Beiträge: 399 Ort: Pudding City, Eastern Westphalia Eingetreten: 25.02.07
Eingetragen auf 08-09-2009 13:45
Hi all,
I have the great pleasure to announce the release of the new official ['ramp] album "debris" on 1st October, 2009. As some of you may know, Frank and I split a while ago so that this new album is a solo enterprise of mine.
"debris" actually took several years until it was finished the way I had envisaged it. Musically, it won´t be as calm as "ceasing to exist", the last ['ramp] album in its original line-up. "debris" will be based both on textural ambient soundscaping, ambient field recordings of steelplants, railway trajects, and factories at night, and grinding sequencer rhythms. I tried to get as close to my personal definition of what "industrial" means to me so people who listen to XXXX or YYYY might find it very "un-industrial". Well, anyway, that´s why "doombient" had been invented some years ago, right?
You can of course order your personal copy directly through me by sending an email to stephen at parsick dot com (no forum PMs, please!), or -- if you don´t want to order it blindly -- you can wait until some distributors have made audio snippets available online to listen to it first. Please don´t expect me to answer to your email between 11th September and 27th September as I will be away for a while.
Thanks for reading,
Stephen.
"Wer sich am kommerziellen Musikgeschmack orientiert, dient der Reaktion." (Einstürzende Neubauten, 1981)
Beiträge: 399 Ort: Pudding City, Eastern Westphalia Eingetreten: 25.02.07
Eingetragen auf 12-11-2009 15:06
The first review (bedankt, Bert!):
[‘ramp] – debris
CD, Private Release, 2009
“Debris” is a deep, strong organic flavoured ambient journey coming in four sections. It’s composed solely by Stephen Parsick, as he and Frank Makowski parted ways a while ago. As Stephen explains, the outcome (for which he used basic tracks composed between June 2000 and January 2005 as a start) is based both on textural ambient soundscaping, ambient field recordings of steelplants, railway trajects, and factories at night, and grinding sequencer rhythms, so there’s most certainly an industrial/experimental edge to it all. Those familiar with his privately released cd-r’s know what magical, cinematic and dense vintage ambient music can be like. “Debris” once more sees Stephen treat his gear expertly, triggering some great analogue sequencer patterns in the tradition of Node and Redshift, next to offering crispy, multi-layered synth pads which he masterfully mixes with industrial, organic and minimal flavours and a whole range of effects.
Although I highly recommend “Debris”, I’d like to remind those familiar with the album “Ceasing to Exist” to keep in mind there’s far more rhythmic, edgier electronic territory and alienating soundscaping covered on this new release, which won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.
Bert Strolenberg
www.sonicimmersion.org
"Wer sich am kommerziellen Musikgeschmack orientiert, dient der Reaktion." (Einstürzende Neubauten, 1981)
Beiträge: 399 Ort: Pudding City, Eastern Westphalia Eingetreten: 25.02.07
Eingetragen auf 26-11-2009 20:12
Here´s another from, written and translated from French into English by Sylvain Lupari for the (French-)Canadian website www.gutsofdarkness.com:
"
A loud caustic wave wraps the intro of Rails, of which the starting engine sends ochre vapor which spreads a strange cosmic aura in a world nevertheless industrial. Recorded in the turmoil of a stormy separation from the other half of Ramp; Frank Makowski, Debris will take 3 years before being born. The result is an album which allies the dark weightiness of Ramp to tempestuous and strangely violent sequential movements.
Following the hard move forward of Rails wheels of which end on strange metallic percussions, Skeletarl moves blindly towards squealing and sweating feeble-lights with an arrhythmic pulsations bass line. A sound violence is pointing out. It is latent and shouts out with spectral rustles and scattered flickered percussions on a hesitating movement. A movement that is mold as roller coasters which have difficulty to pull their wagons. Biting reverberations and industrial sound environment, without knowing it but while feeling it, Skeletarl plunges us into a heavy and violent sound universe where resonances eat our eardrums on a rhythm strangely vague of which the essence is pulled out of the somber depths of Redshift. A magnificent hard and corrosive track which winds the meanders of lifelessness, while robbing the steel walls of sharp claws, which feed a twisted and howling metal. A track that depicts marvelously the raw and metallic atmosphere which overhangs this last Ramp release. Because from Girders to Residual Oxide, Ramp passes by all the subterranean levels to offer a sound slaughter, sometimes static sometimes sequenced, to the stabbing and terrifying roundness’s of a ruined factory. Some Ramp, but also some Stephen Parsick who likes cement mixers atmospheres stiff of ambient aromas. But who also exploits sequenced movements of an inebriating intensity as on Wreckage where drum roll on contaminated oil barrels which entangled to an abrasive sound universe full of howling sequences which are melting to sieved lights of Pieces, to continue to pulse in an industrial world adrift, before meeting the movements of sequenced ball bearings of the title track Debris who tears simply away the metal from the tarnish towers, before the sequential heaviness’s of Coventried and Hamburgised ends this work of demolition.
