"Obsessive Surrealism" by Parallel Worlds (DiN26)

M

Moduleman

.
hello all,

Press Release info follows:

DiN26 - Obsessive Surrealism by Parallel Worlds

Release date 5th March 2007


din26cover.jpg


Parallel Worlds is the main project for the Greek musician Bakis Sirros. He has been active in the Greek electronic music scene since 1998 having performed at several concerts including E-PHOS electronic music festival in summer of 2001, Mad club, Club22 (2nd Summer in the city Festival), Music Day Festival 2006, Small Music Theatre and the Underworld Club. He is also involved with other muscians in collaborative work. The new IDM project “Interconnected” with the German IDM musician Ingo Zobel (of DRON, Signalform, Self Oscillate) and the ambient / experimental project “Memory Geist” with the Australian electronica musician Steve Law (of Zen Paradox, Starseed Transmission).

“Obsessive Surrealism” (DiN26) is his fourth album having previously released “Existence” in 2003 on Greek label Rubber Recordings and “Insight” in 2004 and “Far Away Light” in 2005 both on the UK label Shima Records. He has also had tracks included on several compilation releases.

Bakis is a great advocate of modular analogue instruments and indeed is the moderator for the Doepfer A100 modular users group. He has also been extensively involved with sound design for the UK analogue modular synthesiser company Analogue Systems.

The music of Parallel Worlds is a combination of dreamy, atmospheric textures and pure analogue electronic rhythms and <a href="https://www.sequencer.de/specials/sequencer.html">Sequencer</a>uences, combining the feel of 70’s electronic music with modern electronica and ambient music. Sirros uses huge analogue modular instruments and analogue step Sequencers of the past and present combined with digital FM, virtual analogue synths and sampling. However he manages to elude the fate of many of his contemporaries in not falling into the trap of simply recycling the past. He creates a music that lives and breathes, imbued with his own personality and mannerisms. At one and the same time familiar and fresh. Steady, organic rhythmic structures are overlaid with deceptively simple melodies that remind one of some lost John Carpenter soundtrack.

for Audio Clips and more Info go to the DiN news page:
http://www.din.org.uk/news.html

BakisSirros.jpg


many thanks,
best regards, :)
Bakis.
 
If i would have an official release like , i would do it like bakis. In my opinion this is the right place for announcements like this.
 
yes of course is advertisment for an official release right and such a forum a good place - so as i'm thinking about it -espcially having in mind my next official album release is coming very soon - it's ok

i just didn't knew that he is a well known member here

sorry about calling it spam ;-)
 
verstaerker schrieb:
it's just advertisment - nothing to download for us - just the copied and pasted press-text -> spam
Zum Vergrößern anklicken....
hello, :)

sorry if i am mistaken, but this is the right topic for announcing CD releases, right?

also, you do can listen to audio clips from three of the album tracks in the DiN news page.

many thanks,
best regards, :)
Bakis.
 
hello,
check out the main/news page of the Synth Music Direct website
(www.synthmusicdirect.com) for comments on my new album.

here are their comments:

"Parallel Worlds / Obsessive Surrealism An amazingly inventive rhythmic / melodic release that sounds quite like nothing I have heard before but is so listenable without any of the too 'difficult' moments that often comes with such inventive releases. This is probably the best release on the DiN label so far. Deserves to be huge. "
 
more reactions on the new Parallel Worlds cd album "Obsessive Surrealism" (DiN26), and a full (great) review in italian:

Tom Carpenter (Analogue Solutions):
"...CD it's great! I like atmospheric music and the sounds are great"

Bob Williams (Analogue Systems):
"...definitely your best work to date, ...and all the sound programming is excellent"

Peter Grenader (Plan B):
"It's terrific, ...I really like it."

