Product Description Reissued at mid-price. ARC are Ian Boddy (also DiN label boss) and Mark Shreeve, two veterans of the UK electronic music scene. Their music is deeply routed in the traditions of the German synthesizer music of the 1970's and as such they employ a vast range of vintage analogue equipment not the least of which is Shreeve's massive Moog IIIC modular system.Umbra (DiN45) is a recording from their headline performance at the E-Live festival in Oirschot, the Netherlands on 19th October 2013. The duo played for 90 minutes and the set was recorded to multi-track to allow Shreeve to edit and mix the album to fit onto a single CD. The audience reaction to the music has been included to provide a genuine taste of the concert experience.The powerful sequencing on the six tracks were recorded in the studio beforehand and these were triggered by Boddy using Ableton Live during the concert. This allowed the duo to concentrate on interweaving complex layers of keyboards and textures throughout their performance. The set constantly evolves in an organic fashion from the traditional sequencing grooves of the opening track Arcadia through to the powerhouse encore track Cherry Bomb. The second piece, Proximo Obscuro, hearkens back to the classic, simple grooves of early Berlin style sequencing. Umbra & Panthera have a darker, more gothic feel and bookend the more delicate sequencing of Auto Stratus. This is only the fifth concert ARC have performed and as such Umbra provides a wonderful opportunity to hear what these two experienced musicians sound like in a live performance.
S**N
Five Stars
Another masterpiece of music to add to their collection.
T**1
good old fashioned classic heavy sequencers
Something for everyone here, good old fashioned classic heavy sequencers, beautiful melodies, and even a finale that harkens back to Shreeve's 80s insanity ;)
C**F
Five Stars
Another great album.
N**N
Berlin school magnificence
I had the pleasure of seeing Arc (Mark Shreeve and Ian Boddy) headlining at the Hampshire Jam in 2004. The other three bands playing that day were all more than capable of stealing the show, but Arc blew them away with a Berlin school fest later released on CD as Arcturus. Almost ten years later they have topped even that effort with a release of their set at E-Live, Netherlands from 2013. Like their previous live CDs this one forgoes the subtleties of their studio efforts for a full-on sequencer approach. Much of the 78 minutes on this disc has a distinct family resemblence to Shreeve's Redshift work and even, at points, to his high-tempo solo material. If you like music influenced by, but not slavishly reproducing, mid-70s Tangerine Dream Umbra is unmissable.
A**E
ARC..one of the all time great electronic music groups.
Mark Shreeve and Ian Boddy....the 2 best UK electronic musicians ever so when they joined their incredible skills to form ARC, it promised to be something something truly special; which has proved to be the case with a succession of brilliant albums. I thought Church would be hard to top but Umbra is equally as good if not even better. Tangerine Dream 74-76, Berlin school...call it what you want but Mark and Ian are the pre-eminent performers of this style and this live recording just further confirms it. With a rare UK performance coming up in November 2014 , this album is a great introduction for anyone unfamiliar with their work. If you are already a fan, Umbra will not disappoint.
C**3
ARC UMBRA
This is an essential purchase for any afficionado of classic electronic music. Even better than previous ARC releases!They can be seen live at the Capstone theatre in Liverpool later this year, an event not to be missed by anyone who purchases or considers purchasing this CD!
P**E
Four Stars
Excellent album.
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