Dances with Aliens on: Artefact by Johan Agebjörn & Mikael Ögren #Techno #Ambient @johanagebjorn

A new album from Johan Agebjörn & Mikael Ögren takes you on a journey to explore space and space techno in all its dimensions from ambient to a more retro-futuristic harder edged version.

The album is called Artefact and is inspired by Arthur C. Clarke’s 1973 novel Rendezvous with Rama. According to Wiki, the story involves a 50-by-20-kilometre (31 by 12 mi) cylindrical alien starship that enters the Solar System. The story is told from the point of view of a group of human explorers who intercept the ship in an attempt to unlock its mysteries.

The album opens with the ominous IDM space rumble of Extravehicular Activity before coming to the ambient wonder of Passing The Gates. This moves on to alien strangeness and awe on The Plain and then The Storm That Passed. In Flight Over The Sea there’s a cavernous slightly echoed opening before light retro synths get an elastic outing.

Static Air offers the first vestiges of humanity with the astronaut element amid anticipatory synths that bobble around. Octapod marks a pivot in the album, where the spaced elements give way to an edgier, more frantic and paranoid set of bass ridden sounds. Threats and pleasures lurk around every corner. There’s more of the latter in Monitoring the Zooids, a track that tinkles away with optimistic synths and sounds.

The album’s penultimate track the rather wonderful and best thing on the album Space Travel. This is a lovely space techno tune with a bit of retro-futurism and even builds itself up to some late 80s / early 90s wide-eyed Beltram feeling. There’s an accompanying comedown on the joyous Final Sight.

Do take this journey but whatever you do don’t miss out on Space Travel.

Also available on CD and d/l

~ by acidted on June 14, 2021.