Mike Brown (Livewire Electronics):
"got the CD yesterday... been listening to it ever since! excellent!"

www.Dagheisha.com (Italian Music webmag):
"Un surrealismo che incentra la propria ricerca sulle infinite potenzialitΰ del Doepfer A100 modular e sulla combinazione tra atmosfere sognanti ispirate all'elettronica analogica e agli anni settanta quanto ai traguardi raggiunti in questi anni dalla musica ambient. 'Obsessive Surrealism' conferma la straordinaria visionarietΰ di un Bakis Sirros sempre piω vincente nella catalogazione delle proprie emozioni e influenze. L'inesorabile e morboso incedere di questo manifesto ossessivo di elettronica moderna trova il suo apice assoluto in 'Different Pathways' e 'Into The Caves Of The Mind' che pitturano in un contesto schematico ma mai freddo la deframmentazione organica di quelle cellule visive con le quali siamo abituati a confrontarci quotidianamente. Nessun confine e nessun limite θ stabilito in tale ricerca anche quando a tratteggiarsi sono 'Pale Yellow Sky' e 'Crying Spells' che si allontanano leggermente dall'imprevedibilitΰ generale per ricordarci che anche le menti piω sperimentali amano sottolineare i propri concetti. Non fatevi scappare l'artwork curato da Progs von Dφn limitato alle prime 1000 copie."
 
Parallel Worlds - "Obsessive Surrealism" CD review of Synth Music Direct (www.synthmusicdirect.com) :


"Electronic bleeps contrast with a lovely organic piano as 'Beneath Fear' gurgles into life. All manner of sounds fizz and slither around the piano melody- then in comes a sedate but sublime rhythm, ethereal pads sighing over it all. The beats become more aggressive then subside again leaving wonderful contrasting melodies. What an absolutely awesome opener this is: inventive, compelling but also easy to get on with. 'Different Pathways' takes an alternative but equally as effective approach. Strange alien animal sounds mix with a staccato rhythm which literally seems to crack with energy. We then go through a grungy section as if electricity is arcing, escaping from some vast energy source. Subtle lonesome little lead lines roll over the top demanding your attention. Each sound is so precise and covering most areas of the sonic spectrum but at no time is there a sense of clutter. It's as if every single element can be heard and taken in. If anything extra were added it would be too much. If something were removed the track would not be complete. Perfect. 'Empty Human Cells' features melodic stabs over almost growling bass shudders which form a melodic focus all of their own. A deep rhythm purposefully stutters underneath. It's almost as if some awesomely powerful but injured creature is making its way through the darkness. You wouldn't want to meet it! 'Increasing Complexity' has a wonderfully moody five note repeated melody to which another rather sinister lead is added. A gentle rhythm compliments the melodies wonderfully but it's the sounds chosen for the beats that are the most impressive feature- subtle rather than bludgeoning. Even though it's all incredibly beautiful, there is something slightly unsettling about it at the same time.

'Into the Caves of the Mind' uses a repeated three-note melody which slowly rises up, floating through a sea of tinkling percussion. Mean drums crash out like a whip, joined my all manner of other fascinating syncopations- then its all calm again for a few moments. Weird manipulated and scrunched sounds mingle with each other, at one moment trying to meld into harmony then at the next seemingly vying for supremacy. Whip- the drums return. Scratching creeping creatures emerge for 'Interlude', creating quite an eerie atmos. 'Reflective' starts with very moody pads. The drums give a feel of foreboding, a squelchy bass line heightening the tension whilst a lovely little questing melody provides a mysterious contrast. I've heard nothing like this combination of sounds and rhythms before and I'm completely drawn in by it all. 'Mindmists' contains yet another wonderful collage of sounds then piano and gurgling slithering effects. We start to chug along again and there's even mellotron thrown in there adding a further level of mystery. There is an unclutteredness to it all and yet so much is going on that it is just impossible to take it all in. 'Pale Yellow Sky' rumbles into life. And these rumbles are so incredibly deep. Little melodic note droplets fall like water from a carven roof high above. Ticking percussion mixes with the coolest a beats which grab the attention and don't let go.

