Ashok Prema – A Quiet Day

1 review for Ashok Prema – A Quiet Day

1. Rated 5 out of 5

   Andy G (verified owner) – November 10, 2023

   Arguably best known for the music he put out way back on Mark Jenkins’ Amp label, this is the first CD album of original music that Ash has released in many a long year, and on David Wright’s AD label, no less, who also produced the album. For me, the music on here, is absolutely extraordinary…..as I shall now explain……
   First, you can’t classify it – no “Berlin” or “cosmic” or “ambient” or…. – all of which is a good thing. For this is music, the magic of which transcends categorisation – for marketing purposes, it’s been called “New Age”……but this is no twee trip through the superficial – this is music that’s full of feeling, emotion, substance, atmosphere, depth and purpose – each composition is an evocation of emotion, a journey in itself, the sound of pure bliss……
   “Bluebells In The Mist” sets the scene to perfection with a track that begins with the “church bells” of piano and synth commanding your attention as a veritable river of electronic textures, flows along at the back, and a cyclical keyboard rhythms swings round slowly, while a mellotron styled lead, floats on top with authority as all the layers unfold and bloom, reminding me of the late seventies styled Tangerine Dream once the melodies had gone and the rhythms had dropped – the sound of space music that took three people to produce it, and here, played by one, with, if anything, more of an emotional impact, as the sparkling river runs true. The 8 minute “Arlo’s Retreat” is altogether different – here the music starts with a backdrop of light percussive rhythm, almost percussive sounding electronics and a delightful mix of slowly rippling melody lines allied to more, but lighter, deep textural synth backdrops which shimmer as much as shine. As the track unfolds, so it constantly changes shape, as almost sitar like electronic notes come into play above the deceptively light, chunky rhythmic backdrop, then fade to leave the main trio of melodies which playfully waft and shimmer towards an almost Eastern-styled point, then just as you think it might end, through a cosmic link, a sequencer rhythm begins, adds to the percussive beats, as gloriously high-flying piano chords take centre stage and the whole thing fades into the distance.
   The 7 and a half minute “Abyss”, from the start, features a slowly moving cauldron of intertwining space synths, revolve in, out and around one another, creating a truly gorgeous slice of cosmic music with great depth, only then for a brief rippling piano to give way to a Far Eastern sounding melody, which also disappears as a cyclical sequencer figure takes centre stage, still accompanied by the vast textural backdrops, but it’s the sheer purity of the sounds that takes your breath away, melodies that are implied as much as stated, rhythms that sparkle like sunlight on water, and a general air of lazy summer days. At over 8 minutes, “The Journey Home” couldn’t be a more apt title as, thanks to the echoed piano chords, the flowing synths textures, the lightly percussive rhythms and the choir-like melodies at the top end, the whole thing strides with purpose, as sampled choirs are heard, synth melodies come and go, and once again, the landscape is constantly changing as the track progresses, making you feel like you really are on a magical electronic excursion to who-knows-where. In keeping with the whole album, it is the beautiful depth of the layers that are tied to the lightness yet cohesive sea of melodies and rhythms, the way that nothing stays the same but almost organically changes shape as it progresses, that make this music so completely engaging.
   “The Runner”, ironically, is the most cosmic track on the album to date, with plenty of electronic textures to its name, the sparest of percussive beats coming into play, later in the track, haunting melodies that shift and shimmer, and an air of calm that’s simply breathtaking. In contrast, the opening sea of synth choral chords and almost violin-like flow of the intro, conjure images of vast canyons or huge desert plains, so that you feel something majestic and special is about to take place. As the train-like rhythms from sequencer and drum programming begin addictively, the layers coalesce, a melody soars above it all, another vast spectrum of sonic delight unfolds and then the sound of Rob Jenkins’ electric guitar, simply sails into view and takes the track into a wholly new dimension, on what is a truly spellbinding track, for which the synths/piano/cosmic finale is every bit as grand, strong and spacious as the promise of the beginning, illustrated.
   The two 5 minute tracks, “Frogs In The Grass” and “Walking Cool In Mumbai”, each evoke gentle but strong heat under cloudless skies in the Indian sub-continent, a world where percussive rhythms, sublime, choral synths, mellotron-like undercurrents, soaring synth melodies and delicately placed electronic backdrops, all combine to provide music that is as simply a joy to hear.
   The final track is the title track of the album, 8 minutes of musical delicacy to calm the weary soul, utilising most of the electronic, keyboard and flowing multi-faceted musical magic that has characterised the whole of the album to this point.
   Overall, it is a work of brilliance, a musical land where imagery and emotion sit side by side, flowing like a stream, high as the sky, as deep as the ocean and an absolute work of musical art that is music for any mood, any occasion.

   Inkeys, Andy G.