Is this anti music? Absolutely! And it's not because it is 12 Connections disconnected from the music phases that our brain usually assimilates that “Connection - Tribute to Conrad Schnitzler” ain't worth seeing. From the first reverberations which gurgle and roar with insanity on the back of the pulsations which subdivide their linear strikings with ferocity, we know that the next 40 minutes of this tribute to Conrad Schnitzler will be forged in the labyrinths of the most absolute abstract art.

"Connection 1" is sculptured in noises of floating sheet steels and their cold metallic tones which melt themselves in a stunning oscillatory maelstrom which, eventually, turns out to be of a musicality that leaves perplexed. "Connection 4", although much jerked, is another track which pulses with a shambolic frenzy... if we like this kind of loud and noisy minimalist style. Look for harmonies nowhere; everything is out of tune, un-harmonic on this Gustavo Jobim's musical essay.

"Connection 2" offers an organic structure which floats in some sizzling waves, white noises of which the ample movements describe big winged arcs. We like? Well there is "Connection 8" which is divided between the sourness and its sweetness and also "Connection 10" which...euh...You have to hear it.

We enter into the cave of blackness with "Connection 3" and its intense dark layers of organs which blow in the lost flights of the frightened bats. A sombre track, like "Connection 5" which is more musical on the other hand with its vampiric waves and "Connection 9" which is a slow procession sleeping in the basements of a vast deserted warehouse.

"Connection 6" brings us to another level with its percussions which swirl in a fusion of helicopters' propellers on a bed of waves of which the metallic tones blow and suffer in indifference. "Connection 7"? What to say if it's not that it's made of noises. It's an explosion of explosions and backfiring of fireworks which burst of 1 000 electronic colors in the pains of the synth layers as dark than sad.

A chance that there is "Connection 11" to groom our ears which are exposed in one the most colorful sustained fire of tones that are of the most colourful and rhythms of the most strangely invertebrates we can imagine. And "Connection 12" to re-chlorinate our ears with its long resonant laments which pulse in toxins clouds of cracklings, completing a work of which the beauty lives in this will to feed the abstracted music from these tones which only a brain illuminated with a mission can restore; the mission to pay tribute to an artist as much strange as necessary.

"Perspectives" is a collaborative project between electronic musician Gustavo Jobim and British photographer Ian Land who currently resides in Berlin. It's a multimedia concept where each track corresponds (more or less) or is based on a certain photography by Ian Land. All of the pictures are black and white. Musically, Gustavo has chosen a different approach this time - relying solely of electric piano (using acoustic piano timbres) with virtually no electronics.

The first track, "Am Schlachtensee", is a study in repetition. It recalls classic American minimalist works of people like Philip Glass.

The title track follows and it's a much more haunting affair. High notes hang in the air like ghosts waiting to get saved from their endless wandering. However, as the track progresses, some impressionistic hues start to become noticeable. Not very Debussy-like (too chaotic for that), but still with that special, early 20th century mood. The track gets heavier as it progresses, with bass notes replacing the higher ones completely.

"Exemplary Service" is, on the other hand, pretty emotional and has a nice melodic sensibility. It reminded me a bit on Roedelius' style during his Forst period of working in the Cluster duo, as well as his subsequent creative years (1980 - 1991). Excellent track, this one.

"Asche zu Asche" steps it up a notch in drama. Although monochrome, these notes really manage to get the message through. An epitaph of shattered dreams and a hymn to decay, this is probably the darkest piece of the album.

"Arc de Triomphe" has faster piano runs and an overall brighter atmosphere, using major keys along with the minor ones. Overall, it's really one of the most complex tracks of the album, with multiple changes of themes and moods. Again, the general direction is rather impressionistic.

"Ghosts" returns to minimalist moods, with a very soundtrack-like quality to it. It could serve as a soundtrack to a mystery / drama / horror movie. Nice!

"Debris" is in a "sequenced piano" style that was explored on some of Gustavo's previous albums. All the fast piano runs really set up a darkish and disturbing mood, turning into monolithic walls of sound, crashing waves and ripples. The interesting part is that at times the music on this track doesn't sound like piano at all. It is probably the most explorative piece here.

"Rejected" closes the album on a minimal Brian Eno / Harold Budd note, with that special touch of Roedelius. Beautiful!

I really think of this album as one of Gustavo's main creative achievements. It is always a challenge to record a successful piano album, but he really managed to do something that differs from his usual output and yet possesses an irresistible quality and undeniable artistic value. It really helps to watch the photographs while listening to this music, as the ideas behind the tracks get clearer. Great album by Gustavo!

