Spyra & Chris Lang – Sequest

3 reviews for Spyra & Chris Lang – Sequest

1. 

   Bert Strolenberg / Sonic Immersion – 2022-11-22

   SeQuest” is a 66-minute album by Chris Lang and Spyra assembling four lengthy live tracks played on different occasions.The outcome though follows nicely in the footsteps of Spyras latest releases

2. 

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

   Every composer writes in the influences they grew up with. Throughout his interesting career the celebrated German synthesist Spyra has built upon a foundation of classic 1970s era Klaus Schulze as a basic inspiration, as well as 80s Prog-Rock and 90s IDM, to create a fascinating range of original Electronic Music – which takes the listener well beyond what his predecessors and contemporaries ever imagined. With each new Spyra CD we experience a new cycle of intimacy. On SeQuest (66’09) Spyra

3. 

   Matt Howarth / Sonic Curiosity – 2022-11-22

   This release from 2010 offers 66 minutes of rousing electronic music.Inventive electronics are utilized by Wolfram Spyra and Chris Lang in conjunction with fascinating compositions.

   The first track is a long one (almost 30 minutes long) and combines an airy mode with sprightly aspects. Delicate texturals establish a crystalline foundation that is gradually handed over to bouncy riffs and animated e-perc. The more demonstrative electronics are crisp and evocative. Keyboards guide things with delightfully shrill definition, achieving passages that soar with powerful buoyancy. As the composition progresses, drastic variations are realized. The agile stretch gives way to a section that is rich with drama and piercing keyboard riffs of a glorious nature. Here, the rhythms adopt a more steadfast model, allowing the keyboards to engage in some ambrosial expressions. Everything culminates in a gripping finale that is augmented by heavenly chorales.
   The next piece employs a synthesized clarinet-like opening counterpointed by choppy keyboards. Rhythms emerge, coaxing the tune into a dignified pep. Then a whistling resonance prompts an escalation of all elements. The choppy keyboards increase their velocity and indulge in some lovely modifications. Traditional drum-kit beats briefly pitter at the edges. Meanwhile a reprise of the whistling airs lends a carefree mood to the accreting density. The song enters a more tranquil demeanor for its wrap-up.
   Track three experiments with rumbling bass notes, brassy riffs, and breathy textures. Even the percussion adopts a cafe flair that features a distinctly jazzy temperament. The music grows introspective but retains a understated vigor. In the end, the moodiness overwhelms the music, driving it into a sparse realm dominated by grinding cadence.
   The last piece is by Spyra alone. Its blend of delicate keyboards and mildly thumping tempos is tastefully seasoned by a sense of awe that slowly swells to drench everything, turning the congenial melody into an excursion into murky depths. A touch of angelic chorales endeavors to keep things from becoming too dire, but the tune falls prey to a minimalist passage sonorous with tension…before assertive keyboards return in force for an optimistic conclusion.

   2010. Matt Howarth / Sonic Curiosity