Some context on this: Aamir Sajwani originally worked with dance music in his first CD: Imaginivity. I figure you might need to know that to figure out where he’s coming from on this set of eight. While that previous one might have been more dance-focused, this one takes a different tact. The best way I could describe what’s going on here would be all those dance acts from the early 90s who transformed into more experimental acts as the decade progressed, particularly “The Future Sound of London”. Listening to this, “The Future Sound of London” feels especially apt, as the sounds remind me of their “Lifeforms” double disc.
The sound is quite lush. You’re probably better off if you have on nice, thick headsets for this one. A particular joy is the bass on most of these. Usually bass is where a lot of techno fails. There’s a certain knack someone needs to create an effective but not overtake the song itself. It is a careful balance, and one the DJ handles with ease.
Actually, for a former DJ, he ends up putting a lot of the percussion in the background. Personally, I enjoy having melody and development as opposed to wonk-ish drum programming. So that’s definitely an excellent thing, particularly on the more ambient “Aurora” or the extremely sunny “Daybreak”. Even the ones with a more prominent beat have enough going on in the background, whether it is “Outdoors” with the ambient atmosphere he creates or my personal favorite “Connection”. “Connection” is absolutely fantastic, the development, the bass, and the sound itself. It is probably the best closer you could have for this set.
His DJ-ing days gave him the ability to work out pacing and other issues. With this he appears to stake out a more unique ground than mere dance or rave-ups. It brings back images of “Chill-out Room” music, and I mean that as the highest form of flattery. Stick with the album and give it more than one listen, as there’s enough going on to miss it the first time around.