Ujamaa's Ambient Experience  A Review by Eric Prindle
11/14/99

ETHER DOME
Richard Bone

        "Etherdome, multi-faceted synthesist Richard Bone's second in a series of atmospheric albums on the Hypnos label, is a warm yet mystery-filled work exploring several different musical approaches. Some tracks, like the album-leading "The Induction of Gilbert Abbott," have a planetarium-esque feel to them, with shifting, spacey sounds and deep voices welling up out of the fog. "Plateau to Level 30" is among the best in this regard, with its distant, vaguely percussive sounds breaking up the synthesizer washes. Other pieces take a more conventional, melodic synthesizer approach. Sometimes this is successful, as with the contemplative "Unawakened." In other places, Bone falters, as with the misdirected smooth-jazz track, "The Incubus Wave." In general, Etherdome is working within a fairly well-worn paradigm of synthesizer-based, meandering soundscape, yet Bone finds ways to make this music feel new, perhaps through his unusual mix of softness and austerity. Adding another chapter to the diverse musical output of Richard Bone, Etherdome is worth exploring for space/ambient fans and Bone fans alike."

--Ujamaa's Ambient Experience