Album Notes

The Collaboration
‘Flicker’ and ‘HALO‘ came out of a collaboration between UK based ambient artists, Igneous Flame (Pete Kelly) and Achromus (Michael Stringer). In February 2007, Michael gave Pete a pool of synth based material that he had been working on and Pete produced the albums ‘Flicker’ and ‘HALO’ from that pool. The material became split into two, the more sonorous material was reworked and guitar textures were incorporated, this material became the ‘Flicker’ album. The other darker and more ‘raw’ material was extensively processed and this resulted in the ‘HALO’ album. Some of the original material has been used in both albums - albeit in a ‘Re-cycled’ manner.

‘Flicker’
The more accessible of the two releases, ‘Flicker’ is primarily tonal with an under-current of ethereal mystery and depth. Constructed from Achromus’s synth textures and Igneous Flame’s e-bow guitar lines and abstracted harmonic shapes, melodic phrases are woven around tonally shifting soundscapes. The album’s dark luminosity shines throughout.
Composition, guitar, sound-design and production by Igneous Flame
Composition and synths/pads (source sounds) by Achromus
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Review of 'Flicker' by Phil Derby at 'Electroambient Space'
http://www.electroambientspace.com

After several solo albums, Pete Kelly is expanding his Igneous Flame musical horizons by joining forces with Michael Stringer aka Achromus. Pete continues to explore all guitar-based forms of ambient, while Michael supplies keys and other sonic elements and textures. The emphasis throughout is on keeping things bright and ethereal, surprisingly accessible given the lack of distinct melodies. “Evergreen” floats slowly by to start things off, and it is typical of the light and airy approach. In a slight divergence, “Sinuhe” has a brief Finnish narrative, but musically it remains similar to the rest. Sometimes the guitars soar over the other sounds and are distinctly guitar-like, but more often than not they meld into the rest of the amorphous ambience. “Off The Horizon” is a slowly undulating piece with wonderfully delicate textures, including female vocal samples that Kelly manipulates into a velvety smooth instrument. Speaking of sonic manipulation, several tracks feature samples from airports and train stations, although you’d never know it. Mostly a collaborative effort, there are a handful of tracks that are Kelly’s alone, including the last four, which take the disc into a bit darker territory, but nothing to be too afraid of. Besides, there’s a good chance you will have drifted off into dreamy reverie by then.