Flow Mingled Down by Resonant Drift

Bill Olien of Resonant Drift shows a tremendous talent for the creation of aural landscaping throughout the disc, a talent which will surely appeal to listeners who crave spaces made within their music...To be able to evoke an image of a space is a wonderful talent, but to be able to bring to mind an emotion, a feeling, so clearly as this is truly a gift...Needless to say, I'm one of those listeners that I mentioned earlier, the kind that craves space within the music they listen to. I enjoy a disc that implies a space through it's use of sound. Resonant Drift is a project that succeeds admirably in that goal, and I can heartily recommend "Flow Mingled Down" as an excellent addition to the CD collection of anybody who feels similarly."

rik - ping things

“If variety is the spice of life for you and you're also a fan of electronic music, then Flow Mingled Down is custom made for your taste. The CD is the work of Bill Olien (a.k.a. Resonant Drift ) and he is more than adept at the full spectrum of EM as he navigates the many waters of the genre, be they Berlin school, drifting ambient, spacemusic, electronica or retro. Ambition is not one of his shortcomings and he has the chops to showcase that ambition as well. This is an audacious and accomplished recording which should hold appeal for many listeners, as long as they enjoy a variety of approaches to electronic music… Flow Mingled Down is one of the better "cross-genre" releases in recent memory…I can only hope this review opens more listeners up to its many delights. Solidly recommended to fans of all the genres mentioned in this review.”

Bill Binkelman

New Age Reporter

www.newagereporter.com

"In his press materials for Flow Mingled Down, Resonant Drift (secret identity: Bill Olien) cites such influences as Steve Roach, Tangerine Dream, and Jonn Serrie--and then, on the album, proceeds to pay superb homage to them. This far-ranging disk opens with the TD-inspired "Until," which bounces in on a twangy sequencer line and adds ever-thickening layers of e-music memes for a welcoming familarity. Olien then wanders into deeper, more ethereal zones that blend classic spacemusic airiness with the darker touches of Roachian soundworlds such as SpiritDome with the title track, followed by "Is This the Dream?" and "Indescribable." He touches the depths of darkdrift with "Within, Still," which carries burbling echoes of Brannan Lane's more shadowy creations. From there, it's back toward the light with the easy, floating pads of "Moment" and the energizing old-school funk of "Spiral Nowhere," where Olien once again invokes the spirit of TD before throttling back down through the gentle track "Moment Again," and into the grim-toned, beat-driven and compelling electronica of "Yearning." Olien brings the disk to a close with "Ground of All"--probably the darkest of any track here, heightened in spots by an oddly effective sound like a powersaw ripping through a 2x4--and the contrasting "Sorrow and Love," which rides in on soft, breathy synth pads and concludes with a trickle of water for added calm.

An excellent offering from Resonant Drift, and well worth looking into."

John Shanahan

Hypnagogue

http://hypnagogue.netfirms.com/

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