'Distracted' is initially a riot of bleeps and twittery sounds. Two <a href="https://www.sequencer.de/specials/sequencer.html">Sequencer</a>uences and a rapid staccato rhythm suddenly propel the track forward and I'm taken with it on the back of the bubbling cauldron of pulsations. Then it's all stop and I'm left in a delightful state of float before the syncopations return and I'm off again. We finish with another rather spooky section, a voice being heard so low in the mix that it is impossible to work out the words. This of course makes it seem even more sinister. 'Crying Spells' has a slow build up, a throbbing pulse and swirling effects very gradually getting louder but never really bursting through. Again it's all so tremendously moody but this time in a brooding understated sort of way.

What an album! File under 'God Knows' or 'Genius', both would be applicable. Truly unique and Very Highly Recommended to anyone who wants to try something that is new but also accessible. (DL) "
 
Roel Steverink's review of "Obsessive Surrealism"

Beneath fear:
It has a beautiful mysterious atmosphere evoked by the bubblings and slitherings of sounds. Very nice contrast of dark layers and lighter floating melodies and esotheric choir. It also shows a row of rhythmic peaks, which lift it even more, before it sinks back in an undulating morass of fascinating electronic bubbles and audio slithers.

Different Pathways:
Very strong piece. Starting with dark, hauntisch layers which glide over a bed of sizzles and other pre-mordial sounds out of which a electronic rhythm slips, on which on top several shade-friendly melodic progressions crawl.

Empty Human Cells:
This piece is a haven for subtle experimental electronic percussion almost Frohmader-esque, an erecter of exotic melodies Japan (the group)-like and keeper of the most undescribable watery noises and sounds.

Increasing Complexity:
One could swear to hear the hand of Ian Boddy on the electronic percussion. The whole piece drives on a hazy, short melodie upon which undercurrent other melodies and invigorating percussion walk.

Into the caves of the mind:
Sirros paints with reflective sounds the insight of his own mind. Percussive slabs shoot like electric pulses through these spaces.

Interlude:
The beginning of this track could almost have been the opening music to the dark Tangerine Dream soundtrack The Keep. The same approaching stamp of deep reverberated percussion and accompagnied by distant thunderish roar and strange, camouflaged melodies.

Reflective:
Although the ghost of Depeche Mode hovers above all tracks, it's nowhere so effident as on this track. Fabulous bass stamping, though with a shy character in the end, also the revolving dark talking of sound, occasionally erecting glow and a dark-warm blanket of melody overlaying it without touching. Slight critism: meaby it's a bit too long.

Mindmists:
Tomita-Moogish big ominious sounds rise like prehistoric monsters, along the way choir and mid-tempo rhythm lead it to an intermezzo of which rustic character leads it's to a fade ending.

Pale Yellow Sky:
Listening too this piece, is like walking through a modern city, destination unknown.

Distracted:
Piercing, metalic noises introduce an tempting drum and <a href="https://www.sequencer.de/specials/sequencer.html">Sequencer</a>uence rhythm with processed wah-wah effect-melodie which all dissapears in a eerie echoing drum-surrealism. I would call this up tempo piece classic Parallel Worlds.

Crying spells:
The closer retakes the eerie echoing drum-surrealism for the final secret.

So, I think it's Parallel Worlds' best album to date!
Some great sounds they made, sometimes reminding of Japan (the group), sometimes even reminding of the great Isao Tomita!

