Substrata by Biosphere is one of the all-time classic ambient albums, if
not THE all-time classic album. Chilling atmospheric tones with ambient
samples of ice, snow, forests, Twin Peaks-samples and Russian radio
broadcasts… Substrata is difficult to describe in words alone. This is
one album that every ambient fan needs to hear, if not own. For my own
part the album is never far from my stereo. From the initial drone of an
aircraft high overhead to the rambling monologues of later tracks every
minute sends a chill down your spine.
Biosphere’s work is often described as “dark ambient” but to me this
sounds too negative as every piece of music Geir Jenssen composed
expresses so much different feelings and his albums are not simply a
couple of “drones” thrown together. Neither is Substrata. Substrata is inhabited by the vast spaces spreading across the artic
region, endless nights and midnight sun, sub-zero temperatures and
northern lights.
Substrata isn't a formless piece of sound; each section, or chapter, has a definite core structure that the listener can dwell on for the duration. Tracks like Kobresia, Times When I Know You'll Be Sad, and Chukhung have a clearly defined structure that relies on a single melody to progress its way through the track. It is a careful contemplation on the power of repetition of a single idea. The second a motif or idea is finished you find yourself wanting to hear that sound again, and again, and again. That subtlety is really the true power that lies beneath Substrata. Nothing about it grabs your attention violently but rather seeps into your mind over time, slowly growing and growing until you can no longer ignore it. Again, like forgotten and ignored environment, you being to learn each and every curve of the sounds and the shapes. It is the hidden beauty that makes affection all the more exciting, and always keeps you coming back for more.
Tracklist:
Substrata isn't a formless piece of sound; each section, or chapter, has a definite core structure that the listener can dwell on for the duration. Tracks like Kobresia, Times When I Know You'll Be Sad, and Chukhung have a clearly defined structure that relies on a single melody to progress its way through the track. It is a careful contemplation on the power of repetition of a single idea. The second a motif or idea is finished you find yourself wanting to hear that sound again, and again, and again. That subtlety is really the true power that lies beneath Substrata. Nothing about it grabs your attention violently but rather seeps into your mind over time, slowly growing and growing until you can no longer ignore it. Again, like forgotten and ignored environment, you being to learn each and every curve of the sounds and the shapes. It is the hidden beauty that makes affection all the more exciting, and always keeps you coming back for more.
Tracklist:
01. As the Sun Kissed the Horizon 1:47
02. Poa Alpina 4:11
03. Chukhung 7:35
04. The Things I Tell You 6:28
05. Times When I Know You'll Be Sad 3:44
06. Hyperborea 5:46
07. Kobresia 7:13
08. Antennaria 5:05
09. Uva-Ursi 3:00
10. Sphere of No-Form 5:48
11. Silene 7:54 