Sad World

Sad World is an ethno-ambient project featuring Dr. Atmo and Ramin. Their three discs were released on Pete Namlook's FAX label, so a few surprises - and lots of ingenuity - should be expected. Atmo and Ramin build very slow atmospheres from low drones. They weave those atmospheres around and through each other, often with ethnic instrumentation complementing the synths. Sad World should appeal to fans of Michael Stearns, FAX projects Sultan and Silence, Vidna Obmana, Rapoon and perhaps even O Yuki Conjugate. Ethno-ambient doesn't get any more potent than Sad World, a recording project pooling the talents of German DJ/composer Dr. Atmo (real name Amir Abadi) and an enigmatic collaborator who goes only by the name of Ramin. Among the many releases appearing on the extremely prolific Fax Records since 1992 these two albums rank among the very best the label has released. The tracks "Apadana" and "Terasury" which bookend Sad World 1 are the high points, based around Third World-style vocal swells with a deep, aching beauty that will just wipe you out. The vocals are set against a backdrop of haunting electronic drones and anchored by a slow, incredibly hypnotic percussion loop. These two tracks represent a meeting of Eastern music and contemporary electronica that's every bit as refined as David Parsons or Michael Brook. Elsewhere on these albums you'll hear strange spoken voice monologues and long drone-based synth excursions sprinkled with global exotica. There's even a bizarre meeting of classical music, Mid-Eastern dance and Oldfield-style choral chants called "Kirkuck". The latter is a reassuring sign that Atmo and Ramin are not content to simply find a groove and stick to it. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.