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Dreaming Earth Water Memories
by Robert Carty
Deep Sky Music, 2002
http://www.geocities.com/deepskymusic
Far from the ocean, but near the Great Salt Lake in Utah, Robert Carty has
produced an album of liquid synthesizer ambient. It is characteristic of his
work, featuring natural environmental sounds, sustained synthesizer chords
and shimmers, rambling modal melodic lines reminiscent of 60s psychedelia,
and “native” percussion. He also adds in some American Indian- sounding
chant samples. There are lots of “world” elements on the album, such as
Australian didgeridoo, Indian sitar, tabla, and tamboura, and Native
American wood flute. This is globalized ambient, all wrapped up in a smooth
package which bypasses issues of ethnic authenticity or the political
correctness of using Native chants in pop music.
Carty is aware of his fellow ambient composers; track 3, “Beautiful Sky,”
has passages that sound like Patrick O’Hearn, while track 4, “Water
Memories,” builds up to a wall, or rather, big wave of multilayered sound
reminiscent of some of the more trancey work of Michael Stearns. Carty tends
toward very steady rhythms and unchanging harmonies; once he’s established
something, he keeps with it until it fades out. This adds to the album’s
tendency toward psychedelia and trance. I could easily envision the swirling
colors and textures of an old-fashioned light-show as I listened to its
watery, rippling patterns.
Hannah M.G. Shapero
11/22/02
Robert Carty: Deep Sky 2001
Robert Carty is the electronician's electronician. Very few artists
have been able to match his consistence. While his output was quite prolific
for most of the 1990's, he has scaled down in the new millennium. He released
two CD's in 2000 and two in 2001. And they are all in his top ten. Deep
Sky is named for Robert's label and production company. It is also
distinctly Robert Carty and totally unique. Robert has gone in many
different directions to many different zones for his compositional
inspirations. On this CD he draws on all of those references and
creates one of the most unique hybrids imaginable. This hybrid has no
overt references to any of the influences. It is, quite simply,
one of the most unique electronic CD's ever!
And it does not end there! Robert has always created great artwork to adorn
his CD's. he has always matched the artwork and fonts expertly to the themes.
This artwork is his most beautiful yet. And the font is dynamic and dignified.
So, this is the best Robert Carty CD yet. And
because it is a 2001 release, it is numero uno on at least one Best Of
2001 list. This CD, like all CD's reviewed at ambient visions, is
available at Backroads Music.
~ Jim Brenholts, EER-MUSIC.com
Robert Carty, Midnight Rainbows
Deepsky, 2001
http://geocities.com/deepsky_84107/index.html
deepsky@gateway.net
Robert Carty was the most prolific electronician of the '90's. While he had
been creating and releasing CD's since 1990, it wasn't until 1999 that he
began to receive some recognition for his efforts.
One of the developments over those 10 years has been Robert's developing
style and unique sound. He has also slowed down his output.
Midnight Rainbows is classic Robert Carty. It features everything that is
good about his style. He gives his listeners vast atmospheres, deep
minimalism, textured and layered synth washes, symphonic synthesizer riffs
and pastoral melodies.
And those qualities merge to create rolling walls of sound that build and
collapse continuously. It gives the disc a sequenced feel but this is pure
minimalism. The music defines, sets and maintains its own pace.
This is an absolute positive stride in Robert's career. Stop by his web site
and check out the titles and amazing artwork. The artwork is cool. The
sounds are amazing!
Reviewed by Jim Brenholts
The Inexplicable
by Robert Carty
Deep Sky Music
c/o Deep Sky Music,
5478 S. 235 E. #E
Murray, Utah 84107
http://www.geocities.com/deepsky_84107/index.html
The prolific Robert Carty’s entry for 2000 is a desert-inspired electronic
ambient album, owing much to Steve Roach in its landscape themes, percussion
rhythms and rattles, embedded nature sounds, floating chords, and vast
reverberation. But where Roach is increasingly sophisticated both in
structure and in chord choices, Carty stays with mostly conventional
harmony, whether it is major or modal, and he doesn’t change much within any
single piece. Yet despite the Roach influence, Carty does have his own
recognizable style. He often uses a kind of organ-like polytonal tone
cluster, such as at the beginning of track 2, “Dark and Drifting Part Two,”
which is a kind of signature sound for him.