Roel Steverink
 
new great review of "Obsessive Surrealism" DiN26 a

A sound wave, dark and droning hops in opening of Beneath Fear. A
variegated
intro, which lets emerge a fine piano melody, stiff in a dense sound
fauna.
This soft tune shares its harmonies with a cloud of tonalities as
varied as
the fear can have its reasons; flutes, whistling synth with the
melodious
set of themes, percussions hopping and jerking in a light and
lugubrious
environment. If the tempo is of equal appearance, it becomes more
implosive
in the end, hammering the rhythm with the force of fear. Interesting?
Of
course! Parallel Worlds, or Greek musician Bakis Sirros, presents a
totally
awesome title in Obsessive Surrealism; the perfect fusion between EM
and
electronica.
A world of rich sound textures and disconcerting tempos, which are
moulded
perfectly to the sound effects and samplings meticulously proportioned
by
Bakis Sirros. This defender of analogical sonorities create thus an
extraordinary effect of richness to juxtaposed dimensions, as in a
parallel
world, which fills with wonder and which changes many data in a musical
world where the sound machines don?t have borders.
This gives additional languorous effects on titles like Different
Pathways
and the aggressive Into the Caves of the Mind where the ingenuous lead
lines
are absorbed by sound effects that propagate an opposite rhythm. An
incredible and subtle moulding, as if my invisible clone would go in
front
of me and absorb me while passing... I mould in him and am his forms.
Completely brilliant. These strokes of genius pullulate on Obsessive
Surrealism, of the avant-gardism publisher DIN Records, which
specializes in
the Contemporary Electronic Music. With its vaporous gas jets, Empty
Human
Cells presents a static intro. Gradually, a circular tempo is install
supported on deform bass and percussive, if not hammering, sound
effects
which flies, whereas environment becomes intriguing, on short symphonic
layers. With a title as striking as Increasing Complexity, we expect an
insane swirl. But we have instead a small islands beat, with
xylophonists
percussions. The beauty of this track is this distortional line of
electronic percussions, which is moulded to a suave and flowing tempo.
A
beautiful throbbing tempo wakes up Reflective senses. Slow, like a
hypnotic
pulsation, a fat and round <a href="https://www.sequencer.de/specials/sequencer.html">Sequencer</a>uence oscillates through synthetic pads
that
float gently, on a more and more hopping <a href="https://www.sequencer.de/specials/sequencer.html">Sequencer</a>uence. A strange cascade,
to
strings synths, crosses this bouncing movement which takes a form of
undulating jazz with bewitching layers and very effective percussions.
Whereas Mindmists makes us visit the corridors as deviating as Empty
Human
Cells, with more variances in the rhythms, Pale Yellow Sky is a
beautiful
meeting piano/cello, in a lounge environment of amplified percussions.
Still, the tempo is solitary and is carved around sound effects and
samplings. Aggressive and tasty, Distracted strikes us full whip with a
heavy electronic approach, as if Ramp would have built this movement. A
powerful title which is an absolute synthetic effervescence, in a loud
ambiance, bordering Mark Shreeve and Ramp limits. Still on the upbeat,
Crying Spells has the look of its title. An intense paranoiac bolero,
with
unpleasant choirs on satanic pulsations.

What an opus! From the first to the last key, I was struck by the
musical
approach of Parallel Worlds on Obsessive Surrealism, which gives me the
same
impact as Brian Eno with Nerve Net. Everywhere, samplers and sound
effects
paper the parts length into broad, over sizing the structures, all in
their
giving an artistic depth to the astonishing paradox. Very good, very
refreshing, we perceive the parallelism intrusion with an amazing
subtlety,
signs of a perfect symbiosis. (Rating: 5 out of 6)
AVAILABLE at: http://www.din.org.uk/

http://www.gutsofdarkness.com/god/objet.php?objet=9550
Sylvain from Quebec, Canada
Guts Of Darkness: The French Website of Dark, Ambient & Experimental
Music
http://www.gutsofdarkness.com/
 
Artemi Pugachov / Encyclopedia of Electronic Music review (RU):
(www.pugachov.ru/eem)

