PRZEMYSLAW RUDZ

Polish electronic musician Przemylaw Rudz' 2011 "Cerulean Legacy" album, although quiet unique , seems to get stuck here and there with obtrusive and not that original drum box rhythms that subdue the self created electronic proposals he brings on to this prog sub-genre.

For starters and for good, he employs rather metallic sounding atmospheres, distancing it somehow of the airy and spacy sounds usually found in prog-electronics. Other great attributes I find are the enticing melody lines and a highly achieved balance between his "zillion" synths and the guest inclusion of an electric guitar, that comes forward in a couple of the pieces.

Never minimizing that the best parts, which are no few, behold a unique musical idiom which keeps this project inches away of becoming true to PA's 4 star rating of "essential". Anyway it turns out to be a very enjoyable listening experience which any prog-electronic (and maybe other prog) audiophiles will also appreciate.

Nevertheless in a 5 long songs album, a third part, is more or less spoiled with the before mentioned synth/drum box rhythms, which remind me of Alan Parsons' "I Robot", the song not the album. Besides that, this album is close of becoming unique and essential.

Therefore 3.5 "give it a try, you won't regret it and you already have been forewarned" PA stars.

"Movement 1" starts out, more or less, in a classic fashion. But something about the flow seems a bit looser than Rudz's previous albums, which is without a doubt an effect of the improvisational approach used on this album. It feels more like an actual dream, having no real structure behind it, but rather flowing from point A, to point B, and then to points Q and then K. As this dirge-like introduction pours through the speakers, a low rumbling synth gets warmer and warmer towards the end, prepping the listener for the remaining minutes and metaphorical "meat" of the album.

Seamlessly, "Movement 1" transforms into "Movement 2", and this is how each of the tracks transform into the next, to create the single hour-long electronic improvisation experience. "Movement 2" is where the album picks up some noticeable heat, from the hot pickups of an electric guitar playing psychedelic melodies reminiscent of the masterful David Gilmour. This guitar is intertwined with the propulsive electronic beats curated by the album artist, as well as crafting a compelling atmosphere on which the main focus of the music soars atop.

"Movement 3" is one of the most obviously improvisational tracks, consisting of nearly aimless and unsettling electronic noises coupled with beautiful ambient synth swelling, compacted into a formless stretch of aural bliss and confusion. "Movement 4" begins with the distant sound of space shuttle engines bursting with energy, shedding themselves of their icy crust which crashes to the cement below. This sound ebbs and flows from quiet to loud, ultimately climaxing to an extremely powerful blast near the end. The track is driven by clear bassy thumps that further convey a sense of power.

"Movement 5" takes the same warm, jet-fueled atmosphere and adds steady, hard-hitting drumming that conveys stars contracting and imploding and exploding as they see fit. It builds and builds until finally the atmosphere is enhanced by blasts of distorted guitar, intensely ringing out chords that sound hot and volatile, and the electronic element becomes more sporadic and technological, like the audio representation of satellites picking up distant readings. Still keeping the warm atmosphere from the previous few tracks, "Movement 6" starts the cool-down phase, where those space shuttle engines running out of fuel and the shuttle itself has begun to slowly drift aimlessly through space. The distant rumbling of old stars exploding still shake the mind and the satellites are still sending their readings, some of which are flung aimlessly into the unknown.

And finally, "Movement 7" ends the album in a dirge form similar to the album's opener, albeit higher in key. Again, it flows much like a dream -- smoothly, but unpredictably, and ultimately leading to an uncertain end. The soothing washes of spatial sounds cleanse the pallet, and the ending ambience leads this journey to a close.

Everything that Przemyslaw Rudz has released since his debut shows constant artistic growth and a desire to voice his own unique modern sound in a genre that some have considered to be outdated or too retro. Not many artists attempt this kind of cerebral exploration music anymore, unless in the tried-and-true classic fashion. Mr. Rudz putting his modern touch on this sound and creating compelling music for the open-minded is a display of artistic confidence and dedication that has never shown through as brightly as it does on Discreet Charm Of An Imperfect Symmetry (Electronic Improvisation In Seven Movements).

One of the few modern progressive electronic artists who consistently creates albums that exceed my expectations within the genre is Przemyslaw Rudz, who seems to always be tweaking his sound to create unique works of auditory art. After the wonderful collaboration album with Wladyslaw Komendarek from Exodus, he has returned in 2012 with his next solo offering, Paintings.

Paintings moves Rudz's sound slightly more towards ambient and drone, while still maintaining the spatial modern Berlin school sound with which he's proven himself adept. It feels more experimental, and it's very enjoyable to hear a skilled artist move forward instead of stay stagnant. When I say ambient, I don't mean strictly motionless, ambience with no progression--the ambient I'm talking about is more of a mood description, filling the air with progressive atmosphere, but also leaving enough blank space for the listener to explore what they will. That is what makes this album so enjoyable.

The opening track, "Hidden Nook of Our Ego", is possibly the most eclectic track on the album--it features primarily experimental drones and atmospheric bubbling, but periodically progresses into emotional synth solos. The synth melody that appears at the finale of the track very powerful and catchy, and the backing trance beat really adds extra punch to the climax.

"Sowers of Our Interstellar Intellects" is a very slow, drone-based track, but is progressing constantly towards a midsection that includes elements of industrial percussion and a somber melody that is as beautiful as it is awakening. The build up to this section is phenomenal, and not everyone could pull off such a slow build and make it work as masterfully as it does here. The climax eventually tapers off into "Cosmic Primordial Soup", which is a short track or more or less classic Berlin school composition not unlike the original master Klaus Schulze, except with better production and enhanced atmosphere as per the 21st century.

