Conundrum

The always adventurous DiN label continues its exultant electronic journey into glorious new territory with the release of Conundrum, the first collaboration between guitarist/ sitarist Klaus Hoffmann-Hoock and synth/sequencer Bernhard Wostheinrich. Within, the collision between the prog-space rock hero and soundscaping master opens up brave new aural vistas, assisted by Markus Reuter and label head Ian Boddy. The opening track, "Virpasksha," is a brilliant musical statement of intent, interweaving nearly every stylistic facet and shading the rest of the album will entail, and wrapping it around a bouncy rhythm and bubbly new wave-y melody. The piece shifts from its dreamy soundscape intro into effervescent electro-pop, and slowly begins to pull towards the East before shimmering into space. "Swarmandel" follows a similar trajectory, opening in a gorgeous ambient setting before a percolating rhythm kicks in and shaded synths sweep through. Even so, an iridescent aura remains, as Hoffmann-Hoock's harp-like sitar floats across the piece. Too uptempo for ambient, too soundscapish for prog rock, the piece belongs in a category all its own. "Moonlit," meanwhile, beautifully bridges the gap between space rock and ambience. Here Wostheinrich builds exquisite soundscapes that spiral like glass cathedrals into the ether, while Hoffmann-Hoock's evocative guitar and sitar echo from the clouds, conjuring up a mystical, magical vista. Equally sublime is "Flavia's Paradise," a swirling concoction of ambient soundscapes, echoing guitar chords, tinkling bells, and lush synths. Moving from idyllic western vistas to the East comes "Bowed Visions" and the title track, the former somewhat reminiscent of Hoffmann-Hoock's earlier work and awash in spacy atmospheres and filled with inspired proggy guitar and sitar solos. "Conundrum," in contrast, is more delicate, with guest singer SiRenee's vocals shimmering in the breeze, the rhythm seemingly tabla driven, and the aura mesmerizing as the piece glides into trance. In polar opposite to the beauty of that number is "Phased Realities," a skittish piece built around an off-kilter rhythm, gloomy synths, and shadowed guitar. The track begins in electronica, but by the end has deftly shifted into a jammy, prog rock style. The exquisite blends of East and West, and synths and guitars, the supple sequencing and fluid rhythms, flickering and shifting atmospheres, wed to the seamless and inspired interweaving of styles makes categorizing this set a conundrum indeed. But the iridescent music within, the beautiful vistas it conjures up, the many gorgeous auras that swirl up leave no doubt of this album's magnificence.