BASS COMMUNION

Bass Communion is the ambient music solo project of Steven Wilson, an outlet for the British musician's more electronic-sided experiments and the home of his explorations of drone-heavy soundscapes and massive washes of atmospheric sound, a side venture that probably dates back to his early collaborative electronic music endeavor known as Altamont. The music of Bass Communion is much in the vein of the German experimental electronic scene of the 70s and the 80s, the kosmische movement with its Tangerine Dreams and multiple outbranches - and what happens is that Wilson combines field recordings, tape experiments and the processing of the recordings of actual instruments, sometimes played by himself, to create these big, moody, spacey pieces of music that are perfectly accommodated for what many would consider "background noise". Now, ambient music can have varying degrees of experimentation and much of the Bass Communion produce is quite avant-garde and fascinating, which is why this project matters not only for fans of Wilson, Porcupine Tree or even prog rock.

So all of this indicates what one shall expect from the 1998 self-titled debut album by Bass Communion, sometimes referred to as 'BCI' (and later reissued in 2001) - an hour-long musical exploration of drony, hypnotic, repetitive and moody compositions that combine all of the abovementioned elements. Collaborators Theo Travis and Robert Fripp add a touch of soprano sax and soundscapes respectively, on two of the four proper pieces that make up this record. The set opens with a short snippet that transitions into 'Drugged', a 13-minute-long moody movement with jazz undertones, occasional guitars and gorgeous "waves" of synthesizer sounds, a more intense and eventful ambient piece that one might expect but one that works really well on its own and within the context of the album. 'Sleep Etc.' is ostensibly darker and more abstract and sees the use of different recordings and effects that help Wilson build up an ominous atmosphere, which is not necessarily the case with 'Orphan Coal'. The tribal percussion sounds that run through this corner of the album give this composition trance-like qualities and a somewhat overwhelming and hypnotic edge, while the closing suite 'Drugged 2' is a massive, more classic-sounding ambient work that is really evocative and beautiful.

The debut album of Bass Communion is excellent and all the recordings on it are daring, experimental and ethereal, just a brilliant longing ambient project by Steven Wilson, definitely a must-have for anyone who might be interested in getting into the genre.

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