Umbra is a recording of ARC's headline performance at the E-Live festival in Oirschot, the Netherlands on 19th October 2013. 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 School sequencing. Umbra & Panthera have a darker, more gothic feel and bookend the more delicate sequencing of Autostratus. 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.
P**R
Better than Tangerene Dream?.... I think so!
If you miss the Tangerene Dream of the late 70's - if you enjoy the sonic similarity of Redshift - you will love this album. Between Ian Boddy and Mark Shreeve, they have composed a truly unique blend of the sequencer based music we remember - with a compositional integrity of their true artestry. This album is now my benchmark of this type of music. NOTE: this is a "limited release" by Arc...only 1000 are being issued. So don't miss this opportunity!
S**A
Highly recommended if, like me
Killer electronic music in the tradition of Tangerine Dream. Highly recommended if, like me, you find most current E-music a little too new-ageish. This is electronica with teeth. Sometimes dark and brooding. Sometimes melodic and memorable. Sometimes aggressive and loud. All the Arc releases are worthwhile, as are many Ian Boddy solo releases. If you're happy with this, check out any album by Redshift ( also including Ian Boddy on some ) available at www.redshift.biz
J**O
Five Stars
Space music fans will love this album.
T**R
Five Stars
Gift; fine
S**N
Five Stars
Another masterpiece of music to add to their collection.
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.
L**R
UMBRA
Come ripercorrere le liriche dei famosi Tangerine Dream anni 70/80.......il duo inglese ottimi interpreti della musica elettronica di quegli anni si esibisce in questo che io personalmente definisco un ottimo lavoro così come diversi altri....buone tra l'altro le incisioni. Assolutamente consigliato.
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