In Search of Berlin is a return to basics. It’s a musical journey in the heart of Gustavo Jobim's influences and the first movements of the sound experiments linked to early Berlin School, exception made of "Underground Train". For his 6th opus, the Brazilian synthesist weaves long titles with experimental ambiences painted of lugubrious and mephistophelic approaches where the rhythms give way to atmospheres rich in Mellotron textures, as in nice time of Phaedra, and in floating organ layers, resetting our souvenirs of a certain Klaus Schulze.

Moreover it’s with a lead line spitting its pulsating and resonant waves that "Echoes of Berlin" opens. From the first sound emanations, we are filled by these caustic waves which adorned the stagnant ambiances of Cyborg, except that the rhythm is of lead. Pounded sequences and echoing keys, "Echoes of Berlin"s tempo is a furious stationary race where breathless pulsations crisscross into stubborn polyrhythmic structures and stuffed with wild sequenced doubloons before calming down in a superb atmospheric passage where the Phaedra kind Mellotron floats on a nest of piano to melancholic notes, drawing a sombre haunted finale. It’s very good!

And if Phaedra appeals you, you will be flabbergasted of melancholy with very beautiful "Midnight Mists" and its synth waves which undulate such as floating threats on meditative notes of piano. Organ layers are heavy and intense, moulding a claustrophobic ambience worthy of some good soundtracks for macabre films.

With "Underground Train" we dive into the territories of Schulze and his digital era with keys which skip under glockenspiels tinkles. If the intro is a little abrupt, there is a beautiful silky wave that comes to cover this staccato movement to wrap it by a beautiful harmonious cloud, shaping the effect of a sequenced train which parades its Teutonic chords in the astral corridors of a long minimalist structure stuffed with fine harmonious nuances.

The pulsating rhythm of "Ascension" sticks a little to the one of "Echoes of Berlin". Less echoing and stormy, but all the same rather frenzied, the movement is covered of smooth synth layers with tones of old organ which recalls unmistakably the tetanized ambiences that Klaus Schulze weaved on Picture Music. Ambiences which isolate the sequences to smother a rhythmic envelope which is reborn of its unpredictable heavinesses and its ambulatory rhythm.

"The Inner Outer Space" is a very atmospheric title which transports us in the roots of albums as dark and experimental as Zeit and Alpha Centauri. It’s a long atonal title made of an alloy of warm and iridescent breaths which spit filets of metals in a long cylinder passage stuffed with oblong quavering synth layers which cover extraterrestrials’ chirpings. When we say experimental, well that’s not half of it!

And the corrosive universe of this 2nd portion of In Search of Berlin continues with "Hallucinations" and its intro stigmatized by calcified lamentations. A long title very dark and acid for headphones, "Hallucinations" pursues its quest of irritability with shouts of anemic sirens which reveal very beautiful echoing pulsations, ploughing a rhythmic phase of lead as much stubborn as "Echoes of Berlin" to finally lose this rhythm pattern in a shambles of deviants and buzzing layers, in the limits of a melodic hell where fragments of melodies survive in a musical cataclysm of an incredible intensity of lost decibels.

"Berlin Endless" moderates somehow the corrosive ardors with a stunning sequential approach which takes shape as wings of dragonflies beating in a zootropic speed. Pulsating chirping assist this frenzied beatings whereas a sequence appears to wave of its crossed oscillations, creating a rhythmic confusion where roller coasters chase against motionless pulsations. Faster than a blinking of lash, this torrent of polyrhythmic sequences pursues its crazy running scattering crystal clear chords which skip and spin under the aegis of a synth to ghostly waves and eclectic tones. A breach in the movement diverts its furious rhythm to adopt a more linear shape, a little after the 6th minute, with smothered sequences under metallic synth layers which pound a heavy and symmetric rhythm. And "Berlin Endless" to fall in a disproportionate madness where the rhythm jumps on the spot to stumble in the meanders of a synth filled by strata of an extreme corrosivity, concluding album as much surprising as amazingly dark and powerful.

For a home-made album, In Search of Berlin is a surprising discovery. Audacious and creative, Gustavo Jobim offer the best of Berlin School’s 2 worlds with an album where the sound experiments are next to the memories of former days on rhythms and ambiences which are extremely powerful, both in tone and in emotions. Available in downloadable format and at a very interesting price, it’s the best means to learn about this movement that little dare to dig up the tip of the real roots.

On this album Gustavo Jobim explores his early influences, or rather, early German EM textures, but does it in his own, unique way. "Echoes of Berlin" is loaded with varied sequences that create a rich web of sound. It's has a great, updated Berlin School sound. Finally, a magnificent mellotron-laden section follows, bringing to mind the darkest moments of "Phaedra". Piano notes are combined with 'tron strings for an even more dramatic sound.

