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Raison d’Etre

Raison d’Être * The Luminous Experience (2008)

The Luminous ExperienceI first thought that this was a new album, so I was a bit disappointed that “The Luminous Experience” sounds too much like Raison d’Être, but this is actually a live recording! More even, this was recorded in the Netherlands. I do not think I was there in Enschede, not sure how I missed it. The music reminds of a show that I did see in Antwerpen with a great film of ‘rotting boats’ on the background. Anyway, slow dark ambient soundscapes with industrial sounds and gregorian singing. Raison d’Être, do I need to say more?
Links: Raison d’Être, Cold Meat Industry

Atomine Elektrine * Nebulous (cd 2007 essence music)

Wow, I didn’t know that this Raison d’Être side-project was still alive! In my Raison d’Être period, I bought everything that Peter Andersson released, including tapes of side projects and the first Atomine Elektrine cd (“Elemental Severance” 1995 CMI). I really loved the album with its great ‘trance ambient’ style. Quite a few years later there was another album (“Archimetrical Universe” 1999 yantra atmospheres) which is not bad, but nothing like the debut. Apparently there was also an album in 2004 (“Binomial Fusion” Essence) and now a new one. The music still can be called “trance ambient”, with which I mean ambient soundscapes with rhythical elements, but not sounding like the debut. The music is soft and soothing, sometimes soundscapish, sometimes ‘trancy’, but always nice and well structured. This may not be music that I will play a lot, but it is a nice album to have if I feel like playing something different.
Links: Atomine Elektrine, Essence Music
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Raison D’Être * The Empty Hollow Unfolds (cd 2000 cold meat industry)

Here we have the sixth real cd of this ancient CMI-act. Further there have been rework cds and a whole bunch of tapes. Anyway, people who like Raison D’Être will not be surprised when they buy “The Empty Hollow…”, since it contains the usual Raison D’Être ingredients: dark drones, stretched up and slowed down samples (gregorian chants and violin) and the usual atmospheric melodies. Yet still it is done really well and and I can that “The Empty Hollow…” is nothing less than a new masterpiece from the mind of Peter Andersson. What more is there to say?

Peter Andersson * Perception Multiplied, Multiplicity Unified (cd 2001 cold meat industry)

“The manifold of Peter Andersson” says the cover of the beautiful discboxslider. This is some introductionary cd to Peter Andersson who most of you will know for being Raison D’Être. I knew Peter had a whole bunch of other projects. Of some I had only heard, of others I have most or all releases. All projects are brought together on this cd. The best part is that all tracks are (fairly) recently recorded and so far unreleased. You will get 58 minutes for 9 tracks opening with a good and heavy industrial/noise track of Stratvm Terror. Next up is Peter’s most famous musical outlet itself with nice track. Then follows a very ambient track of Atomine Elektrine which is usually more a trance/dance like project; I don’t like this track too much. Next up is Cataclyst, which was a one time event split-act with the female half of Institut, an atmospheric track whereas it used to be more industrial. More noise under the monicker Panzar and then another more well-known name being Necrophorus; on the cds this is very tranquil and minimal ambient and so it sounds on “Perception Multiplied…”. Then a project that I hadn’t heard off until now; “Bocksholm” is a collaboration with the other Peter Andersson that has been releasing his material on CMI and who grew up in the same city (better known as Lina Baby Doll) and is a noisy piece of industrial. Then Svasti-Ayanam is up with a not so rhythmical/tribal track as in days gone by. The last project is Peter’s oldest project called “Grismannen” which is a strange sounding track.
Overall inspite of all different projects and often different kinds of music, quite a nice cd and peak into the mind of one of the best known and oldest CMI artist.