"What caught my attention first was the title of this new album by Greek synthesist and sound sculptor Bakis Sirros. Now, let's see if there's anything Dali-esque about the music. Dark tones and some bleeps is what we get for a few seconds into "Beneath Fear". Then a moody melodic refrain comes in. It's all rather dramatic, with electronic rhythms and Mellotron choir. This is the moodiest piece I've heard from Bakis so far and in a way it's a progression from his previous, IDM-influenced style. Don't get me wrong, it's still very contemporary sounding, but somehow the mood is different, despite the bass drum that really adds this "techno" element to the music. This is some mysterious and at the same time melancholic music. Not bad at all. "Different Pathways" has a more stiff rhythm and strange effects. There's still that mysterious aura and a somewhat claustrophobic atmosphere that permeates this track. Some of the sounds that Bakis coaxes out of his modular synths are quite unusual and it's clear that he'd spent some days (or nights) just programming the synths, searching for the right sound (isn't EM all about creating sounds?). "Empty Human Cells" introduces a more somber and outright aggressive sound. At this stage the music really starts sounding like the album's title. A strange thing to notice is that the rhythm seems to be somewhat out of sync with the bass line, but it sounds organic and intentional. "Increasing Complexity" starts with deep sine wave bell tones somewhat similar to the sound of an electric piano. Looks like the somber, dark and melancholic mood of this album is set to continue for a while, this time in a more minimalist framing. The track has only got a sparse accompaniment of strange and /or darkish atmospheric sounds and a repetitive structure (which is a bit odd, considering the track's title). "Into the Caves of the Mind" introduces some broken rhythms, while the atmosphere itself refuses to stray from the mysterious and, once again, somewhat claustrophobic. It's like the world has collapsed and there's only here and now - the singularity of sound. As if it was not enough, "Interlude" is even deeper and darker, approaching the territory of the darker forms of Ambient. Great, simply great stuff! "Reflective" brings in more cosmic elements; at least that's how it sounded to my ears. It's also one of the more Techno-influenced tracks here. As someone who doesn't like Techno music, I found most of it a bit hard going, but I still liked the mood of this track and most of the supporting textures. "Mindmists" sounds like a title for an atmospheric track. Indeed, this is deep stuff, with dark piano notes and mucho mutating, experimental synth timbres. Another attraction of this track is the appearance of Mellotron strings (I think it's the first time they are heard on "Obsessive Surrealism"). "Pale Yellow Sky" has close to none of the darker shades present on most of the tracks, but the sense of mystery is still the focal point of this number. I really like the strings / pads arrangements of this one. "Distracted" is somewhat jarring, with its noisy textures and strident bass lines. Looks like it's the most upbeat track on the album. It's also one of those techno-ish numbers, but it beats most of what's sold as Techno or Trance to dust! Very interesting music with some tasty synth sounds. "Crying Spells" has a marching bass line that sounds like a procession heading straight into a hell hole! All the dark synth sounds, all the noisy injections make this track a real winner. Overall, Bakis presents quite stark (and decidedly electronic) music on this release. I mean, it's all grey. No other colors, just grey, mostly of the darker scales. There's hardly a bright section to be heard. The music is imbued in melancholy, mystery and claustrophobia. Going back to the title, there's a certain "manic" or "obsessive" feeling about most of this album, but "surrealism"? Hmm... I guess if Dali lived in an isolation tank that flew through cosmic void, then perhaps his paintings could have been the visual equivalent of the music presented here. A very interesting release on the DiN label and highly recommended for fans of contemporary EM and for those who simply want to hear something a bit different."



Steve Farley (Sonic Vibrations Radio show, Winsconsin Public Radio, US)
(www.wpr.org/regions/lax)

"...I love it, can't wait to air it. All the reviewers, who had positive comments on it, were right on..."
"...Been listening to Obsessive Surrealism all day. Man, I'm very impressed. Many thoughts are going through my mind as I'm digesting the music..."
 
