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Review of the Almagest album by Rockerilla


Rockerilla
Vincenzo Santarcangelo 6/10
Intelligent dance music with frequent instrumental incursions. Fractals of digital sound and syncopated breakbeats ("1950 DA") that leave room to inserts of dark soundtrack music. As if Boards of Canada decided to weighten their geometries with loud guitars stolen from hard rock - Patrick Brocca, one of the two Swiss musicians behind Ptolem, works with Meshuggah's Fredrik Thordendahl when he is not writing soundtracks. As if, in a composition stance that is rarely really dialogic, epic and elegant post-rock ("Equant Point", "P-band Wavelength") was contrasted with the steps of a limping or vintage robotic machinic matrix ("Ring Structure").

Review of the Almagest album by Murmures

Thomas Bourquin
www.murmures.info
This swiss combo is named after the famous Ptolemy and bases its music upon the mathematical model set out by the astronomer in his treaty "The Almagest". The group develops ethereal synth soundscapes, mixing cold electronic instruments with warm acoustic sounds. Influenced by various artists (such as Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin, Autechre, Trentemoller, Populous, New Order, Philip Glass, Arvo Pärt, Mötley Crüe, James Newton Howard, Basil Poledouris, Angelo Badalamenti and Howard Shore), Ptolem, although promising, follows too many threads to deliver an album which is homogenous throughout. Nevertheless, this effort is well worth listening to.

Reviews from fans

A Pure Jewel
author: Plocifor
Ptolem mix acoustic instruments and electronic beats and sounds that take you on a fresh and breathtaking journey. The pop licks (see ring structure), dark and strange, are as catchy as the concept of the album, taking inspiration from this astronomer. The album hides endless treasures, every listening has me discovering new things, new details. It would be a great soundtrack to a sci-fi flick. Keep up the good work!

...working on their second album.

Reviews from fans

soundtrack of the cosmos
author: gregor dubster
The album i would bring on a space journey. The Almagest makes you travel through atmospheric layers, digital rain, ground braking basslines and wise pop riffs. An album that you can listen from begining to end and then press repeat to have another run. Ptolemy would surely approve...

Reviews from fans

When Astronomy Meets Talented Creators
author: meshuggener
Amazing. It makes me think of some Autechre with some Aphex parts and microsamples. But the likeness between them stops there. We have a real sensation of refinement in creativity and arrangements, meeting true acoustic instruments, electronic touch and movie scoring wich deserves the whole material. Sometimes dark "Entangled Clouds", sometimes cheerful "P-band Wavelength" but always with the sens of groove, "Anomaly" beats everything with the astonishing and growling slap-bass! The feeling is definitely SF. The idea to draw parallels between Ptolemy's works and the instruments, that's a very good concept. Ptolem's sound is so soothing! I'm sure of one thing, Ptolemy is turntabling your tracks in Paradise... www.perimetron.com

reviews from fans

Blade Runners soundtrack for the 21st century
author: Fidatch
2007 is the year of the 25th anniversary of the film Blade Runner. The soundtrack has been republished with an entire album of new music from Mr. Vangelis. Forget that lousy electronica flat beats and get the Ptolems album instead. In a Squarepusher meets Röyksopp with the bass of Peter Hook and the guitar of Thurston Moore way, Ptolem creates dark, almost unhealthy, atmospheres with a touch of beautiful melodic sounds that makes your mind escape in others circumvolutions. Ptolemy, here they come !! The Almagest is the lo-fi Blade Runners soundtrack of the 21st century.