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Dutch-born but based in Germany's trance capital Frankfurt, the extremely prolific Namlook is one of the high priests of ambient techno and trance music and his own label Fax Records has released some of ambient music's definitive albums. Namlook stands alongside a handful of other names such as The Orb, The KLF, Biosphere and Mixmaster Morris as one of the originators of ambient's resurgence via dance music in the late 80's and early 90's. Although he had long dreamed of making a career from ambient electronica, in Fax's early days he was also pursuing a dance floor-oriented direction and releasing 12-inch vinyl singles to a warm reception from sectors of Europe's clubbing community. But Namlook soon became dismayed at other artists' appropriation of the Frankfurt "hard trance" sound (developed through his genre-defining 4 Voice project). Thankfully his ambient B-sides to these singles - in hindsight a brilliant strategy - were also creating plenty of interest. Within a few years of the label's inception he had set about focusing Fax almost entirely on ambient and downtempo styles. Although Namlook may downplay the linage, like many of his modern-day peers his music has roots in old-school electronica as varied as Brian Eno, Klaus Schulze and Wendy Carlos. But he's no imitator. He's deepened and refined the sound of his predecessors with an injection of fresh ideas from the dance world, coupled with fine musicianship honed from his many years in rock bands. Intriguingly, he also favours the sounds of analogue synthesisers over digital and alongside Oliver Lieb he is reputed to have one of the most extensive collections of classic analogue equipment in Europe. Namlook has released an enormous number of solo and collaborative albums of widely varying quality both under his own name and various other project monikers. Buyers should be aware that many Fax CD albums are very limited pressings of 1000-3000 each and some of them will be difficult to find. Certain key titles get re-issued on CD from time to time, and much of the Fax catalogue is now available through several online download stores. There is also a healthy trade amongst Fax collectors on the internet. So prolific is the label that for true aficionados there is a lifetime's worth of music to explore. While some Fax compilations are also recommended starting points, a number of Namlook's own albums make equally good introductions to the label. Silence is the one that started it all, Fax's first album release and one which caught the ear of both seasoned electronic boffins and dance fans looking for a chilled-out tonic after a night among the thumping beats of clubland. Both Silence and Silence II are collaborations with close associate Dr Atmo and despite being at times almost new age in their choice of themes (a voice whispers sweet cosmic nothings like "we are all part of the universe") the music itself is outstanding. These beguiling, shimmering, reverberant landscapes are sometimes beatless and sometimes gently beaty with subdued live pads and cymbals. The 20 minute "Garden Of Dreams" is a particular mesmerising blend of slow Mid-Eastern rhythms with sighing and crying electronic chords. Continuing the series is the the Persian-tinged Silence III which features Namlook on his own. Titles like "Mirage" "Into The Desert" and “A Ship On A Sea Of Sand” are just perfect; his sense of place is quite stunning and he understands the visual qualities of ambient sound exceptionally well. His creative range across the Silence series is impressive: from stately progressions of warm, organic-sounding orchestral synthscapes to atonal, purely atmospheric pieces of pure texture. When it comes to sound design Namlook’s attention to detail is faultless, which makes hearing his music on good hi-fi equipment especially rewarding. The surreal first volume of Dreamfish is a popular collaboration with Mixmaster Morris and another genre-defining release, cited a favourite by fans of post-rave ambient with good reason. The environmental sound effects are deployed in a quirky way amongst the textured, gently rhythmic landscapes and the music brims with surprises and quiet invention. The jazzy bass notes on "Fishology", for example, move along at a good clip yet are so subtle that the track's calming qualities are never disturbed. The first two classic volumes of the Air series are also high-water marks for Namlook. Like the Silence series they show some rich ethnic and neo-classical leanings, and they remain particularly effective examples of how he utilises live acoustic instruments in an electronic setting. The delicate, tinkling cymbals and soft tom-tom beats on "Je suis seule et triste ici" from Air I, for instance, are utterly refreshing because Namlook is able to maintain a deep electronic ambient feel while still expanding electronica's instrumental vocabulary. Air II is deeply psychedelic. An eleven-part "trip" subtitled "Traveling Without Moving", it takes it's thematic cue from Frank Herbert's cult sci-fi novel and movie Dune. Herbert's story posited a strange universe dependant on a life-extending, mind-altering spice drug. On Air II Namlook subtly draws on the story's themes to create a beautiful, creepy, intoxicating universe of his own. Again he utilizes acoustic instruments: didgeridoo, sighing woodwinds, flamenco guitar, Mid-Eastern flutes, and swooping vocal textures that rise and fall to striking effect. They're all integrated seamlessly, proving that despite his dancefloor origins he thrives by exploring outside the rigid structures of electronic beats and sequencing. Yet when he does get into more squelchy or bleepy techy-trance territory the results can be just as stimulating. On the brilliant two-part title track from The Fires Of Ork that thumping 4/4 kick drum is there alright, but somehow Namlook and cohort Gier Jenssen (of Biosphere) have managed to mute it just enough to create a truly "ambient" dance music: thunderous yet shadowy and eerie, built around a voice sample of Rutger Hauer from the film Blade Runner. Also beats-based is the the superb first volume of From Within, one of the pinnacles of ambient techno, marrying Namlook's warm keys and spiraling synth sounds with the sparse bleeps and beats of Canadian techno guru Richie Hawtin. Again, the rhythms don't drive you into the ground but rather lull you into a gentle if uneasy trance, particularly on "Million Miles To Earth" and "Sad Alliance". While many aficionados would agree that the 1990's produced most of Fax's best output, it would be unfair to dismiss some of Namlook's more recent work. Highlights include the magnificent forth and fifth volumes of Silence. The luminous piano notes and warm orchestral-synth of "The Night Before I Left" from Silence IV might just be the most emotional piece of music Namlook has ever made, an elegy that's at once incredibly sad and jaw-droppingly beautiful. The stunning From Within 3 - again with Richie Hawtin - is quite different from the earlier volumes in that series and its softer, warmer sound actually belongs in same sonic universe as the Silence albums. There' s feather-soft lead guitar lines, lush strings, jazzy improvising and warm analogue melodies, all held together by subtle, intelligent drum programming. It's a fantastic example of accessible, soulful electronica. While the Silence series has kept the classic Fax sound alive, in the new century the label has also continued to issue albums with plenty of new sounds and ideas. Namlook releases like New Organic Life (2002) are scarily unfamiliar, experimental, arguably unlistenable at times. Perhaps with the passing of time the best of them will find a place alongside Namlook's now classic sonic signatures of the 90's...or perhaps not. At any rate, some Namlook collaborative albums not listed above are also highly recommended: for details see Atom Heart, Tetsu Inoue and Klaus Schulze. |
