Oöphoi - Time Fragments 3 (Skean Dhu, 2004)

*** sorry, no cover art ***

1 Clouds Over Mars
2 The Forest Dreams Of God
3 Dissolving In The Void
4 Approaching The Island Of The Sirens

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Oöphoi - Time Fragments 2 (Skean Dhu, 2003)

1 Voices In Ether 9:09
2 The Last Farewell 8:13
3 The Changeling 13:33
4 Mah (Alternate Version) 11:31
5 Requiem For A Green Planet 18:12
6 Borealis 10:48

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Oöphoi - Time Fragments 1 (Skean Dhu, 2002)

1 Childhood Memories 10:59
2 Ancient Ruins 7:11
3 A Gathering Of Pygmy Gods 22:58
4 A Call To Prayer 12:01
5 Til The End Of The World 7:03
6 Lost Lake 5:08

Oöphoi bubbled up out of nowhere for me, an unknown artist creating spacious, beautiful droneworks in obscurity somewhere in Italy. Since I heard about this artist, releases by him have appeared on very fine ambient labels like Hic Sunt Leones, Amplexus, Electroshock, and Hypnos. Even with all of the "official" releases, Gianluigi Gasparetti--the man behind Oöphoi--also self-produces special, limited CDR projects for his prodigious output. These "unofficial" releases often number in the best of his large catalog.

In 2001, Gasparetti released volume one of the Time Fragments series of CDRs, "a collection of lost pieces, waves and drones" from his archives. This, the first in a three part series, proves to be a fascinating addition to a strong discography--not a collection of quickly done throwaway tracks. In fact, volume one operates very well as a full length album of stately, dark, quiet soundscapes.

We begin with "Childhood Memories," a soft, billowing cloudbank of synths cradling a nostalgic childhood time. This is a restful place, whose sounds mirror soft intakes of breath. This track gently drifts along into "Ancient Ruins" which recalls the early cassette work by Vidna Obmana. You can almost imagine the spires of a stone structure slowly being pulled down to dust by inexorable gravity. The slightly symphonic synths give way to a ghostly, industrial drone-choir ... clearly, the spirits of this old, old place have not quite vacated. From silence, the next, crowning, track is "A Gathering of Pygmy Gods." This is the CD's longest track, clocking in at almost twenty-three minutes. It begins with a quiet drone, softly wavering with breathy, echoed noises. There is a whisper of windswept trees, and a hint of percussion, but like any ritual you aren't sure if the sounds are a product of your own imagination or the world swirling hallucinogenically around you. Gradually the sounds build, giving way to a harmonic shakuhachi, similar to work by Tuu or Robert Rich. The ritual continues with trance flutes, soft water sound, and the mysterious swelling of storms above. Eventually the track quiets into a space drift of low bass rumbles--the ritual is over, the clouds roiling as they recede into the distance.

We are then transported into a ritual of a different sort with "A Call to Prayer." A beautiful middle-eastern chanting is joined with spirit drones and tinkling crystals similar in sound to Klaus Wiese's Ceremony. The drone seems a bit out of place with the low volumed chant, which is clearly the highlight of the track ... a slight misstep in an otherwise excellent album. The final two short tracks recall the first piece of the album with all-encompassing mists of synth, which rise and fall in soft harmonies sounding rather like Tibetan singing bowls.

All in all this is a fantastic showcase of the different ambient modes Oöphoi works within. While Gasparetti's soundpath may have been trailblazed by others, his work is solidly created, intense, and worthwhile. This is an extremely listenable collection of mildly dark ambient tracks, well suited to those who find themselves repeatedly returning to Rich's Sunyata, or Alio Die's Under an Holy Ritual. Fine work.
The Ambient Review

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