"Underground Train" starts in a very Schulzian manner, with complex sequencer patters and multiple arpeggios. It's very similar to "En-Trance", complete with gentle electric piano / glockenspiel notes and other digital plinkety-plonk. However, there's also that thick, slightly phased organ chord that harkens back to earlier times. And, before I forget, I just love the key changes on this track - very sudden and yet somehow organic, reminding a bit on "Bayreuth Return" even. Overall, it's a smooth, warm and highly enjoyable EM track.

"Midnight Mists" delivers the goods from the very start, as you hear shadowy mellotron chords and reflective piano notes. It turns out to be a captivating atmospheric track that pleasantly brings to mind of "Epsilon in Malaysian Pale". Minus the piano, of course, which was not used by Froese then. Because I adore this EM classic, I found "Midnight Mists" hugely enjoyable too, and a nice twist on that sound.

"Ascension" more or less repeats the formula of the first track, as you are taken away by a storm of pulsating sequences. The analog lead line is a new element, and sounds a bit similar to the textures that Klaus Schulze used to come up with circa "Cyborg" / "Picture Music" - you know, that thin, reedy type of sound. Gustavo's work on the sequences is very interesting on this track, including that moment when the rhythms break up, only to come back with new force a couple of seconds later.

With "The Inner Outer Space" we dispense with the sequences, as this is pure dark drift, seemingly inspired by the earliest Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze works. One can hear echoes of "Alpha Centauri", "Zeit" and "Irrlicht" here. However, it's all fairly unique and reminds a lot on the mixture of the embryonic Berlin School from 1970 - 1973 and the current Noise / Dark Ambient scene.

"Hallucinations" starts with a heavily modulated, ahem... hallucinating synth drone. After a while, a sequence develops out of this drone, but the track retains its quirky character. The sequences then subside and make room for the comeback of modulated synth drone. This is heavy stuff, guys, and not at all your average TD clone. Some quick, sequenced piano runs also remind on Gustavo's earlier works.

Finally, "Berlin Endless" is unleashed on the wave of heavy-duty sequencing, rapid notes stinging the ears like electronic bees. The patterns then change completely, as Gustavo goes mad with cutoff and resonance controls on his synthesizers. After a quiet section where it seems that the track has faded out, the sequences resume as lively as ever, bringing the album to a sudden close.

"In Search of Berlin" is an interesting and original take on this well-trodden musical path that is Berlin School. It differs from the bulk of the genre's releases in that the solos are almost absent (bar one track), the sequences are generally fairly frenetic and overall the music is pretty experimental and sometimes quite far from the genre's conventions... which makes it all the more interesting of course. And those atmospheric mellotron moments are simply stuff to die for. Another winner from Gustavo Jobim! Best track: Midnight Mists.

Man kann es sich vor seinem geistigen Auge geradezu bildlich vorstellen, wie ein kreativer Geist in Büros, die an Hühnerställe erinnern, zur Produktivität angehalten wird und dabei abstumpft. Immer die gleichen Arbeitsvorgänge in geringen Variationen, immer die gleiche Strukturierung der Arbeit in festgesetzten Zeitabläufen. Der Mensch, der mehr Maschine als Lebewesen ist. Das ist die eine Seite. Und es erinnert musikalisch schon stark an Kraftwerk. Aber auch an Cluster.

Gustavo Jobim schreibt in der Betrachtung zu diesem Album, dass er sich besonders von Cluster inspiriert fühlte. "Moebius Tape" (benannt nach Clusters Dieter Moebius) war das erste Stück, das er für das Album aufnahm. Nun, Cluster mag hier Inspiration gewesen sein, aber Jobim schafft es zwischen Düsseldorf und Forst an der Weser (bildlich gesprochen) seine ganz eigene Idee einer modernisierten Form der alten Kraut-Electronic in Tonfolgen umzusetzen.

Trapped in a Day Job ist bereits das fünfte Album von Gustavo Jobim, einem Brasilianer, der einer der begabtesten Erben der deutschen, elektronischen Musik ist! In der Musik von Jobim finden sich Anteile der verschiedensten Kraut-Electroniker von Tangerine Dream und Klaus Schulze über Cluster und NEU! bis hin zu Kraftwerk. Seit dem Jahr 2000 arbeitet Jobim an seinem speziellen Konglomerat, das sich zwar deutlich auf die deutsche elektronische Avantgarde der 70er Jahre von Berlin bis Düsseldorf stützt, aber doch eigene moderne Handschrift erkennen lässt. Wobei gerade dieses Album deutlich von der sonst bei Jobim vorherrschenden Vorliebe für die Berliner Schule elektronischer Musik abweicht.