New "Obsessive Surrealism" DiN26 review of e/ i ma

here is the Review of "Obsessive Surrealism" from e/i magazine:

"Drama, melodrama, psychodrama. Those states imbue the syllabus Greek
electronician Bakis Sirros, operating under the nom de disque
Parallel Worlds, has chosen as his dictum for Obsessive Surrealism,
instructing us from out of the darker amphitheaters of the Berlin
school, window blinds drawn tight. Well, perhaps 'Berlin school'
isn't the best appellation to use here. Sirros makes sounds that seem
perfectly happy at play in the fields of the lords synth and
Sequencer, but what actually grunts and growls its way across the
battered landscape reveals something of a distinctly modern Modular
mind. Titles such as 'Beneath Fear,' 'Empty Human Cells,' and
'Into
the Caves of the Mind' connote a far more Freudian preoccupation with
altered consciousness than the average dessicated Krautrock hippy.
Fixating on feral pinging resonances, moody nomenclature, and the
noises emitted by scuttling tiny electronic beasties going bump in
the night, Obsessive Surrealism acts like the monkey wrench thrown in
the machinery of B.S. (double entendrι intentional, folks). To wit:
'Increasing Complexity' is all prescience and poise, muddied pulses
wafting in a nocturnal thrush of chimes and argumentative insect
chatter, something of a respite from the terminator synth-tug that
envelopes 'Empty Human Cells,' which is about as exhilaratingly
scary
as the descriptor suggests. Sirros is no doubt attuned to the fact
that space is indeed the place. But it's inner space, though, those
strange little areas in the ducts of the mind that fascinates him
most, that lead directly to the malevolent monoliths of buzz, gurgle
and drift set into motion on 'Reflective.' Yes, there's some
abject
dread here in these synthetic surrealities, as if Sirros OD'ed on a
surfeit of Philip K. Dick and 70s Harlan Ellison spec-fiction; 'Pale
Yellow Sky' is a compelling enough experience in and of itself,
curling noises eddying in and out of shimmering black vacuums that
have no mouth yet must scream. The tension here is palpable, the
music's edges serrated, pitted. This ain't your usual pixie
grinnin'
to the cosmos kind of thing, which is why time might paint Obsessive
Surrealism as a minor masterpiece of the (anti)genre."

Darren Bergstein
http://www.ei-mag.com/verite0004.php
 
New "Obsessive Surrealism" DiN26 reviews.

Review of Sonic Curiosity magazine - Matt Howarth:

"This release from 2007 offers 63 minutes of haunting electronic music.
Languid electronics laced with haunting harmonics generate melodies supported by understated e-perc of a bubbling nature. Keyboards provide dreamy chords that are supported by airy textures which exhibit a nocturnal flair. The electronics are generally lighthearted and breezy; even the periodic denser tonalities bear a soft sonic caress.

A subtle illbient quality lies buried in this tuneage, but it is not prominent enough to disrupt the overall heavenly nature with any substantial edginess. This glitchy seasoning is carefully implanted in the music in a manner that is almost subliminal, enhancing the tuneage with a ghostly charge, crackling in a fashion that is sedate and unintrusive. This fusion of contemporary EM and crackling techno gives the music a highly intriguing sound that is quite appealing.

The rhythms are equally soothing, providing a calm propulsion rather than a driving beat presence. Some of the tempos gurgle as if resounding from underwater or perhaps deep inside a cloud of glutinous gas. It's almost as if the percussives were generated by organic machinery.

These compositions display a distinctly celestial quality, ethereal yet sturdily crafted with body. The melodies consist of keyboards thriving in a textural medium, gentle riffs surrounded by cottony expanses of bewitching disposition."
www.soniccuriosity.com/sc298.htm

review of Howard Moscovitz - www.electro-music.com :
"This is an excellent CD in the genre of what some would call Space Music. Parrallel Worlds is big into the vintage analog sounds, but the music is fresh. You can relax with this music and let it carry you away, but it is still interesting. If you like Space Music and/or Soundscapes, you will enjoy this CD." (5/5 stars)
 
Synthtopia review of "Obsessive Surrealism" DiN26

review of the new album from the Synthtopia website (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2007/ ... #more-3022 ):

"Obsessive Surrealism, the latest CD by Parallel Worlds, is a synth lover's dream.

