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Ambiento / The Eternal Now / Electropica The name
Richard Bone may be familiar to list members
through his contributions to the em:t
compilation "1197" (cute and boppy) or
Hypnos´ "The Other World" (the closing track,
lush and mysterious). However, he also has a
distinguished back catalogue of solo works,
three of which are offered up here for your
consideration.
"Ambiento
" (1994) starts off darkly, then gets
nicely percolating with muted bass and bongos.
Throughout, deceptively simple melodies are
built upon and evolve into engaging
miniatures, none more than seven minutes long.
Track Seven (all tracks are called "Amb" 1, 2,
3, etc.) builds up a groovy little sway around
an hilarious sample (paternal voice
admonishes, "Honey, a...uh...prehistoric
monster is a rather large order to swallow!").
The track perhaps most reminiscent of his
contribution to the em:t compilation, if that
tickled your fancy. Did mine. "The Eternal Now" (1996) comprises a definite step forward in Bone´s ambienteering. A lilting, slowly unfolding garden full of heady but not overpowering fragrances. The CD is divided up into two suites, "Zone" (Zones 1 to 6) and "The Millennium Pages" (Pages 1 to 4). There is a quietude reminiscent of Eno circa "Another Green World" here (the instrumental tracks), an almost pastoral calm. Worth returning to over and over again is Zone 4, with its thunderstorms clashing distantly and operatic vocal. Zone 6 features the play of bellowing ship´s horns calling out to and answering each other, perhaps an indication of what his coming "The Spectral Ships" on Hypnos will have to offer? The Millennium Pages are more introspective, leaves in a book to contemplate as the year 2000 approacheth.
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