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Vortex (2016)

by Nord

/
1.
Circles 13:06
2.
Spirals 18:06
3.
Rotation 19:24

about

This album is inspired from the rotation of the Universe and of all that is included in it beginning from the electrons of the atoms through the planets, moons, stars to galaxies and beyond.

Sylvain Lupari wrote in Synth&Sequences about this album:

“Even in his clothes of massive EM maker, Nord always manage to draw the best of his imagination”

1 Circles 13:06
2 Spirals 18:06
3 Rotation 19:24
Nord Music (DDL 50:28) ***½
(Roumanian School)
Among the artists that I discovered in these last years, Nord is unarguably one of the most appealing. An artist who has a lot of experience, Sztakics István Attila knew how to develop a universe minimalism where are grafted a panoply of rhythms, lively or ambient, and of electronic elements which always follow the mainstreams of his ideas. Inspired by the rotation of the Universe, “Vortex” is already a 3rd album in 2016 and proposes 3 long evolutionary titles with as background a cosmic and filmic vision where the style of Nord brushes slightly the kind of The Dark Side of the Moog series and that of Otarion in his very good Genius.
A wave of sounds reveals a thick cloud of tonal waves which appear and forge a dense sonic tapestry which floats like these layers of ether in Wish You Were Here. A piano gets loose from this wall of interstellar atmospheres, drawing a deformed melody of which the main attraction is to awaken a line of sequences with its keys which skip as a centipede with a multitude of broken legs. The rhythm limps in a dense synthesized coating. And a heavy effect of orchestration whips it in order to energize it in a rhythmic structure which meditates between trance and techno. The background regurgitates good cosmic effects which swallow this first brief structure of rhythm in "Circles" which leaves shyly its place to this piano which repeats its melody with a beautiful melodic schema where every note, strongly hammered, leaves its imprint in our ears. The atmospheres are rich and wrap this first title of “Vortex” in a wealthy cosmic cloth with a very beautiful synth which draws solos from which the forms derive such as the crumbs of a vessel which dissolves in the coldness of cosmos. The rhythm returns a little before the point of 9 minutes. More acid than its first part, I hear the sequences being wilder here, it proposes a static approach decorated with very good solos of a very creative synth. As much in its harmonies, its acrobatics as its atmospheres. This is good Nord!
The first waves of "Spirals" are feeding an ambient rhythm knotted in a cloud of static oscillations. The synth is very airy and throw some brief solos, like a solitary being who whistles improvised melodies. The rhythm becomes as lively as the 1st part of "Circles", but with a very beautiful play of sequences which draw circles rhythmic as in a game of spirographs. The fusion of cosmic techno and of the movement of sequences is very successful. Especially with the effects of a synth which never stop to fill our ears. We note a light crescendo in the power of the rhythm which keeps however the same spherical swiftness. And the more the sequences are going and the more I hear Chris Franke in the 80-81years. The first 8 minutes are of fire, while the second part of "Spirals" proposes a circular melody, always fed by good electronic effects, at both cosmic and organic, which reminds unambiguously the minimalist approach of Mike Oldfield in Tubular Bells. A synth and its fluty breezes accompanies this ritornello which fattens its harmony of effects and crystal clear sequences. This movement shrink its harmonious spiral which will burst in a more livened up structure in its last minutes. "Rotation" is a little built on the same minimalist melodic mold, but this time it's the guitar which leads the game. Its notes get melting in a structure of sequences which makes its keys cavort in layers of a synth perfumed of melancholy. Tears of synth (guitar?) weave a soundscape where spectres are lamenting over a movement which rolls more and more in squeezed loops. The game of sequences is as much appealing as that of "Spirals", except that the rhythm goes more and more towards the explosion. The synths always remain as magic and creative while the guitar of Makkai Kálmán is eventually throwing airy solos which sound so much as those of Frank Dorittke. The solos turn into riffs, guiding "Rotation" and its cosmic effects towards a rhythmic evolution which will reach its peak at around the 13 minutes with explosive percussions rumblings. A fine strummed melody escapes from this rhythmic torrent, freezing a melody which will pierce time while quite slowly the last moments of "Rotation" are ending among some other nice incisive guitar solos and a surge of a more temperate rhythm, more in ballad mode.
There is some music in the imagination of Nord! And some rather good for a synthesist who aligns albums as a cat makes kittens. “Vortex” is a beautiful album intended for those whom the coziness of the minimalist structures comfort. And Sztakics István Attila is rather strong in this game. The way he has to create crescendo, relatively quiet, around his structures makes of his music a musical box full of charms.
Sylvain Lupari (June 20th, 2016)
gutsofdarkness.com & synthsequences.blogspot.ca

credits

released April 22, 2016

Music composed, arranged, performed, recorded and mixed by Nord (Sztakics István Attila) using several analog, digital and modular synthesisers and sequencers.
Additional guitar tracks on track no.3 Rotation were kindly performed by Makkai Kálmán.
Artwork by Főcze Hunor

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tags

about

Nord Sfântu Gheorghe, Romania

Nord is a musician on synthesizers, sequencers and samplers, midi keyboards & theremin.
Electronic music composer

Rock Bands:
Tempest between 1991 - 1993,
Semaphore between 1993 - present.
Mercedes Band 2006 - 2014.

Solo electronic music projects
Roland N project 1994-1995
Nord project 2000 - present

Colaborations: Alba Ecstasy & Nord

Winer of the 11th place of SCHALLWELLE AWARD 2018.
... more

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