Die sich stetig wiederholende ebenso dynamische wie differenzierte Rhythmik gepaart mit irgendwie simpel klingenden, versponnenen Synthiesounds sorgt auf Trapped in a Day Job geradezu zwingend für eine ungewöhnliche Lebendigkeit. Das repetitive Element wird besonders bei den beiden Longtracks genüsslich ausgespielt. Änderungen im Klangbild vollziehen sich nur ganz allmählich. Jobim ist dabei ein äußerst konsequenter Musiker: auf akustische oder elektrische Instrumente wird vollends verzichtet. Das Album wurde allein auf einem sehr kleinen Software Synthesizer in kreativen Arbeitspausen in seinem Büro eingespielt. Alles kommt aus der "Dose": Die treibenden Electro-Beats, die harte Bass-Spur, die sich darüber in kurzen Zirkeln entfaltende Synthie-Melodie.

Der Sound auf Trapped in a Day Job ist mechanisch, synthetisch, minimalistisch und verspielt. Der Prog-Hörer mit Zugang zu elektronischer Musik wird sich der seltsamen Dynamik und Frische dieser Aufnahmen in der Schnittmenge von Zuckerzeit und Mensch-Maschine kaum entziehen können.

Das Album kann über die Homepage als Download oder auch per e-Mail-Anfrage an Jobim als CD-R erworben werden.

Brazilian artist Gustavo Jobim is certainly one of the most interesting and promising acts on the current EM scene. A while ago I reviewed his CD album "Round Mi" that featured a nice mix of Berlin School influences and Minimalism; as well as a few of his download-only releases. All of his works were quite different but he managed to maintain a high quality of his output, whatever the chosen style of music. This particular album was recorded at work. This means that all tracks were recorded using office PC running a basic synthesizer / sequencer software (TS-404).

"Lets Fly" gets straight into sequencing. It's minimal and yet hypnotic and captivating. Actually, you only hear sequences here, about 4 or five of them. Some of the sequences serve as rhythm, some provide the melody and some act as bass... you get the picture. Simple, but effective. The music is not static, as Gustavo changes notes on the fly, alters filter and resonance parameters, resulting in a lively concoction of electronic pulsations. It is interesting to trace the intricate road this piece takes, guided only by the author's imagination and the instrument's limitations.

"Moebius Tape" strikes a quirkier note, initially sounding like some cartoonish frog choir. The tempo is slightly slower but it's basically the same thing - sequencing and just sequencing. This track is really heavy on the bass. I am thinking about the tracks' title now. Although it does refer to mathematics, I am indeed reminded a bit on the music of Dieter Moebius. At least this track has the same type of quirkiness to it and the textures are a bit similar too. I found it interesting how the piece seemingly decays towards the end, the sequences becoming more distorted, dirty and hallucinating.

"Cat In the Blender" has perhaps the catchiest groove of them all. I can't help but nod to the rhythm while listening to this. It has nice resonance-laden melodic higher-register sequences as well. A pity that this track is so short (4+ minutes only).

We then get "Nightlife In Mars" that is more upbeat, with a galloping bass sequences and other pulsations possessing that strange, dirty experimental quality that make them sound pretty cold and alien. Sounds like Goa Trance played by the Max Rebo Band on a bad day.

"Arcade Times", naturally, brings in the cheese. If you like old computer games or are a fan of Chiptune, this is more or less the stuff you're after. However, apart from the bleepy sequences, you get pretty noisy resonating textures here that make the whole thing sound rather intense. It is the shortest track of the album.

"Mindbender" weaves another net of electronic pulsations. This time, however, Gustavo goes for the total overkill, both in terms of the quantity of sequences and the overall intensity.

"Icecream Waves" is the only slow track here. In fact, it could be called "sequencer ambient" if you can imagine such a thing. This is probably the kind of stuff Cluster would have made back in 1976 in Forst, had they had access to sophisticated sequencer software.

"Inside the Machine" adopts a more asserting groove with some really strange background sequences, some of them even reminding on the cheesy sounds that Tomita used in the 1970's. However, the format is grand - this massive track leaves an impression of a Klaus Schulze gone completely sequencer-mad in his studio.

There are not enough albums out there relying solely on the sequences. And Gustavo Jobim's "Trapped In A Day Job" is an important statement and the proof that such artistic limitations can be ultimately rewarding when filtered through a creative mind of a musician. Recommended.

Well, the recording is a lot about repetition and the very slow tweaking of sounds along metallic pulsations and robotic rhythm variations. In addition, it has a strong psychedelic, hallucinogenic and profound weird veil over it. The slowly unfolding compositions all feature minimal sequenced structures that soon become quite annoying on every piece, and I sincerely doubt if this tasteless music art can be taken seriously.

Trapped in a Day Job was literally conceived during Gustavo Jobim’s working hours by means of a small (only 250 kilobytes) software synthesizer, TS-404 V1.05 Beta. This software is built around four layered independent sequencers, each assigned to a small, also independent, synthesizer. So the TS-404 is aimed at creating short rhythmic loops or fat synth lead lines, which the musician can use for other arrangements. After some experimentation on this software, the Brazilian tones sculptor discovered its full potential within long minimalist musical pieces. And so Trapped in a Day Job got out of its embryonic state. Using the four sequencers ensemble for both rhythmic and melodic patterns, in a continuous, repetitive play, Gustavo Jobim concocted quite a syncretic album where the music leaves the way to a palette of videogames tones which roll in circle through a pleiad of metallic pulsations.

