SPECIAL EDITION CD3: TRIPURA SUNDARI (2007)

Total time: 71:59

Recorded: 2007
Distributed: 2007

REVIEWS

Writing long tracks, without index, is an audacious bet. Artists like Klaus Schulze and Mike Oldfield already broke their nose by presenting titles of an evolutionary complexity of 75 and 60 minutes respectively, without offering indexes. Moreover, fans of Oldfield indexed Amarok with more sections than needed. For the opening of the 3rd part of Tantric Celebration (his ambitious musical project of 12 cds) to The Great Cosmic Power of Beauty and Divine Love, INDRA decides to take up this challenge by presenting a track of more than 50 minutes.
‘Elixir’ is a superb musical journey that starts on a light swirl, whose sound arcs extend their reverberations on pulsing waves. Atonic, the movement is silence except for the light intrusions of felted ions to hypnotic tinkling. The sound refractions amplify under a fine undulating bass line which oscillates on a soft whirling arabesque, which intensifies its reverberating waves near delicate synth striations. If the connections with Kali and Tara seemed distant of Tantric Celebration, the Tripura Sundari album is closer than ever of INDRA’s cosmic voyage.

In itself, ‘Elixir’ is developing all the senses with this long voyage of an interior peace tinted of bewitching and hypnotic loops which progresses in 3 parts: lifelessness, awakening of senses and creation. Fusions are timeless and random to personal perceptions, from where the absence of indexes to make a clear distinction of it. Indra likes to surprise and he is particularly able to evolve a 50 minutes monster with an amazing progressive ability.
The movement is of a lascivious softness and grows in delicacy under the eye of a synth penetrating sound circles. Light synthetic pearls strew this intro which is activating on spiral sequences, as little as a finger touches the wave of water, provocative of a multitude of sound circles. These circles accentuate to amalgamate between inertia and dream, on a continuous impulsion, but whose acceleration is hardly perceptible. This segment is superb, because it’s flooded of syncretic sound forms to the evolution down there. We glide and drift on a calm surface, whose boiling is certain but not easily perceptible. The more we go, the more the beating becomes syncopate. Without percussion, the movement strikes with a hypnotic loudness, offering a trance sequenced of a dark veil feed of synths to ambiguous circles and heavy choirs darted of a claustrophobic emotion. Great Berlin School with enveloping waves and synths stuffed of loud and dominating mellotrons.

‘Casyopeea’ is built under the other direction. Instead of a horizontal swirl, it is a long circle with vertical sonorities which poke charm. On an intro with echo sonorities, hoop sounds invade us and direct us towards an emphatic form to sensual movements. A flutty mellotron of an indefinable musical texture, floats among this hypnotic universe with moulding loops and animated with a multitude of anions to the eurhythmies as various as its abundance. Neither really rhythmic, nor atonic, we attend to an incoherent ballet with gracious mobility as if the music could compel its theatrical depth. A beautiful track to efficient contradictory nuances which presents us a very particular Indra, with a completely new sonority and a structure of a strange ambiguity. ‘Casyopeea’ completes its journey on a malevolent counting rhyme, as if the dangers are always present, even in innocence.

In my opinion, Tripura Sundari is the most personal album of the Romanian synthesist. You have to take time to sit down and listen to this velvety musical voyage filled with tenderness and passion, where rhythms are progressing among a sea of a peaceful idler. An ode to love worship that increases with a poetic softness on the beginnings of deep paradoxes.

(original version)

Écrire de longues pièces, sans index musicaux, est tout un pari audacieux. Des artistes comme Klaus Schulze et Mike Oldfield se sont déjà rivés le nez en présentant des titres d’une complexité évolutive de 75 et 60 minutes, sans offrir d’index. D’ailleurs, les fans de Oldfield ont repris Amarok en ajoutant des index en quantité industriel. Pour l’ouverture de son 3ième chapitre de Tantric Celebration, un ambitieux de projet musical de 12 CD qui se veut une célébration à la grande puissance cosmique et à la divine beauté de l’amour, INDRA décide de relever ce défi en présentant une pièce d’ouverture de plus de 50 minutes.

‘Elixir’ est un superbe voyage musical qui prend naissance sur un léger tourbillon, dont les arcs sonores étendent ses réverbérations sur des ondes pulsatives Atonique, le mouvement est silence sauf pour les légères intrusions de ions feutrés aux tintements hypnotiques. Les réfractions sonores s’amplifient sous une fine ligne de basse ondulante qui oscille sur une douce arabesque tournoyante, qui intensifie ses ondes réverbérantes auprès de délicates striures synthétisées. Si les liens avec Kali et Tara semblaient distant de Tantric Celebration, Tripura Sundari est plus près que jamais du voyage cosmique d’INDRA.