Sunk in concrete in tempered steal in only one long track segmented into 12 shutters, Debris offers few ambient or quiet moments. In fact, if there is a moment of tranquility it begins with Dresdened and its long atonal breaths which circulate among the fragments of a factory ground. Although heavy and incredibly disaster, Slow Corrosion hiccoughs of heavy sequences to random migrations, which pulse heavily under metallic and flickered percussions. A movement to the approach so sinister as Skeletarl, but who does not explode and who preserves the oscillatory linearity of a big starving tortoise who ruminates upon her appetite until the last biting breaths of Residual Oxide.
Debris of Ramp is a whole brainwave. While we had become used to the calm universe of tetanised atmospheres of the Doombient series, Debris arrives with its big clogs and kicks down the atonic armature of this suite as cold as biting. In fact, Debris is a sublime mix of both universes; Stephen Parsick molds subtly and skillfully the metallic and biting drones in sequences to heavy reverberations which literally melt the last vestiges of the Doombient series. Debris is a great album which suits very well the visions and the perspectives of Guts Of Darkness. A must for fans of Dark Ambient with heavy resounding oscillations. The underworld of Redshift!
Sylvain Lupari (Phaedream) from Guts Of Darkness
The French Magazine of Dark & Experimental Music"
Enjoy,
Stephen.
"Wer sich am kommerziellen Musikgeschmack orientiert, dient der Reaktion." (Einstürzende Neubauten, 1981)
Debris continues where Oughtibridge left off, a great combination of dark ambient and industrialized Berlin school on steroids. Interestingly, most discs like to grab your attention early, but Stephen Parsick (now the only force behind Ramp) starts with the gloomy, dark shifting textures of r0;Rail.r1; Really, though, it serves as a lengthy intro to the main course, the nearly 14 fantastic minutes that are r0;Skeletal.r1; Fans of Redshift and Node absolutely must hear this stunning track. It is at turns edgy, moody, dramatic, and aggressive - an instant classic. The disc has great flow, going from active numbers like this one to the dark formless bridging piece r0;Girdersr1; before rich, thick bass and gritty synths kick back in on r0;Wreckage.r1; After virtually abandoning sequencing for his foray into purely doombient releases, Parsick rediscovers the technique with a vengeance here, continuing seamlessly into r0;Piecesr1; and the title track. The album is divided into four parts of three tracks each. The third three-part epic reaches its peak on r0;Hamburgisedr1;, another powerfully restless sequencer fest with rumbling pulsating bass. The fourth and final section is every bit as good as the rest. Debris is hands down the best, most potent electronic music album of 2009."
And a little further down the "Features" page:
Best CDs of 2009
Electronic
Best Overall (tie): Javi Canovas "In This Moment, In This Place"
Best Overall (tie): Ramp "Debris"
These were both such excellent CDs in their own way. Javi's is everything I love about melodic upbeat Berlin school with dashes of all my favorites seemingly mixed in - Redshift, Radio Massacre International, Tangerine Dream, and more.
Stephen Parsick's Ramp project is the bolder, edgier one that goes for the darker side of Redshift as well as Node, and just nails it. Best yet Stephen, great job!
Thanks for reading,
Stephen.