"Let’s Fly" opens this eclectic album of Gustavo Jobim with heavy and resonant pulsations which evolve on a long minimalist structure liven up by chords which turn in loops. Chords which subtly stretch their harmonies on a hard, stroboscopic and robotic tempo where heavy metallic pulsations sound as extraterrestrials' suction cups in a kind of techno that Kraftwerk would deliver on vitamins boosted with LSD. And if there is a key point in this extreme pandemonium is this subtle permutation in harmonies which untie us from a redundant geometrically musical figure.

Longer, "Moebius Tape" is also much harmonious. The musical skeleton always rests on metallic beatings which resound to forever and a day, but the limpid sequences pour with a more beautiful fluidity and form a strange paradoxical harmony with its multiplied doubloons which shape a curious automated ode, making forgot its pulsating metallic skeleton.

Afterwards we fall in a series of short tracks where are hiding beautiful jewels, as "Cat in the Blender" of which the naming says everything. We really have the impression of hearing a cat mew of pain on a heavy, metallic and pulsating rhythm. The harmonious and rhythmic structures are in constants permutations, giving thus more wealth to Trapped in a Day Job. "Nightlife in Mars" goes a bit out of the pulsating structure to offer an odd musical structure, taken directly out of video games, as on "Arcade Times" and its frantically loops, which recall me Plastikman’s musical automate and minimalist world.

After the brief interlude of "Arcade Times" we dive into "Mindbender" and its semi spectral and semi alien structure where chords spin of a symmetric way in a minimalism universe of discord. If I ventured, I would dare a comparison between Mike Oldfield and Conrad Schnitzer. "Icecream Waves" is the softest track of Trapped in a Day Job where chords swirl without constraints on a delicate structure reminding Richard Pinhas' universe on East-West.

Beautiful and melodious, but always minimalist and robotic, less violent than "Let’s Fly" and less harmonious than "Moebius Tape", "Inside the Machine" ends this musical essay with a long track with loops and chords as well pulsating as repetitive on a structure to subtle unexpected developments. Permutations strongly nuanced which amaze because of their spontaneity and unpredictability. If it can seem long at the beginning, it subtly changes and evolves for its entire duration. And these fine changes that we didn’t expected make the charms of Trapped in a Day Job.

I read on Gustavo's site that this album would have been a continuity of Cluster works, which incidentally I don’t really know to do such a comparison. But I find many other references which have jumped to my ears, such Daft Punk, Con Man (Conrad Schnitzler), Plastikman and Kraftwerk. Trapped in a Day Job is certainly a strange opus where the musicality can seem doubtful, even if unmistakably present, which demonstrates that from a simple thingy we can manage to create great things. For Kraftwerk fans, it’s a must. And for those who are of curious nature, it’s an album which is amply worth the time we take to listen to, specially when it’s free and available at his site.

Aparentemente (*) gravado usando o computador que Gustavo usa em seu trabalho, não surpreende que este álbum seja escapista.

A primeira impressão é de que assim é que o Cluster poderia ter soado depois dos anos 70, se eles tivessem tido um pouco mais de auto-confiança e um melhor entendimento do zeitgeist.

Mas conforme você presta mais atenção, os detalhes e a produção mostram que este álbum é um produto de uma era mais moderna. Na verdade, este álbum soa mais como o Cluster soaria se O Doutor tivesse os levado no TARDIS para os tempos de hoje, e os deixado não em um estúdio, mas com um PC e com alguém que soubesse como usá-lo.

Deixando de lado as estranhas comparações, Gustavo é um homem que consegue fazer a máquina ter um "soul". Por exemplo, em 'Nightlife in Mars' ele concretiza a velha ambição de Detroit de soar como Kraftwerk tocando James Brown.

Gustavo consegue fazer sua máquina voar, e ele a leva a estranhos lugares. Como um acid house errado, ele pega um ritmo eletrônico e coloca por cima sons bem distorcidos. Eletrônica agradavelmente esquisita.

(*) Creio que não há problema em publicar esta história.

Texto original em inglês:
Apparently (*) recorded using the desktop that Gustavo uses at his day job, this album is unsurprisingly escapist.

The first impressions are that this is how Cluster could have sounded after the 70s if they had had a little more confidence and a nicer touch of the zeitgeist.

However, when you get closer to it, the details and the production betray it as a product of a more modern age. This is more how Cluster would sound if The Doctor had taken them in his TARDIS to now and left them not in a studio but with a PC and someone who knew how to use it.

