AIR V - JEUX DANGEREUX

The 16 minute Happiness makes for a stunning start. Not sounding anything like happiness at all, the glassy sounds and the sitar-alike synth sounds that wash in and out still evoke an angelic and spiritual atmosphere. The helium soaked ambience of Froese's Stuntman certainly comes to mind. Samples of ethnic instruments add modest melodies; percussion joins in the second half of the track. Brilliant music.

Jeux Dangereux has a discreet Latin rhythm at the heart (salsa, mambo, tango? Don't ask.) Wordless female vocals and spoken words add an eerie feel. Very dreamy and evocative track.

Obsessions is very convincing dance music. The beat is discreet again but it's is an important part of the music nevertheless. Dark moog chords and ethnic samples create a unique atmosphere that you're not likely to find in mainstream techno, so rest assured, there is real creativity at work here.

State of Mind has a catchy bass line and verse-chorus organized whispered female vocals. With atmospheric synths and subtle guitar chord samples Namlook creates a sound that's not unlike Massive Attack.

End of the Line is the most techno-oriented track. The cool disco beat is sure to put off prog purist. I don't mind, and certainly not if it comes in such dreamy spacey arrangement.

Jeux Dangereux II is a shorter version in a different arrangement, with entrancing off-beat accents and with analogue synths replacing the vocals on the main melodies.

It remains a mystery to me why Namlook remains such an obscure artist. Maybe it's the frightening amount of albums that put people off, or maybe it's due to people's dislike for techno and ambient that Namlook is associated with. When it comes to the Air albums, I can only continue to recommend Namlook's modern technoid mix of Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk and Dead Can Dance. Close to a masterpiece, but since Air II is even better I'll stick to 4.5