Chris
Conway - Scanning Planet 3
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1 |
Arriving
At Planet 3 |
2 |
Scanning
For Life |
3 |
Scanning
The Sky |
4 |
The
Wind |
5 |
The
City |
6 |
The
Temple |
7 |
The
Canyon |
8 |
The
Desert |
9 |
The
Storm |
10 |
Departing
Planet 3 |
Chris
Conway - |
synthesizers,
electric 9 string guitar, theremin, low whistle, voice,
effects, samples, zither, hammer dulcimer. percussion |
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A wondrous electronic voyage of exploration.
Spacey, often powerful, but dreamlike including sounds collected
from the world around.
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background
Some
years ago the guys at the Auricle Music label suggested
CC did an electronic album bringing in various influences
they knew that they shared with him - Terje Rypdal, and
Terry Riley were two examples. The arrival of the theremin
in CC's armoury was another catalyst.
Scanning Planet 3 became a gathering of his favourite sounds,
both from the instruments, but also including sounds taken
from the world around him. The loose theme was exploration
of a world (possibly Earth) and recording was something
of a voyage of exploration for Chris too, as he was discovering
new things and new ways of working.
What the Auricle label said about Scanning Planet 3
"Chris has been promising us a "cosmic" album
for some 10+ years, and at long last, here it is in the
form of SCANNING PLANET 3, a vast CD-long cosmic opus, with
synths, theremin & guitar, lots of electroacoustic elements,
melodic yet elusive & thoroughly creative, hints of
Terry Riley, The Rain Garden, Terje Rypdal, etc. Chris has
"scanned planet 3" i.e. Earth, and come up with a vast cosmic vision, a work that explores new and unexplored
territory, and created an album that is unique."
CC is very fond of this epic album. It was a voyage of discovery
for him and was a very personal album in the selection of
sounds.
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influences
Vidna
Obmana, Eduard Artemiev, Simon Stockhausen, Terry Riley, Terje
Rypdal, Bernard Xolotl, Lydia Kavina, Karlheinz Stockhausen,
Wendy Carlos, Robert Rich
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trivia
Originally released a single track. Sections were created for ease of download and navigation.
The
church bells in "The Storm" were recorded from Evington
church, Leicestershire.
The childs voice on Scanning For Life was 2 year old
Eve Spooner. Other sounds on that track include CC walking
down the street, saying a few words to a neighbour, and fumbling
for his keys.
CC's
fave track -The Storm
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reviews |
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Dene
Bebbington - Wind & Wire Magazine
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Musicians
don't come much more multi-talented than Chris Conway, he's
released many different kinds of albums including Jazz, World
Music/Fusion, New Age, Songs, and EM; not only that but he's
also been a guest musician on many other albums. Scanning
Planet 3 is the first of two EM albums, both of which feature
the theremin amongst other instruments. The title is a reference
to our planet Earth (the third from the sun) and the music
seems to be from the perspective of aliens scanning our world.
An
album utilising the sound of the theremin can take a bit
of getting used to thanks to its weird and somewhat alien
"wailing" quality, though this instrument is mainly
used in the opening and closing minutes. It should thus
come as no surprise that this is not a typical EM or spacemusic
work, instead of going for rhythmic/melodic or floating/drifting
motifs Chris has gone for a more experimental collage of
impressions rendered in sound.
Over
the course of the album the sounds change as the scanning
of our planet shifts its focus, sometimes the soundscape
is filled with effects - often of a distorted nature where
the listener may recognise sounds from life and activity.
There are some melodic parts too, notably a light and hypnotic
melody (possibly played on the dulcimer) about thirteen
minutes in that makes one think of good things as subdued
wordless vocals provide a faint backdrop.
By
the end of the album it feels like the sounds we've heard
have run a fair way through the gamut of Earth bound emanations
of nature, human voices and transmissions, industrial activity
(there's a stretch that has a driving industrial rhythm)
and even strife.
Scanning
Planet 3 is a good addition to any EM collection, it takes
a bit of getting used to but is worth the effort when one
looks past the weirder elements.
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(BVI: 5)BVI |
Chris
Conway works in many genres, going from being a singer-songwriter
(with over 10 CDs released), over world music / fusion (playing
in several bands such as the Jazz Orient/Re-Orient band, the
world music group The Rain Garden and so on) to jazz, electronics
and relaxation.
On “Scanning Planet 3”, a journey in one single track of almost
one hour, you get airy waves, relaxation, new age and electric
guitar. The material is well produced and really does keep
the road very well. My personal highlight is the guitar parts
that made me remember the better tracks from ex-Police Andy
Summers’ solo material.
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