Otso Parikinen were to restrain his experimental leanings a bit more

9. 

   Matt Howarth / Sonic Curiosity – 2022-11-22

   This release from 2009 offers 63 minutes of sinuous electronic music.Parallel Worlds is Bakis Sirros (with help from John Sirros).

   While keyboards play a vital role here, a majority of the music’s charm lies in the inventive use of effects and pulsating tones (both in forefront and foundational application).The electronics display a remarkable flow, generating lavish streams that defy gravity and indulge in a form of dynamics akin to oil in water. Bewitching sounds spill with adroit abandon, establishing sultry riffs that shimmer like electrified honey. Textural elements peer through as a vaporous foundation that excellently matches the overall temperament of the music’s thematic nucleus.The keyboard-driven chords adhere things together, conjoining harmonic oscillations with more melodic pulsations. This gentle union possesses a distinct gentility that borders on astral mesmerization while retaining an oomph that captivates the listener.
   Rhythms abound, but they are usually of electronic origin, tempos born of looped non-impact sounds. This percussive definition tends to ooze through the mix instead of pounding with demonstrative residence.The compositions make ample use of the alluring conjunction of novel sounds, all propelled by sinuous keyboards and nickering rhythmics. Sirros has found a way to harness illbient elements and apply them in a graceful fashion that produces melodies of rippling appeal.

   The result is highly gregarious and extremely tantalizing.

   2009. Matt Howarth / Sonic Curiosity

10. 

    Ping Things / Canada – 2022-11-22

    Sequenced analog bliss from Bakis Sirros.
    Fans of analog sounds will no doubt be familiar with the work of Bakis Sirros and his musical project Parallel Worlds. On previous discs Sirros has demonstrated a strong technical understanding and talent for analog manipulation, and with the release of Shade” Sirros firmly establishes himself as an extraordinary sound sculptor

11. 

    Heathen Harvest Web Magazine / USA – 2022-11-22

    After an overly impressing debut on DiN records that leaves us all astonished in its own quality and original perspective presented, then a new work is at hand again, just when we were just taking a recovering breath from the previous aural magnificence, so take a deep breath again dear listener because there is a new surprise in your hands as this album really comes ready to absorb our minds in a completely new design.
    Newest work from Parallel worlds Shade” certainly stand the Greek author Bakis Sirros as one of the more representative figure from the darkest side from the IDM scene

12. 

    Chris Familton / Cyclic Defrost Magazine – 2022-11-22

    Parallel Worlds is the work of Greek musician Bakis Sirros. He is a leading light in the progression of electronic music with his involvement in the development of modular synthesizers in Europe and as a teacher of programming to aspiring electronic sculptors.

    Shade, his 5th full length release, is a dark and atmospheric journey. Other-worldly in its spatial context, it varies between oceanic waves of sparkle and pulse and lunar soundscapes where gravity has fled the scene and the blips and effect-heavy ambience freewheel around your headphones.
    This album sits in somewhat of a netherworld in that it invokes the reverb heavy feel of dub, the drift of Eno and the more contemporary glitch of IDM. On Towards Sirros even veers toward the more abstract end of Depeche Mode and Massive Attack, incorporating some foreboding melodies into his gurgling analog rhythms.
    What makes this such a captivating listen is how Sirros melds virtual and actual analog sounds. It ensures the music cannot be placed in any one time. As soon as you start feeling a Kraftwerk flashback taking hold the dark and dense digital sounds of Autechre emerge from the mist.
    Sirros has created an album that really does transform your immediate surroundings. As background music it serves its purpose well yet when you sit down and let the music take over your senses you enter a contradictory world where you feel both apprehension and calm. Entities in particular is unnerving and comforting at the same time.
    Parallel Worlds also nods toward the more experimental side of electronic dub that artists like Robert Henke and Gas excel at. The elements of decay, delay and reverb on A Moment Frozen and Ungreat History weave a digitally smeared haze that makes it sound like it is the last time these pieces of music will be heard.

    Shade should reward anyone with a taste for classic 70s electronica and/or an interest in contemporary experimental music. It has an emotional currency that is not always easy to locate in much of the cold and barren soundscapes released in this field. As its title hints, Shade exists in the ghostly shadows. As the final signals disperse you will be left still wondering as to its spirits intent.

    2009. Chris Familton / Cyclic Defrost Magazine