This is “classic” ambient, sound that flows along without much structure,
with different notes entering and fading in multiple layers. It’s almost all
electronic, with a synthesizer sound that wouldn’t have been out of place in
the more esoteric efforts of Tangerine Dream or Kitaro in the late ‘70s to
mid- ‘80s. Once you get to the three parts of “That Desert Feel,” Carty
locks into one modal key and stays there throughout the half-hour or so
duration. Part two (track 4) features some steady, Native-inspired rhythms
with artificial flute sounds and rattles. The Inexplicable is
moderately restful, and not unpleasant. But it gets to be somewhat
monotonous after a while, despite (or perhaps because of) its reverent
expression of the desert landscape and its wide open spaces.
HMGS rating: 6 out of 10
5/15/01
Robert Carty: Deep Spirit (CD, 60:09); 1997
Deep Sky Music
5478 S. 235 E. #E
Murray, UT 84107 USA
E-Mail: deepsky@gateway.net
Cyberhome: http://www.geocities.com/deepsky_84107/index.html or
http://www.california.com/~eameece/carty.htm
A brief synopsis: Carty is a gifted ambient electronics composer, touching on space
music yet more mysterious, echoing Vangelis, Serrie, Demby, Tyndall, and others. Most
importantly he has carved his own niche, a unique style of ambience that is high-quality,
moving, pristine, and professional. His ambient synth work is, as I call it, filled with true
"soulfire", in touch with unseen realities. Carty is highly recommended in this particular
sub-genre of his wider spectrum of synth releases.
"Twilight", 10:21, features a "spaced-out" cricket vocalization, with chirpings
that seem to pierce the heavens. "Echoplex"-ed into infinity, its call meets droning
synths, swirling about. Layerings of synth upon synth build in crescendo then fade.
Chime-like, bell-synth voicings bring in a melodic theme. All is aswirl, echoed, the
listener immersed in a sonic whirlpool. Chordal synth pattern begins – a strings voicing
evident. Space-cricket theme returns to forefront as if the cosmos, stars and galaxies
collapse back to earth. Lone cricket noises, fade out . . .
"Into Deepness", 11:13, brings falling water sounds, huge shimmering, metallic,
crystalline synthforms descend, massing in density and volume – listener is engulfed.
Deep drone becomes evident. Water sounds become louder. Volume levels then fall off,
relaxation, release – a vague song pattern tries to emerge but another repeating synth
mode rises above it. Synth walls-of-sound begin crashing in, building, drowning out all
sound-spaces then fade to near silence as flowing water sounds return. Tension-release-
tension-release, Carty favors this structuring. Water sounds fade . . .
"Growing Light", 9:13, Similar synth signatures as prior piece but no water.
However synths are cascading in, building as waves, floating and hovering. Brassy,
sharp, cold string-synths are Carty's choice again. Ebb, flow, rise, fall as ocean surf –
Carty's sound-walls are relentless. Whirlwinds, vortexes of brilliant light, flashes – are
near then far, ever-reproducing a new barrage. No listener release here. Merely a fade to
silence. What tiring torrents!
"Spectrums", 10:53, ahh, finally relaxation, low-key, mammoth swirling, low-
end, muted but heavy drones with some brief peakings of mid to high-range
"trumpetings" or "outbursts". Synth colorings reflect those of first track, spacey, galactic,
cosmic but without insectoid chants. Buzzing synth embellishing then regal "horn" synths
to soon gain a certain pipe-organ hugeness and splendor yet too brassy and sharp to be
fully organ-voiced. Relaxation has ended and the building of intensity of sounds returns.
Then comes a quick release in a fade to silence.