"Wer sich am kommerziellen Musikgeschmack orientiert, dient der Reaktion." (Einstürzende Neubauten, 1981)
Beiträge: 399 Ort: Pudding City, Eastern Westphalia Eingetreten: 25.02.07
Eingetragen auf 22-03-2010 12:19
Here´s a nice review by Dave Law (thanks, Dave!):
There are four main tracks each with three sections. The first part of r16;Skeletalr17; starts with the most wonderful spaced out windy drones. A sequence and loop start to form but only really establish themselves as we enter the second part. Even so they are initially rather restrained but ominous. A much deeper bass sequence surges forward, retreats, then keeps returning is waves of brooding menace. Sometimes it reaches enormous proportion, growling its displeasure. We return to cosmic colouring for the third part. The opening part of the title track uses a melodic fizzing loop as the main focus while other sounds and effects create images in the mind. Yet another ball breaking sequence emerges. A second higher register sequence skips over the top, little percussives joining in the fun. The various individual elements weave around each other, changing in intensity and ever shifting, creating quite a mesmerizing effect. r16;Bomber Harrisr17; initially takes us back to the windy atmospherics and then we follow a similar pattern of slow but heavy sequences arriving then ebbing and flowing. This time, in the second part, we get some excellent mellotron lead lines. Fizzing solar flares add to the excitement. Things become quite ethereal for the concluding section. r16;Skeletonsr17; gets into the deep bass sequencing even earlier than the previous tracks. Percussive rhythms act like steam hissing from the pulsations while little looped melodies slowly rise then fall through the mix. We then get a lovely section where things are stripped back, each element making its own very subtle cameo. The big mother of all sequences soon returns however, scattering all before it as it follows its own devastating path. Things become rather moody once more as we enter the middle section of r16;picture musicr17;, all very descriptive bringing up various images in the mind. The sequence does make a last flourish before we enter the final part of the final track which has a much warmer heat haze feel finishing this moody, often aggressive, album peacefully. (DL)
Beiträge: 399 Ort: Pudding City, Eastern Westphalia Eingetreten: 25.02.07
Eingetragen auf 31-05-2010 13:04
Here´s a review, written by Matt Howarth over at www.soniccuriosity.com. Matt writes short stories based on and inspired by the music by Robert Rich, btw. :
['RAMP]: Debris (CD on Parsick Music)
This release from 2009 offers 76 minutes of dense electronic music.
A wondrous fusion of ambient and industrial sensibilities, resulting in tuneage of deeply contagious resonance, not just blending the genres of Berlin School and dark ambience but actually generating an entirely new type of contemporary electronics: doombience.
Moody tones vie for dominance, only to be jostled aside by more demonstrative electronics that command the playing field and strive to push the envelope. Dense texturals and deep notes achieve a subterranean resonance that stirs the listener by reaching into their anatomy and contaminating every cell with an affinity for this new level of stimulation.
The electronics flourish with emotional impact crafted to plunge everything into shadow. This murkiness is hardly depressing or gloomy, however; instead it thrives with a vibrancy normally found in chord basked in illumination. Parsick's skill with this sonic contradiction results in highly evocative music that uses darkness to captivate and uplift the audience. Although a lot of the notes belong to the bass range, their expressed sound reaches beyond that bottom to kindle higher responses. The addition of naturally higher notes produces a well-rounded palette, resulting in tuneage that glistens with an oily charm.
E-perc plays a role here, contributing crisply haunting tempos that punctuate the seething flow with a sprightly animation. The beats are crafted to possess an unearthly timbre that goes far beyond any conventional mechanical or computerized character.
These compositions are empowered with a vitality that breathes zest into brooding auralscapes with glorious results. The melodies are engaging, rousing and stimulating.
Ramp - DEBRIS (CD)
Of all the German electronic "bands" ['ramp] (in fact, one Stephan Parsick), stands out as one of the most conceptually unique and electronically powerful German synthetic music experiments. Their "doombient" sound is literally suffocating in its densely sculpted and deeply subsonic vibrations. In some sense ['ramp] seems gene spliced from Lou Reed's METAL MACHINE MUSIC, and inhabited with a primal pulse that pounds and pulsates relentlessly giving it a living breathing energy that at times overwhelms your system. Beyond ambient, it's more like the sound and fury of the future, after environmental pollution has been totally unleashed and the air we breathe has become saturated with sonic DEBRIS that makes us dizzy in the head. Warning - listening to this on headphones is not recommended.
"Wer sich am kommerziellen Musikgeschmack orientiert, dient der Reaktion." (Einstürzende Neubauten, 1981)
"Beyond ambient, it's more like the sound and fury of the future..."
Even if it included only this line it would be pretty enough! Even if it included only the two words before the coma would be again sufficiently explicit and consisting of enough appreciation for your work. Nice review indeed, sometimes few words say more than a thousand.
). Thanks for reading.
v6.00.307 © 2003-2005