Strange comparisons aside, Gustavo is a man who can put soul into the machine. For instance, on 'Nightlife In Mars' he fulfils the old Detroit ambition of sounding like Kraftwerk playing James Brown.

Gustavo can make his machine fly and he takes it to some weird places. Like acid house gone wrong, he takes an electro groove and puts some very warped sounds on top of it. Nicely weird electronic.

(*) Allegedly, anecdote published without prejudice.

This release from 2008 offers 76 minutes of electronic collaborations with various international musicians. It is available as a free download, in both MP3 and FLAC formats, with a PDF booklet.

Track 1 features Jobim and the Chorlton Radiophonic Workshop (from the USA). Delicately chiming electronics mingle with chittering noises and gentle guitar that rises into congenial prominence. Spoken words are included as the tune wraps up.

Track 2 features Jobim and That Hideous Strength (from the USA). At 16 minutes, this is the album’s longest piece. Moody electronics are accompanied by infrequent ponderous bass drums and twinkling guitar noises. A sense of power gradually builds as the instruments establish density and generate a constantly mounting tension. Before it’s done, the piece achieves the demonstrative status of a rock song with urgent rhythms, searing guitar and savage electronics.

Track 3 features Jobim and Nathan Siter (from Finland). This track is quite ambient with minimal tones punctuated by eerie effects which create an abstract structure culminating in a peek at mechanical chaos.

Track 4 features Jobim and Conrad Schnitzler (from Germany). Strident piano meanders from melodic to hesitant expressions.

Track 5 features Jobim and Helder Correia (from Portugal/Norway). That piano continues here, supporting bashful tones and agitated effects, which eventually erupt into a cohesive rock piece with insistent percussion dogging the piano to greater velocity.

Track 6 features Jobim and Amyr Cantusio Jr. (from Brazil). Sparkling electronics and astral effects achieve a dreamy ascension.

Track 7 features Jobim and Robert Jaz (from the USA). Edgy electronics conspire with spooky sounds to achieve a haunted stroll in the night woods.

Track 8 features Jobim and Member (from Germany). Things get airy with this track as agile electronics ride temperate breezes with keyboard embellishment helping to keep everything aloft.

Track 9 features Jobim and Daniel Bordini (from Brazil). Grating synthetic beats are buoyed by vaporous tonalities--until stronger rhythms usurp control, transforming the piece into a lethargic rock instrumental.

Track 10 features Jobim and Leandro Theodorico (from Brazil). Piercing electronics provide a whimsical foundation for additional synthesizers that attempt to muddy up the tune with clashing aggressive effects.

Track 11 features Jobim and Ronny Waernes (from Norway). Agitated effects conduct a sonic duel in a soup of glutinous electronics which reaches a cacophonous long-lasting crescendo.

Track 12 features Jobim and Justynn Tyme (from the USA). Erratic electronic effects support a spoken word recitation.

This collection offers a variety that runs the gamut from abstract noise to endearing melodic tuneage. The common thread is creativity unfettered by commercial concerns, and in that regard the selection succeeds wildly with inventive pieces exploring uncharted realms of bewitching sound.

"Belles Alliances" sees Gustavo Jobim collaborating with other musicians worldwide, both famous and not so famous.

The first track is done with the Chorlton Radiophonic Workshop from the UK. It's a relatively short, 5+ minute piece called "I Tasted Jobim". Yeah, right. It starts with a great resonant sequence, until some melancholic sounds and a bit of Mellotron strings appear. Some reflective guitar playing can be heard, as well as some tasty experimental sounds. The piece has a hazy, ambient feel, in spite of it being fairly rhythmical and active. Floating pads come towards the 3-minute mark and then suddenly a voice appears, reciting an English text, shifting duties with a vocoder. Interesting stuff...

"Joan Mitchell's Ici" is next and at 16+ minutes it is the longest composition of this album. It was created in collaboration with That Hideous Strength from the USA. Low synths and drones start this spooky piece, as experimental electronics add a nice touch. Real drums appear, together with fuzzy guitar sounds. This is some intense, doomy music which is half synthetic and half guitar-based but is totally out-there. If you liked some of the heavier moments of Hawkwind, you ought to like this as well. After 8 minutes the track shoots itself into space with upbeat sequences, heavy drums and heavily processed guitar. This is a Space Rock fan's dream!

An untitled track with Nathan Siter comes next. What we hear here are basically some spooky effects and drones. So, this is the Dark Ambient piece of this album. And not a bad one, too. If you're into the genre - check it out. Beware, that there are some pretty grating and harsh textures towards the end of the piece, so I suggest that you don't listen to it at high volume.

Another untitled track, this time with Conrad Schnitzler, follows. It's a short piece that only slightly exceeds the 2-minute length. It features avantgardistic piano playing and... this is it. Pretty simple but a nice interlude all the same.