"Deep Spirit", 11:01, title track begins with that same swirling, deep down,
"swamped" synth-waters feel but a minute tinkling synth effect is added. Buzzing, fast
vibrato-echo-distorto synths invade briefly calling to mind Eno's stints with Cluster. This
effect of course builds, in typical Carty modality, mutates, expands, oscillating the
listener's left and right cerebral hemispheres into some "out-of-phase" state. Big lower
octave drones drift in slowly to soothe and overwhelm the moment. Finally, again
without release, all sounds simply fade away . . .
"Gentle Revealings", 7:28, (my wife has just drifted off into sleep, holding our
very old Yorkie in her lap, recliner and Carty to blame), a final track, a final release,
extremely calming piece with harpsichord-ish, glistening synths and keys. Full-
splendored feel here with a 1/3 speed frog? cricket? call in background synths awhirling.
Is this some distorted sampling of an old fan belt at slow speed? Weird. Chimed synths
seemed very Larry Fast-ian or Vangelis, circa Antarctica and that slow-speed
screeching "unknown" fades away as final sound, a synth reprise, then final fade.
In-depth track by track tour by your ambient guide . . .
~ John W. Patterson
Robert Carty: Darklight (CD, 59:10); 1998
Deep Sky Music
5478 S. 235 E. #E
Murray, UT 84107 USA
E-Mail: deepsky@gateway.net
Cyberhome: http://www.geocities.com/deepsky_84107/index.html or
http://www.california.com/~eameece/carty.htm
A brief synopsis: This release exhibits yet again a very strong contender in the ambient/
space music genre. Carty has achieved another step up into "space/cosmic" effects
overall as compared to his earlier Deep Spirit work.
"Gravitation", 6:03, is excellent space music with a multitude of effects and an
immensely powerful low-end underlying the whole piece. That sense of a huge
interstellar craft cruising infinite vistas of star-field is felt. Whisper effects are eerie and
effective. The Serrie sensitivities and stylings come through but again Carty is
intriguingly more exotic. Alien voices seem to surround listener, hypnotic chants of
sensuousness wisdom.
"Submerged", 5:50, has voices trail off into string synths that add a full sound
weight over drone matrix. Some bass effects were powerful enough in their shiftings to
bring visions of another world's continental shelf sloughing away beneath you. Great
stuff here. A liltingly haunting melodic and harmonic sense too! Uplifting one's feeling
of awe – the unseen majesties unfolding, revealed at last.
"Dark Glow", 8:27, opens an alien aquatic world scheme with behemoth
bubblings, like upwelling magma. Mournful solo synth rises. Feel a wandering, floating
mood, observing great dark forms beneath you as the stars rotate above. Eventually synth
diminishes to near silence, a buzzing sound heralds next track . . . superb!
"Organic Elemental", 9:50, I heard a distinct Wendy Carlos, Sonic
Seasonings, "Summer" all over this piece with snippets of Roach et al's Desert
Solitaire. Very minimalistic, subdued dronings, subtle groanings, insecta and
rattlesnake are here with a gestalt of heated voids. More synths augment the track with a
moodiness of stilled air, heavy weights of fatigue, devastation and isolation, ruin and
stark emptiness – infernal distances, unending, relentless nothingness. Strong work
Robert!
"Window", 5:34, offers that signature Loren Nerell maximum, metallic gong
synth and that David Parsons Himalaya ritualistic essence. Mood is carefree and
relaxed however, with an alpha-wave state-of-mind. Vangelis-restful lead synth colorings
used nicely. Fade into next track . . .
"Sensory Link", 6:24, has synth embellishings drift over from previous track.
Open feeling mood, slow-moving, bell-toned, sparse synths stroll by. Carty uses a subtle
stringsy-synth voice and synth-flute, breathy "blow-over" textures with mid-range echoes
added to the mix. Very restful overall. Transition to space music with an echo-laden,
synth cascade, like some odd chittering airborne things flit nearby. Fade into . . .