The release is the fourth CD by Parallel Worlds, the first on the DIN label. We've been impressed by previous DIN releases, and Obsessive Surrealism is no exception. The CD is a dense blend of very electronic-sounding elements with very organic-sounding ones.

Parallel Worlds is the performing name for Greek musician Bakis Sirros. He's been active in the Greek music scene for about 10 years, and has performed at a variety of electronic music events. He's also collaborated with other musicians on other projects, including Interconnected (IDM) and Memory Geist (ambient/experimental).

Bakis' music on this CD emphasisizes synthesis, using electronic gear and software to create new sounds and effects. His music is melodic and is very effective at creating various moods, but what really sets it apart is Bakis' creative sound work.

Bakis puts a huge variety of gear to use, including: Doepfer A100 modular, Analogue Systems RS-Integrator modular, Technosaurus System D modular, modified EMS VCS-3 x2), ARP 2600, Odyssey, Roland System 100, System 100m, modified Oberheim 2-voice, Korg MS50, MS20, SQ10, Trident, PE1000, Analogue Solutions Concussor modular, modified TR606, Nord modular, JP8000, Microwave XT, MS2000R, S750, Emax 2, Korg ES1, Roland Space Echo, Korg SE500 and additional sound manipulators.

While this is an impressive gear list, Bakis appears to be most interested in wringing the most out of traditional synthesis. As a result, the music doesn't sound like the result of intense studio editing, but more like he's captured studio performances.

The music itself is pure synth music, leaning towards the dark ambient. It shares some elements with synth artists of the 70's, but also with the work of contemporary synth music masters, like Robert Rich and Ian Boddy. The pieces are relatively short soundscapes that emphasize <a href="https://www.sequencer.de/specials/sequencer.html">Sequencer</a>uenced elements, along with synth-strings, "vocal" pads and quirky glitch percussion effects.

In addition to the creative sound design, Bakis makes very effective use of stereo space; listening to the CD on a set of monitors revealed the depth of the music's range, while listening on earbuds highlighted a lot of creative stereo effects.

One of the highlights of the CD is the track Increasing Complexity. At its heart, it's a simple melodic <a href="https://www.sequencer.de/specials/sequencer.html">Sequencer</a>uence on piano. Bakis treats the piano so that it's muted and bathed in reverb, giving it an distant, underwater sound reminiscent of the piano effects on Brian Eno & Harold Budd's collaborations. Over this, Bakis layers strange echoing birdlike noises, synthesized percussion effects, a <a href="https://www.sequencer.de/specials/sequencer.html">Sequencer</a>uenced bassline and evolving synth pads, building the piece to a dense jungle of sound. By the end, the piano fragment that holds things together has almost disappeared, leaving just the organic synth effects.

Another great track is Pale Yellow Sky. Like Increasing Complexity, the track uses a minimal melodic fragment as a framework for organizing a collection of uneasy sounds. Halfway through the track, the music dies down to almost nothing, focusing your attention on water-drip percussive effects, before building up again. Towards the end of the track, the melodic elements die out, leaving just drones, effects and ambience. Throughout,
Bakis frequently shifts the focus of the music from background to foreground and back, highlighting the layers of creativity in the mix.

Parallel Worlds' Obsessive Surrealism is full of very original sound design, but also makes effective use of synth music staples like <a href="https://www.sequencer.de/specials/sequencer.html">Sequencer</a>uences, synth-strings and vocal pads. The combination draws you quickly into the pieces, where the depth of the music's quirkiness slowly reveals itself. Highly recommended."
 
New "Obsessive Surrealism" DiN26 review/comments.

"Dear Bakis,
at the weekend I finally found the time to listen to your new CD
unhurriedly.
I'm very impressed and I heard the CD three times, some pieces even more. It
is by far your best album and you will have problems to top it in the future
:). And believe me: I don't say it because I want to ingratiate as the
A-100 is mentioned and used. It is really a masterpiece of music but not
only of "sounds" (many of the CDs I obtain from other musicians include
excellent sounds - but miss musicality, your new album has definitely both)!
When I close my eyes I find myself flying in a spacecraft over a dark,
forbidden planet in an unknown solar system. I really love the mood that
that is generated by this music and - as already mentioned by others - it
would be an excellent movie soundtrack for a Carpenter film. My favoured
tracks are Beneath Fear, Interlude, Reflective (I think this is my favourite
at the moment), Distracted and Crying Spells. In any case the album will
obtain a place of honour in my CD collection.