"Musica Sem Nome", recorded with Helder Correia (Portugal) is next. Electric piano is combined with some growling synths and a bass throb. A nice melodic theme is introduced to what sounds like the most accessible piece so far. Some heavy bass sequences are introduced and the track becomes urgent, rhythmic and repetitive. A superfast bass drum rhythm is added to what now sounds like an outtake from a Hardcore / Gabber compilation. Nice try.

A short piece "Crepusculum" is next, done in collaboration with Brazilian Amyr Cantusio Jr. (aka Amir Cantusio aka Alpha III). Cosmic synthesizers arranged in cyclical patterns are heard. Background melodic pads and piano clusters add a nice touch to this very harmonic and enjoyable number. Pity it's too short, though.

"Will-o'-the-Wisp" with Robert Jaz (USA) is next and it's a much more experimental affair, with repeating bass notes and synth improvisation on top.

"Summer Breeze" is done with someone from Germany who calls himself "Member". Organ chords reveal beautiful clusters of piano notes. A Froesean guitar is heard but the main sounds (the chords and the piano) remain rather static.

An untitled track with Daniel Bordini follows. It features a repeated melody and some heavy wind effects. Very soon an acoustic guitar sound appears and a slow dubby rhythm chugs along nicely in a relaxed and serene manner.

And yet another untitled track with Brazilian Leandro Theodorico follows. It's full of absolutely crazy sounds and effects. This avant-garde and somewhat chaotic piece reminded me on some Robin Julian Heifetz stuff I've heard on a few samplers released by Electroshock.

"Abstract Painted Train" is next. It's a piece done in collaboration with Norwegian Noise artist Ronny Waernes. Accordingly, this piece is quite intense and heavy, with distorted sequences and grating sounds / effects. Well, to be exact, this track is basically a barrage of noise. There are different sounds here, but they are processed to the point where they become a painful wall of sound.

"Cyprinodotinform Manifesto" is a short piece of abstract electronics and English text recited by Justynn Tyme from the USA.

"Belles Alliances" has something for everyone and with a variety of styles displayed here, it's difficult to recommend it to any particular group of listeners. However, it's difficult not to recommend it either, as there's some top-notch stuff in there. Best track: undoubtedly, "Joan Mitchell's Ici" with second best being "Crepusculum".

This release from 2002 features 73 minutes of versatile electronic music.

Peppy pulsations mark this CD's opening track [the Round Mi suite], achieving a tasty melody that floats with a distinct vigor. This leads to an atmospheric mood that is generated by ethereal textures, while piano and sampled rainfall provide a touch of humanity. After a passage laced with funereal percussion counterbalanced by serious harpsichord, the pace picks up with lively keyboards that evoke an ascending motion with woodwindish embellishments. As the piece reaches its conclusion, prior elements converge with majestic poise.

The next composition [Clouds] clocks in at over thirty minutes length, allowing Jobim to explore a long-form structure employing electronics mixed with synthetic orchestral touches. While ambience becomes the temperament here, subtle rhythms emerge as pulsations ricochet to contribute an edgy melody to the misty harmonics. This soft tempo leads to a stretch of soothing electronic serenity, but this serenity seethes with the promise of livelier material, which arrives in the form of rapidly pattering cycles as the pulsations pursue an engaging structure of mounting (but still serene) tension. The music unfurls hypnotic qualities as the looping keyboard chords increase velocity, reaching an urgency that is nicely tempered by a rising tide of heavenly harmonies.

The third track [Loopsurf-Loopsearch] applies an energetic arrangement to looping aspects, augmenting the growling cybernetic cycles with delicate keyboards. Sedate postures are invigorated by this blend as complex keys overwhelm the mixture while retaining a comfortable ease. Auxiliary effects assemble, picking at the core melody with fanciful results.

Jobim's music displays a softly symphonic undercurrent that is congenial and uplifting, enhancing the drifting electronics with traditional substance. His tendency to inject lively elements makes for a satisfying listen.

Brazil sometimes gives us quite unusual EM, and this album is no different. Here, synthesist Gustavo Jobim created a set of tracks which is very difficult to describe. To say diverse is to say nothing. To my mind, most of it will appeal to fans of the Berlin School, but the range of sounds and influences on this album is huge.

There are three tracks in Round Mi. First comes the title track which is a suite divided into four parts. The first part ("Floating Tones Around Mi") has a very rich synth sound and propelling sequence. Pretty exciting stuff. The second part is called "Lament" and fittingly it features slow and darkish piano playing coupled with other instruments, nature sounds and light synthetic touches. There's also funeral-like bass line underneath it all. "Procession" is rather doomy and sounds influenced by chamber music. "Leaving the Atmosphere" shows strong progrock influences and really sounds like a chamber/progrock piece sans drums.

