Biosphere: Shenzhou

Written by Mat Mckenzie

last updated 2008-09-11 21:32 CET

Dark experimental ambient album, largely based on the Orchestral works of classical composer Claude Debussy.

Music critique

Artist: Biosphere

Album: Shenzhou

Playtime: 00:56:30
Record label: Touch Music
Released: 2002

planet origo rating

Biosphere - Shenzhou

I was fortunate enough to discover Biosphere pretty early on when I bought his first album Microgravity on the Apollo label in 1992. It was a superb blend of Ambient, Dance and carefully placed samples which shared growing popularity with similar things happening in the Orb and KLF camps around that time. Despite its similarities however, Geir Jensen’s work had a colder and more mysterious edge to it from the outset

Over a decade has passed since that release and his music has changed quite substantially with each subsequent release becoming more ambient, more organic and definitely more experimental - these releases are not going to get played by the DJ fraternity any time soon

Geir is clearly influenced and fascinated by the cold Norwegian climate that surrounds him and it’s intrinsically part of each ambient release. Conceptually the whole idea makes me think of a really minimal version of Johannes Schmoelling’s White Out album

With Shenzhou it’s different though, ten of the twelve tracks are directly based on the Orchestral works of classical composer Claude Debussy. He’s not the first or the only electronic musician to incorporate elements of classical music but I think this release can only strengthen his catalogue of material that could be used as soundtrack music

Other electronic / classical comparisons that spring to mind when listening to this album are the works of Marsen Jules – especially Herbstlaub though Shenzhou predates it by some three years being released in 2002. I would say that Herbstlaub is a far more uplifting experience however, being more emotional and melodic than Shenzhou which has an ominous presence more suited to driving home late at night with the wind and rain lashing against the windows

If experimental electronic minimalism is your thing, you could do worse than track down a copy of Martes by Murcof, also released in 2002. It’s a more rhythmic album than Shenzhou but apart from that it shares the same sombre melancholic vibe

Given enough research I’m sure there are many albums worthy of comparison but for me one album stands out as the pinnacle of achievement in the field of electronic / classical crossover and that is Klaus Schulze’s - X dating back from an unbelievable 1978 – a true masterpiece of our time

Intentionally or not, I think Geir is conceptually charting a course for Eno territory here – it’s ambient music you can choose to take an active part in listening to or have on in the background to create a mood

Experimental ambient music is quite a random genre for me, it can create an enveloping world to "snuggle into" or it can just as easily leave me completely cold because it has to have "soul", it can’t just be noises and sound effects without purpose, rhythm or melody, however subtle; a random loop generator can do that

Shenzhou falls somewhere between the two extremes. It has brooding menace; it has atmospheric presence in spades but it certainly isn’t an easy album to get on with. Part of it sounds like an orchestra tuning up underwater; there are deep throbbing basslines, repeated classical loops and building crescendos of noise

It amuses me that companies have invested a fortune in developing technologies to remove crackle and hiss from recordings yet artists increasingly choose to add it to pristine recordings on purpose to give it that gritty nostalgic feeling – Shenzhou being a case in point

In its quieter moments, Two Ocean Plateau and Thermal Motion for example, I heard echoes of Michael Stearns classic 1988 album Encounter which sounds very soundtrack like, but Shenzhou has few beautiful melodies to speak of as it is essentially a work of atmospherics

As the album draws to a close you do get a more optimistic vibe starting to kick in, it’s as though the tension and drama is over and everything is going to be ok. Green Reflections reminded me a lot of the more ambient tracks on the superb System 7 album 777.

For some reason, the last two tracks are not inspired by Debussy and I’m much fonder of these pieces. Without having to incorporate specific samples there are no restrictions and Geir is free to let his imagination go

Bose-Einstein Condensation, though very brief reminds me a lot of Susumu Yokota’s work and would in fact fit perfectly on his album Sakura, itself a masterpiece of the genre

The final track of the album is probably my favourite. Gravity Assist gently fades in and out like a "breathing machine" – it’s got echoes of Steve Roach's Western Spaces about it and I’d happily listen to it on a loop for hours

What we have here then is quite a mixed album. On the one hand capable of shaking you up and unsettling you and on the other gently rocking you to sleep afterwards. A musical adventure which should only really be embarked upon by people willing to try something a bit "off the beaten track" I think

It’s good to hear an unusual electronic album now and again though - it keeps things fresh, but personally for the casual listener I would recommend Biosphere’s album Substrata over this in a heartbeat, it’s still innovative and definitely bleak in places but it’s countered by lush chords and great melodies which aren’t so evident on Shenzhou.

I have the highest respect for Biosphere as an innovative electronic musician but my personal favourite remains Microgravity. If you are investigating his ambient works however, I’m fairly confident that it’s one of those albums that will grow on you the more you play it, just make sure you test the water before you take the plunge.