Outside the temperature is tropical, inside I keep the curtains closed. I try to stay as calm as possible to avoid overdosis of sweat pouring out. Therefore I need relaxing music to keep my head cool. A very suited album for this purpose is this collaboration by Oöphoi and Tau Ceti from Italy. Especially Oöphoi is quite a well-known name in the ambient scene, with over 20 releases since 1995, working together with the likes of Alio Die, Mathias Grassow and Amir Baghiri. He is a very productive musician, he just has anew album out on Nextera called “Hymns to a silent sky”.
On ‘Subterranea’ Oöphoi plays numerous instruments, like synths, flutes, percussions and ritual devices like shells, stones and chrystals. He is supported by Tau Ceti on synths, while ambient veteran Klaus Wiese plays Tibetan singing bowls on one tracks as special guest. The six long tracks on this album are very relaxing and calming, with a mythical, mysterious mood. Almost 70 minutes of atmospheric, meditative ambient, with slow waves of subtle spacy drones. The different instruments involved can hardly be discerned and the compositions are rather static, but have trancelike effects. Just a nice album filled with tranquil ritual ambiance.
