Description
Diaspora “Ohmwrld” CD – Polished dark ambient soundscapes from Brisbane retaining a sense of continuity without inoculating the ensuing chaos. Diaspora draws the listener into the dark spaces where ceremonial pain is but a stepping stone to transcendence. Isolating the ritual in the religious and resituating it within a tabula-rasa, the audience is inspired to touch their own spirit, find their own gods, worship their own life as the holiest of sacraments.
Lloyd Barrett and Joe Musgrove are the primary creative personae behind Diaspora. Both have been heavily involved in all aspects of the BrisbaneExperimental Noise/Sound Art Scene for several years playing together and separately as – Brainlego, Biffplex, and Bourbaki.
“Ohmwrld” Ohmghd. (Ahem…) Ambient? First thing that comes to my mind. But the thing with Diaspora is, nothing is ever so clear cut as simple genre. I’m prepared to accept this is soft, winding, electronic soundscaping. But listening to it…there is something there that is neither obvious nor underhanded. It would be foolish, actually it would be stupid to try and work out what the sounds are sampled from or come from. They are reminders of faded memories you probably never had in the first place. These are sonic visions, as the scrumptous packaging suggests, of genuine other worlds, which it seems was always Diaspora’s agenda. This is very electronic in sound, the most organic sounds may have been samples of some odd surroundings in origin. But ultimately this is serenity on the brink of chaos, where both converge and find common ground. Not as noisy or as basic as earlier Diaspora stuff, but retaining that same commitment to vision. Rock with it. Taped Crusaders
Diaspora leverages incredible patience in delivering the moving, breathing electronic tapestry of Ohmwrld. Dynamic sound environments come alive in beautiful, multi-faceted and shifting synthetic complexions, arousing unexpected reflections within an inspired imagination.
Soft, thin white static snow is quietly interlaced in backwards bell drones and pulsing chime clusters. A distant amplified horn sings a one-note solo across an oscillating web of ambient hiss and ghostly choir resonance. Twitching, scraping stereo noise randomness chatters alien languages along the backbone of a crescendoing electronic ground loop hum.
Despite it’s thickly electronic nature, and what seems like a carefully planned structure and sequence to the work, Ohmwrld retains a live, improvised feel throughout. There is a deeply ingrained human element here, and unlike many ambient improvisations, there are no dull or dead moments to be found; no sections where the music is lost on unimportant tangents; instead every minute of Ohmworld is wholly engaging and commands attention with each passing radiant sonic detail. Distinctive and mood-changing moments are to found around every corner of this accomplished work.Static Signals, March 2004
