Dan Pound is an independent musician who specialises in ambient, acoustic new age, world, and soundtrack music created in his home studio. His album Solar Nexus is one of the more intriguing works to have come my way recently. Described as shamanistic spacemusic this is unlike any spacemusic or ethnic styled album I've heard before. 

Though the track titles ground the themes in all things solar, the music conveys the feeling that we're experiencing it through the hallucinations of a shaman performing sacred rituals. This is done by the use of tribal rhythms, chants, and rhythms. Often these are layered so much that repeated listening sessions are needed to fully appreciate all that is going on. 

Listening to Solar Nexus brings to mind Steve Roach's On This Planet, partly because of the tribal motifs but more so the intensity. Whereas Roach's rhythms can feel tacked onto the spacey atmospherics and washes they are an integral part of Dan's sound. 

It's especially easy to lose oneself in the longest and frenetic track “Spectrum”. In this multi-layered piece thrumming notes vie with hi-hat percussion and drummed rhythms to be the most hypnotic. All the while tinkling notes, spooky washes, and animal calls add to the phantasmagoric effect. The shamanistic element is particularly strong in the track “In the Time of Helios” where chants and low growling didgeridoo conjure up images of aboriginal ceremonies round fires in the outback at night. 

About half the album is gentler and less intense. In “Once a Planet” slow hand beaten drums play out against various reverbing drones panning across the soundscape while the atmosphere is adorned with whistles, distant clanking sounds, and wordless chants ranging from ethereal to guttural. 

For me Solar Nexus is one of the hottest releases of the year; a pleasantly hallucinogenic musical trip through aspects of a star. This is a new take on a genre usually known for floating/drifting atmospheres or traditional sequencing.
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Dan Pound "Solar Nexus" 
a beautiful soundworld of aural atmospheres and environments incorporating electronic and acoustic instruments.

With the release of his disc "Solar Nexus", Dan Pound presents his audience with a seemless blend of organic and synthesized sounds which together create a beautiful journey through ambient spaces. 

Opening track "Prism" features a wandering arpegio that plays amidst a bed of undulating pads, tones stretching and bending around each other like liquid mercury. It's a beautiful beginning, something that brings to mind the dawn, the start of a new day. Stunning. 

"Spectrum" opens with a glistening cascade of bells blending in with a steadily pulsing synth track. There's a very vibrant energy inherent in this track, a very metropolitan feel to it that grows as percussion is added to the mix. Yet despite that vibrancy, that energy, the track remains beautiful and calm, relaxing in some ways. 

"Life Force" presents a deep rolling bass line underneath a low and plaintive melody played alternately by woodwinds and vocals. It's a very space-y track, something very cosmic sounding and celestial despite it's organic flavour. A very interesting mixture of sounds and textures. 

"Rhythm of Lights" uses a variety of sequenced synth lines to create a veritable wall of synthesized sound. It's a very rich track, something very full in terms of the depth of sound presented, something composed of many levels to explore and discover. 

"Sunset Rain" takes on a much more natural feel than previous tracks, using a much more organic sounding orchestration. String instruments play lovely melodies and themes, truly capturing the sound of a light rain at dusk. It's a lovely piece of music. 

"Harnessing the Flame" also uses organick instruments, blending sequenced tracks with dijiridoo. The wailing sound of breath works really well here, giving the track a depth and mystery that I find both intriguing and mesmerizing. 

"Once a Planet" brilliantly captures the sound of the void, bringing sound to the emptiness through sparse pads, minimal percussion and an emotional vocalization. It's a stunning track, something that really stands out on the disc as a perfect tonal mixture that represents a variety of moments and emotions. Absolutely stunning. 

"Core Surface" features metallic tones drifting through the soundstream. It's a very moody track, enigmatic and thought provoking as it slowly moves towards completion. A lovely example of dark ambience used as counterpoint to an otherwise (mostly) bright work. 

"In the Time of Helios" is another track that employs vocals, this time more pronounced, more up front in the mix. Flute and percussion weave and bob around the piece as well creating a tribal feel to the piece. It's a very powerful track, something that really resonates on a primal level, arguably my favorite track on the disc. 

"Chromosphere" makes use of percussion paired with a steady arpeggio and a selection of pads, bridging the gap between the tribal sounds of the preceeding track with the more electronically based sound of the next piece. It's very nicely done and works well not only as a bridge between ideas, but also as it's own independant work. 

Title track "Solar Nexus" opens with rising and falling tones playing underneath otherworldly vocals. As the song progresses rapid beats build in strength, sizzling with an intensity that suggests a star or a supernova. The sound of the cosmos runs throughout this track, infusing it with a sense of both beauty and mystery. 

"Biosphere" pairs a beautiful guitar loop with the sound of a jungle or forest, pads drifting through the distance deep in the soundfield. It's a hypnotic track, one that lulls you into a sense of peace and calm. Beautiful in it's simplicity, simply beautiful. 

"Eclipse" closes the disc with minimal instrumentation, a repeating melody and little else. It's all very simple and yet it connects so well with me as a listener, it stirs exactly the right emotions and ideas. A lovely way to end the disc. 

Without doubt "Solar Nexus" is a disc that does everything right, that brings together styles and forms in the best ways possible to create something beautiful and engaging. I very much enjoyed this release and I strongly recommend it to anybody who likes to be able to connects on a deep level with their music. 

rik - ping things
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