Artist: Under the Radar
Album: I Was There I Traveled But I Can't Remember When

Released: 29 April 2008
Label: Northsouth

I Was There
Recording as Under the Radar contemporary instrumentalist Richard Souther combines his accumulated knowledge of music into an intriguing listening experience. His album I Was There I Traveled But I Can't Remember When (50'31") takes its cues from modern electronica, but delivers unique compositions that go beyond the basic premise of sampled grooves, stock atmospherics and the spliced up re-ordering of glitches. A digital immigrant, Souther still likes to play dramatic lead lines, make surprising tempo changes and ramp up his tunes with the occasional drum kit run. His works are meticulously conceived and arranged - but never glossy. Each of the 15 tracks are complete intelligent statements in and of themselves, moving easily from classically laced and jazz-influenced contemporary to the experimental and textural, on to the cinematic and grandiose, and finally settling easily into the solitude of ambient. The music swells and sinks and the entire collection proves to be a powerfully expressive as well as inviting musical journey. I Was There I Traveled But I Can't Remember When is that rare recording that perfectly sums up what an artist stands for.

- Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END   30 December 2008


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