"Darkness To Light", 17:00, ahh yes, an extended space-music excursion. This
is very Serrie or think of T. Dream in a non-sequenced, ultra-expansive "break" for that
classic "zoning out" and "blank stares" fugue. Bring me my Mandala mama. Seriously
folks, this is highly meditative and mood-melting piece. Flowing, formless, floating, and
a fitting finale! This is an "isolation tank trip" goodie.
Highly recommended release here by Carty. Another in-depth track by track
tour by your spaced-out Captain Infinity . . . ~ John W. Patterson
Music of Robert Carty
The Living (1998)
and Serotonin Ashram(1999)
Deep Sky Music
http://www.geocities.com/deepsky_84107/index.html
Robert Carty is a real independent; he works out of Salt Lake City, Utah,
far from the trendy centers of experimental music, and does all his own
recording, as well as cover artwork and design. He’s got more than a dozen
albums to his credit, but his music has been hard to find, though it is now
in the Backroads catalog and also featured on a California radio program
devoted to “new age” music. Internet and the Web have given him more
exposure, and it is through the samples on his Website that I first heard
his music. It is worth the search: this American independent has produced
some fine material in a long catalogue of electronic albums.
In The Living Carty adds nature sounds as a background. I must
confess that I am really fond of nature sounds as a background to ambient
music, and the jaded will say it’s a cliché – but Carty does it tastefully.
The Living is a tribute to nature and the natural environment, with
five fairly long sections of smooth-flowing ambient tones, just short of
melody. He stays with a basic one-to-five-to diminished seventh harmony
throughout the entire album, with some modal excursions. This simple
harmonic structure derives not from classical music but more from the
softer, more contemplative rock experiments of the 60s and 70s. This gives a
structural unity to the album though it moves slowly due to being mostly in
the same key throughout. Pieces are differentiated from each other more by
use of different sound textures than by harmony, key, or rhythm. There isn’t
much rhythm or percussion to speak of in the album, anyway; this is along
the lines of “cool” trance music rather than the “techno” genre.
Yet there is a progression in the pieces, which builds up towards the end
as he adds more melodic lines, more accompaniments playing together, and
more volume. The last piece, “The Living Universe,” is quite intense. In
general his choice of electronic sounds in this album are mellifluous and
enjoyable, except for one sound which appears in the first and last track, a
loud creaking sound which I assume is supposed to be perhaps trees talking
or woods swaying. I disliked it; it sounds like a door hinge that needs
oiling. The rest of the album, once you have gotten through the creaking
door, is a pleasant and even enchanting journey through musical forests.
HMGS rating out of 10: 7
Serotonin Ashram, Carty’s 1999 release, is quite different from 1998’s
The Living. This album has much more variety, ranging from “chill”
or “drone” ambient, to medium-fast rhythms, to beat-driven pieces along the
lines of European synth-rock. It begins with the eleven-minute “Follow Your
Bliss” which in its modal melodies, optimistic harmonies and swaying rhythm
has become one of my favorite electronic tracks of the past few years. In
fact, if I had heard this album earlier, I would have named it as one of my
top ambient albums of 1999, and in retrospective, I will include it in the list.
Carty continues to add nature sounds as a background, though unlike the
previous album these are overshadowed by louder music. I especially like the
sound of distant thunder (real? synthesized?) in track 2, “The Periphery,”
and track 4, “Medicine Quest.” In track 5, “Extended Stillness,” Carty
travels a bit into Roach territory, with rattles and shakers, low chanting
sounds, and “floating” electronic chords. But the sound is still Carty’s,
thanks to his harmonic choices which are quite different from those of the
Tucson veteran. Carty ends the album with a sparkling Euro-rock piece that
moves right along until it fades into a silicon dawn.
Robert Carty is more than just an ambient soundsmith, he is a composer, who
knows how to vary pace, texture, and structure, and who is not afraid to
unify an entire album by bringing back motifs from earlier tracks in the
later pieces. So much ambient seems aimless, with little or no design behind
it, which is why I enjoy the thinking behind Carty’s music as much as I do
his natural sound samples and clear harmonies. The cleverly titled
“Serotonin Ashram” is an ambient achievement that deserves lots of
listening.
HMGS rating out of 10: 9
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