Fresh sonic trips AeTopus – CUP: Electronica, New Age, and sometimes darkly ambient, each track on the album Cup by AeTopus is an intact universe of sonic trips, instrumental electronics with abundant surprises. Think of a Tarot Deck, filled with ancient provocative images, each card telling a story, each track standing alone, yet together they make up a journey’s worth of fresh inventions and places to visit. Each track on this – the artist’s Spotted Peccary Music debut — is a mini-epic soundworld, redolent and complex, clear and dynamic. I’ve become attuned to approaching Ambient Electronic music in an impressionistic (vs. critical) way, allowing the music to lead the imagination. Creating a quiet time and space for deep listening – preferably with good headphones – is helpful to enjoying this unique genre of music. This short trailer will introduce you to the album…
You’ll see and hear many more of the artist’s earlier works when you SUBSCRIBE to the AeTopus channel on YouTube.
In some ancient religions, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. As we begin to listen, one senses a mysterious spooky tension with a compelling steady beat. The first single “Relic” (5:45) builds and one might imagine forms dancing in a dark cathedral to a sacred tempo, slow and stately, a processional, until the beat takes on a strong brisk pace. Another highlight track, “Sygna” (5:10), brings abundant sounds tucked into the mix, just a wink of intrigue here and there, the beat sounds like it might come from an olden hand drum, sparse and crisp. Closing the album, “Soft Green” (7:02), suggests a long night in a curious forest. Soft as moss, then ominous and dark, the tension builds and relaxes. As we move toward the distant hills, there is a complex melodic beat, weaving and layering, never too dense, and eventually the pace fairly flies. In all, one could say each track on Cup is an intricate kinetic picture, and listening is a reflective way to explore feelings and expand your creativity.
According to his personal legend, the moniker AeTopus suggests time (Ae), while “Topus” loosely means place, Bryan Tewell Hughes is a multi-media artist whose music is influenced as much by art and nature, and the human experience, as it might be by a singular idea or moment in his life. This is music for the imagination and soul, a deeper, richer investigation of progressive electro-acoustic music that he takes toward the subtle aspects of life. He has won a Zone Music Reporter Award (ZMR) for Best Electronic album, and earned three Best Electronic album nominations. Cup is the first album by AeTopus on Spotted Peccary Music, a noteworthy initial offering and surely deserving of a space on everyone’s Halloween and Chillout playlists.
Five stars!
TRACKS
Pure
Clean Break
Beam
Relic
Sygna
Drue
They Know
Glance
Access
Sundial
Advent
Memento
Soft Green