"Who Goes There?" is the third epic track of the album, and is very dark and moody, with vague industrial leanings with the percussive sounds and a huge cinematic impact with the swelling synth melodies. The mood on this three-part track is somewhat unsettling, but in a good perfect soundtrack music kind of way. It sounds tense, like something scary or upsetting to humanity as a whole is about to happen at any moment. The whole 15 minutes is built for brooding, and is very well emotionally affecting in that regard. After this darkness, we are led into another short track, "Astral Beings Hatchery", which carries the same moodiness but with an enhanced technological feel, because of the metallic swelling and nearly-robotic sounds emanating from the background.

And then there is the giant, main course epic track, "Misanthropic Aliens". This nearly 24- minute, three-part adventure is an amalgamation of everything heard on the album thus far. The whole thing is an emotional dirge of exploratory electronic music. The ambient element is used liberally, and the industrial elements are used sparingly, and I've never really heard anything quite like this. I feel like this track by itself could be used as a sufficient soundtrack to an entire sad science fiction tragedy film. Absolutely beautiful.

Alterations in style can cause anxiety in fans of musicians, but it's always very reassuring when a master is at the helm and everything turns out very well. I didn't know about the stylistic change before listening to this album, so it caught me off guard, but it was immediately enjoyable and I'd even have to say that this is my favorite offering created by Przemyslaw Rudz so far, just because of how emotional it all feels. Much of this type of music lacks in the emotion department, given the electronic/robotic nature of it, but it's done extremely well on this album. If you're into the classic progressive electronic albums, you'd probably enjoy checking this out, but Paintings has a lot more packed into it stylistically than the classics, so you'd better listen with an open mind and be ready to have it blown.

Like REM sleep usually is, this album is quite eclectic and features textures both light and dark, both vastly empty and complexly dense. A large chunk of this album is mid- to fast- tempo beat oriented electronic music with furious and virtuosic keyboard soloing, but the relaxing spacey synthetic soundscapes that I've come to love from Mr. Rudz's previous albums are still intact. In fact, this album sounds pretty much like what I've come to expect from this artist, but something also is very different; I believe the partnership with Wladyslaw Komendarek has pushed Przemyslaw Rudz into increasingly progressive territory than on previous albums, and it works wonders. For fans of electronic music looking for something entirely progressive to listen to, this album leaves very little (if anything at all) to be desired, not to mention that this album clocks in at about 73 minutes. Unexplored Secrets of Sleep is undoubtedly the most progressive album under Rudz's name, and has also turned me into an eager fan of Komendarek as well, and I greatly look forward to future collaborations between the two masters as their chemistry is undeniably a perfect match.

It's hard for me to compare this album to another that I've heard, but I were pressed to then I'd have to say that this album kind of reminds me personally of Marsbeli Kronikak by Solaris with Phaedra-era Tangerine Dream and Mirage-era Klaus Schulze influences, but with increased amounts of whatever "epic" is measured in. For fans of the above albums, this should be on your Christmas wish list.

Summa Technologiae, being Przemyslaw Rudz debut album, I decided to save for last when listening to and reviewing his current discography because I wanted to end at the beginning. Being so intimate with his later releases, I was certain that this debut album would be Mr. Rudz's weakest album, but I was fortunately very wrong on my assumption; actually, all of his albums are of the highest quality in this type of electronic music, and this album fits right in with his later albums as wonderful, delightful, and introspective additions to anyone's collection of music from deep space and beyond. If you're looking for a chill and adventurous album with a strong cerebral merit, then look no further than Summa Technologiae

Running at almost 70-minutes in length, this album comes off as decently diverse, which I've personally always felt to be good for just about any album, but the length of this album is matched with great quality control. Self-Replicating Intelligent Spawn starts off with "Stroll Along the Paths on a Chip", which is a perfect example of the more personal atmosphere present throughout this album; it sounds almost like a more thought-out version of something Depeche Mode might have written if they never had a vocalist, and comes off as sounding slightly intimate and almost romantic even though the light electronic beats carry the tune along. Since the first track starts the listener off at a more at- home kind of feel, the second track, "Neuronal Disorders Inside a Silicon Brain", is much more of an intuitive sonic exploration that cues multiple electronic elements (resonances, cosmic howling, droning blackness, propulsive beats, etc.), individually throughout its nearly 14-minute length, and every one of those elements comes into play in the conclusion of the track and serves as a wonderfully constructed climax. The next three tracks are nearly danceable electro-house fused with Berlin-school styled electronic elements scattered throughout and are wonderful at progressing the album, and my favorite of these three tracks is "Short Message to Tomorrow", which starts with a tinny-sounding electrified acoustic-guitar type sound and a very strong beat that really gets the blood moving. Of course, all of this leads up to the nearly 24-minute monster centerpiece of the album, "Giant Leap for Mankind", which is a long exploration of Klaus Schulze-type Berlin-School electronic cosmic exploration with modern touches from electro-house and beautiful soaring synths. This track mutates itself just enough throughout its runtime to make is thoroughly exciting and compelling. And then the album ends the same way that it started ? with a very at-home sounding track (the track is called "Home Again") that features some soothing jazz saxophone for an added element of organic musicianship, and this track serves as a return to home from the previous spatial tracks of cosmic travel.

Self-Replicating Intelligent Spawn is a magnificent album that I feel could be enjoyed by anyone who is interested in this type of cosmic electronic music with a peripheral story- telling feel and compelling atmospheres with ample amounts of creative energy.

I highly recommend this album to progressive electronic fans as well as fans of space-rock. A very well put together album full of beautiful, spatial music.

Highly recommended spatial progressive electronic music of cosmic origin.