SOUL MANTRA

Phrozenlight is a progressive electronics project featuring ambient and sustained electronic music. The project was created in the late 90's by Bert Hulshoff from the Netherlands. The amazing thing is that Bert has released many albums since the year 2000. In June of 2019, he released his 332nd (yes, that is correct, at least that is what is listed so far in the archives) full length album called "Soul Mantra". His music is made up of some very interesting textures that are reminiscent of and inspired by Berlin's electronic school and is often backed by sustained tones and electronic arpeggios produced by synths and computer equipment.

"Soul Mantra" is my first foray into his music, and there is enough music here to keep even the most avid listener busy for a few years at least. From what I can discern from this album alone is that the music is very dream-like and trance inducing. However, there are enough texture changes to keep things interesting as the music seems to always be moving. However, there is not a lot of change as you float through each of the 3 extra long tracks on this album but there are variations in texture, tones and patterns, enough to keep the music moving forward.

This album, as I said before, is made up of 3 very long tracks. The title track "Soul Mantra" comes first and is over 22 minutes long. Most of the first 12 minutes push forward with a steady fast moving rhythm. Quick arpeggios are backed by two repeated high pitched notes and sustained textures. Then the rhythmic pattern backs off a bit and the sustained chords and two note pitches continue, but get more free floating as it goes. By the time you reach 17 minutes, the music is more ambient with ringing tones, sustained chords and not much else. The music is very nice with dream-like textures while subdued arpeggios shimmer in the background.

"Sweet Wish" is the 2nd track and it has a run time of over 16 minutes. The track opts for no arpeggios, just sustained and pulsating notes that move slowly with very little forward movement, like a slow moving river. There are also some sparkly, almost metallic effects going on around this. The chord pattern created in the background evokes tension that finds resolve from time to time as the synths wash over you in waves ebbing and flowing. After 7 minutes, those squeaky metallic noises stop and you are left with sustained chords and ambient improvisation. At nine minutes, different sonic textures come in over the background chords.

"Spirit Mantra" closes the album with a track over 17 minutes. It probably has the least forward movement than the other two tracks, with a texture that makes it difficult to detect much change, you just know it is going on, but is sometimes almost indescernable. Twinkling notes and sounds emerge from the layers of synths. As it moves on, changes in tones can be heard making it a touch more melodic, but still very ambient. After 5 minutes, a pulsing electronic sound emerges, but since the other sounds don't really follow any rhythm, that pulsating just becomes part of the overall texture. Things intensify a bit and by 10 minutes a moving synth line creates more forward movement. This crescendos and softens, sometimes becoming the most discernable part of the soundscape. After 13 minutes, low frequencies come in drowning out the higher textures and effects and sounds emerge from those lower tones. These pitches soon start changing and then finally disappear with the track closing out with sustained ambience.

The music does remind one of earlier Tangerine Dream, but it isn't really what you could call melodic. It moves along slowly after you pass the half way mark in the first track, becoming more ambient and textural. Phrozenlight has released quite a few albums, many times at least one every two weeks or more, even though some are EPs, most of them are full length albums. The music is meant to be spatial and free flowing, improvised electronic music that represents harmonization of space and the life around us. It is very trance-inducing and is best for that kind of listening, or at least background listening. For that purpose, it works well, but to sit and listen to it for the typical entertainment factor, it isn't really that effective. Only the first track provides that, while the others have very little movement in them. Anyway, the album is well produced, and is well suited for its purpose. I highly doubt I would have the patience to try to listen to it often however, let alone explore all of his discography.