À elle seule, ‘Elixir’ en développe les sens avec un long voyage d’une tranquillité intérieure teinté de boucles hypnotiques et envoûtantes qui progresse en 3 parties; l’atonie, l’éveil des sens et la création. Les fusions sont sans temps et aléatoires aux perceptions personnelles, d’où l’absence d’index pour en faire une distinction. INDRA aime étonner et est surtout capable de faire évoluer un monstre de 50 minutes avec une habilité progressive étonnante. Le mouvement est d’une douceur lascive et progresse en délicatesse sous l’œil d’un synthé aux cercles sonores pénétrants. De légères perles synthétiques parsèment cette intro qui s’active sur des séquences spiralées. Un peu comme un doigt touche l’onde des eaux, provocant une multitude de cercles sonores. Ces cercles s’accentuent pour fusionner entre l’inertie et le rêve, sur une impulsion continue, mais dont l’accélération est à peine perceptible. Ce segment est superbe, car il est inondé de formes sonores syncrétiques à l’évolution en place. On plane et on dérive sur une surface calme, dont l’ébullition est certaine mais difficilement perceptible. Plus on avance plus la cadence devient syncopée. Sans percussions, le mouvement percute d’une lourdeur hypnotique, offrant une transe séquencée d’un voile sombre, nourris de synthés aux cercles ambigus et aux chœurs lourds, dardés d’une émotion claustrophobe. Un gros Berlin School aux ondes enveloppantes et aux synthés truffés de mellotrons lourds et dominants.

‘Casyopeea’ est construite sous l’autre sens. Au lieu d’un tourbillon horizontal, c’est un long cercle aux sonorités verticales qui attisent l’envoûtement. Sur une intro aux sonorités échotiques, les cerceaux sonores nous envahissent et nous dirigent vers une forme emphatique aux mouvements sensuels. Un mellotron flûté d’une texture musicale indéfinissable flotte parmi cet univers hypnotique aux boucles moulantes et animé d’une multitude d’anions aux eurythmies aussi diverses que son abondance. Pas vraiment rythmé, ni atonique, on assiste à un ballet incohérent aux mouvances gracieuses comme si la musique pouvait en astreindre sa profondeur théâtrale. Un beau titre aux nuances contradictoires efficaces qui nous présente un Indra très particulier, avec une sonorité et une structure tout à fait nouvelles et d’une étrange ambiguïté. ‘Casyopeea’ se termine sur une comptine malveillante, comme si les dangers sont toujours présents, même dans l’innocence.

Selon moi, Tripura Sundari est l’album le plus personnel du synthésiste Roumain. Il faut prendre le temps de s’asseoir et d’écouter ce voyage musical velouté rempli de tendresse et de passion, aux rythmes progressifs dans une mer d’une oisive tranquillité. Une ode à l’amour culte qui progresse avec une douceur poétique sur des prémices aux paradoxes bien sentis.

2007 Sylvain Lupari / GOD / Canada

This is the third album in the Special Editions series, the first two being the superb Kali and Tara.

A two note sequence surges forward then subsides, coming and going like a sound in the wind. It’s all rather lonesome and sparse. A second sequence falls into formation behind the first, forming a constant in the middle of the mix around which the first comes and goes in waves. Slow, soothing, sighing lead lines hover above all the pulsations like a layer of fluorescent gas over a gently throbbing computer. I was suddenly aware of a third sequence but it had been introduced so carefully I did not notice its initial appearance. Now more alert however I did pick up the fourth which increased the pace slightly but really this isn’t blistering stuff, instead rather complex and subtle. Unbelievably fresh sequences keep coming but as the existing ones also have a habit of disappearing only to return later things don’t get overloaded – though I must admit it is very hard to keep the mind focused on all that is going on. There is a natural ebb and flow to it all as things reach levels that could almost be described as powerful – but not quite, whist at others things could almost be described as sparse – but not quite. It isn’t only in the sequence department that there is this level of complexity and subtlety however. Delicate lead colouring comes and goes, seeming so natural in the context it is placed that it can almost go by unnoticed and yet forming an essential element of the whole experience. I suppose the word ‘experience’ is the right word in listening to this music. The track lasts over fifty minutes and there are no obvious hooks or blistering moments. It is just there doing its mesmerizing thing. Some may find it all a bit too much whilst others will just let themselves be submerged, being at one with all the pulsations, letting go and being transported into a blissed out state.

The second track (a mere minnow at 20 minutes) immediately returns us to rapid multi layered sequences but this time with the introduction of a restrained but sympathetic rhythm. This isn’t quite as complex or intense as the opener but it is still very subtle even though there are more obvious elements, even melody, to get hold of and stop oneself being completely submerged in the sea of pulsations. As the track progresses it seems to develop a sort of moodiness, even attitude A particularly nice sequence is deployed in the twelfth minute adding that extra bit of interest just when it was needed and indeed enough happens to keep the mind tuned in, right until the end.

2007 David Law / Synthmusicdirect