Clouds is a 31-minute epic that starts with drawn-out ambient tones but after a while a sequence starts and increases in pace. It then takes center stage and dominates the bulk of the track. It all has an airy, bright sound, really, which pretty much corresponds to the title. The track doesn't change a lot throughout its course but it does manage to create a hypnotic and somewhat calming effect, in spite of the fact that it's rather upbeat.

Loopsurf-Loopsearch is the last track and it's the best one on the album. It's rather experimental compared to what has gone before and features a lot of loops (surprise, surprise!) and sequenced elements. I can hear some Klaus Schulze influence here, but the track doesn't sound much like anything Klaus has ever put out. It's the most synthetic sounding piece.

I do notice a few bum notes and out of sync elements but Gustavo is only in his early-to-mid twenties which is a very young age for progressive music. Recommended. The album comes with a list of thanks which is an interesting reading. It includes (apart from the obligatory Schulze, TD, Vangelis and Jarre) people like Philip Glass, Änglagård, Anekdoten, Can, Carl Orff, Mahler, Radiohead and other great names."

The title track of this exceptional CD by Gustavo Jobim from Brazil is a four-part suite, beginning with "Floating Tones Around Mi." It opens with solid sequencing and a great melodic progression, drawing the listener in quickly. "Lament" immediately changes the tone, more reserved. Melodic lines are particularly well developed as a piano deftly maneuvers through synths and the sound of a gentle rain. "Procession" changes things dramatically, with a single pounding tympani-like beat. Organ music adds to the procession as the feeling grows. "Leaving the Atmosphere" changes moods yet again. Throughout "Round Mi," but particularly so in this fourth movement, I'm reminded of how Klaus Schulze blends classical and modern synthesizer influences, although Jobim's sound is all his own.

If you prefer more straightforward electronics then you may just want to play the 31-minute "Clouds" on infinite repeat. Starting with soft textures and atmosphere, a laid-back sequence starts going into the fifth minute, gradually picking up speed. Jobim then rides this mesmerizing phrase all the way through. Synth oboes are beautifully rendered, very much like classic Tangerine Dream. With only subtle changes over its course, "Clouds" captivates.

"Loopsurf - Loopsearch" chugs energetically along in a sequence not quite like anything I've heard before, low and mechanical. A brighter hypnotic loop merges over the top. Gradually, more synths are added. It's a distinctive hybrid between the likes of Klaus Schulze and Philip Glass. After moving briskly along for the first half, the latter half drifts into deep space with bleeps and blips of an otherworldly kind.

Round Mi is a unique and excellent take on Berlin school from Brazil.

"Round Mi" starts a little spooky. Think about Poulenc, who in his pieces for piano also created a kind of ghostly atmosphere. Gustavo places Poulenc behind an electronic clavichord and accompanies him with a sequencer. Very successful. The accompanying rhythm is now and then originally disturbed by false rhythms. The sequencer seems to stumble at those times. At the end pace and structure resemble the fast pieces from Philip Glass' "Koyaanisqatsi".

"Clouds" lasts 31 minutes. It begins very quietly with tempting floating strings which sound a little like light clarinets. Tension then rises dangerously in the direction of sirens. The sequencer then goes race walking and at full speed of about 100 bpm a layer of clarinet-like strings is added, which does nothing more than singing a tone higher or lower. There is some tension in this but it silts up and becomes dull then.

"Loopsurf-Loopsearch" is the last piece on the CD with an electronic Philip Glass rhythm added with a little musical tune. After ten minutes the fast rhythm disappears and fades into abstract noises in a resounding room with a mysterious atmosphere from the abstract departments of the Berlin school in the late Seventies. Well done.

It is a CD which you have to hear several times before you start to like it. Sometimes the playing is a little clumsy, but that is not really disturbing. The album may not be highly original, but the music has a sound of its own indeed. And that is promising for his future music. Technically the CD has a dry sound with a reasonable recording quality. A CD which is valuable for EM-lovers who like sequencers and Philip Glass-like rhythms.

Vamos lá: cite um disco de música eletrônica de um artista brasileiro. Falo da VERDADEIRA música eletrônica, aquela da escola de Berlim e não o que a mídia chama de música eletrônica. Conta-se nos dedos. Aqui na RPB nós já resenhamos alguns.

Da Som Interior chega essa novidade realizada por Gustavo Jobim, de 19 anos. Um trabalho de personalidade. Não espere ouvi-lo tocando em rádios convencionais ou fazendo shows. Não existe espaço. Quem gosta do estilo sabe que pode confiar. Estamos diante de um trabalho que irá abrir as portas da música eletrônica no Brasil. Eu mesmo tenho um projeto e me animei em lançar um CD por causa deste disco. Bola dentro de Gustavo e da Som Interior, que acreditou no seu trabalho.