Thank you for this music."

Dieter (Doepfer Musikelektronik - www.doepfer.de)
 
New (great) Greek review of "Obsessive Surrealism"

a great Greek review from the greek music webmag MIC:
for a few words on the cd, scroll down in this page: www.mic.gr (reffering to the album as "...the most exciting listening of this year...")

and the link with the extensive full album review:
http://www.mic.gr/cds.asp?id=13378

it would require much time for me to traslate the whole review in english, but the bottom line is that:
"this album is a point of reference for greek electronica and also... one of the most important albums (from a greek artist) of the current decade..."
review rating: 8.5 out of 10

thank you :)
Bakis.
 
Parallel Worlds - "Obsessive Surrealism" DiN26 cd review from AMG (All Music Guide):

"It's a distinctly odd place, Parallel Worlds, a universe Bakis Sirros has been building up over a series of intriguing albums. Obsessive Surrealism is his Worlds' fourth, and once again we are invited into the dark recesses, but of what and where precisely?

The aural landscapes are not really dystopian, although they're all far from anything one could describe as pleasant.

One begins by walking into a world "Beneath Fear" taking "Different Pathways" through the musical maze. Both numbers induce a somewhat clammy feel, a reflection perhaps of the cool dampness of this underground world, or maybe just a primordial reactive nervousness to the unknown.

In either case, it the numbers intended to heighten this sense of disquietude, they certainly succeed. The vistas are totally alien, the rhythms often discomforting, the atmospheres quivering with a sense of foreboding, the melody lines brooding at best, gloomy at worse. Strange noises intrude from the shadows, and there always seems to be something skittering around busily in the darkest corners of the pieces.

One imagines the many sci-fi plots involving humans walking unnoticed through strange worlds, while all around them exotic creatures scurry about performing inexplicable tasks. The explorers' initial fear gradually dampen, but never quite dissipate, as wonder and curiosity arises in its stead.

Sirros is the master of this mood, his rhythms, often slightly askew, keep listeners off-balance, his simple melody lines are equally off center, teetering between light and dark, increasing

one's sense of insecurity, while the gloomy atmospheres heighten the tension. "Into the Caves of the Mind", for instance, is a master work whose center is totally askew, and "Increasing Complexity" shows how it's done, as Sirros takes a simple, pretty keyboard melody and slowly builds it <a href="https://www.sequencer.de/specials/sequencer.html">Sequencer</a>uential block by block into a thoroughly haunting number.

The richer sounds of "Reflective" is like a distorted infinity mirror, with a million lights looking into darkness.

"Empty Human Cells" is more rhythmic in orientation and thoroughly creepy in feel, while "Distracted", the set's only compulsive, driving piece, is a manic ride through the netherworld.

But for all its alien feeling, the track titles suggest this bizarre world is not to be found in a galaxy far, far away, but within the mind of a human nearly as unknowable. A chilling adventure in every sense of that word."
(Rating: 4.5 out of 5)

All Music Guide / Jo-An Greene
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=am ... ftxzl5ldde
 
CUE Records(Germany) review of

Parallel Worlds - "Obsessive Surrealism" DiN26 cd album:



"Hinter Parallel Worlds verbirgt sich der griechische Musiker Charalambos Sirros, der hier nun schon sein viertes Album vorstellt. Er zieht alle Register der EM. Aber man erkennt seine Reife. Absolut das Beste, was er bisher gemacht hat. Mal melodiös, mal melancholisch. Aber die Synthiesounds stehen immer im Vordergrund."
 
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