On
his last release, The
Shaman,
Mingo
took
his listeners into a vivid off
the grid world barely touched since its ancient inhabitants occupied
the territory.
He carries
that theme into his latest release with
the equally gorgeous
landscapes of The
Ancients.
This
album conjures up vast open spaces and tribalism fused with an
electro-ambient soundworld.
The
album starts off with the aptly titled track Ascension
– featuring lush white noise layers to create a backdrop, while a
slow-moving, electronic arpeggio, morphs and rises as
if to bring you to a higher level to prepare you for the hour
long aural journey.
On
the title track, The
Ancients - soft
strings and a warm analog “hum” guides you through most of this
epic, nearly 13 minute long track,
paying homage to the wisdom of the ancients. More electronic
arpeggiation appears on this track, with an almost baroque feel to it
at times.
A
trance-inducing percussion plays out in the third track Ritual.
Airy
pads and the hiss of shakers are combined with shell chimes, giving
this track an earthy, organic feel. The next two tracks, From
The Dust and
In
Ether have
now fully engulfed the listener in a dark dream-state induced by this
album.
Dreamfield,
is
pure Berlin School pleasure, taking
the listener to a slightly unexpected place as we reach the pinnacle
of this journey. Next comes along the
atmospheric track -
Origin,
and
then
we are carried into Relics,
which introduces piano to the mix. Its lonely notes find their way
through the foggy washes around it, a kind of dreamy meandering. We
are then taken to the next epic and final track, The
Hollowed. Airy
whispering pads rise and fall, occasionally enhanced by electronic
shimmers, eventually bringing us to the end of this sonic journey.
Headphone
listening is imperative to take in all that this album has to offer.
The listener will become truly ensconced in the electro-ambient dream
world that is The
Ancients. It
will take you some time to emerge back into reality and fully come
out of the trance induced state that this album will no doubt put you
in. My advice – don't resist, put the headphones back on and hit
play one more time.
The Ancients – Nine tracks running just under one hour long. Available in August 2017. For more information, visit www.mingosphere.com
Review by Jorge Rodriguez
