(2021) Keith Berry - Viable Systems 4        


Review:
With the fourth chapter in his venerable Viable Systems series, Keith Berry presents another impeccably crafted collection of ambient soundscapes. Fifteen settings appear, all subtly different from the others, yet each exuding a serene tranquility and each again reflecting the high level of artistry the London, UK-based producer has established with the project. Atmosphere is key but even more is timbre, as Berry uses his highly developed handling of sound design to create meditations that are veritably orchestral in their richness. No background details are included to clarify how and when the material was produced, but the omission isn’t off-putting. Their absence simply leaves the listener to focus on the material itself, and the experience in no way suffers as a result. Berry’s music sparkles but softly, such that a representative production such as “California Dreams” beckons one to swim in its peaceful and spiritually replenishing waters. While no info clarifies the gear Berry used to generate the material, suffice it to say the arrangements are rich in synthetic textures, and sounds of piano, flutes, and electric guitars emerge within the mix too. “On Vanishing Land” couldn’t be more Eno-esque in title, “Eigenvectors” includes slow-burning textures that would sound right at home on Music for Films, and as with previous instalments Berry’s latest holds up credibly alongside classics by his colleague, ones such as Ambient 4: On Land, Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks, and Music for Airports. In “Living Pod,” the gentle breath of a wooden flute intones amidst bucolic sounds of insects and birds; in contrast to its title, “Concrete Towers” evokes the peaceful vistas of the natural outdoors more than anything industrial-related. Listening to “Gruen Transfer” is akin to submerging oneself in an outdoors pond on a sweltering afternoon, but not so far below the water’s surface that nature sounds are reduced to inaudibility. Berry throws in a few unexpected wrinkles here and there—the woozy pitch-shifting effects near the end of “On Vanishing Land,” for example—but for the most part stays the course and hews to the template he’s used throughout the series. The question naturally arises: how many chapters will there be? For all we know, Berry has the fifth finished or nearing completion, and chances are it’ll evidence no drop in quality from those currently available. — Textura





Track Listing:
1. SAKURA (03:46)
2. TROPICAL SEDIMENTS (08:07)
3. CALIFORNIA DREAMS (06:31)
4. VAPID BUCOLIA (07:23)
5. ON VANISHING LAND (10:12)
6. EIGENVECTORS (04:08 )
7. LIVING POD (07:33)
8. CONCRETE TOWERS (04:36)
9. GLIDERS (02:52)
10. 4-H PSA (02:29)
11. LIMINAL STATE (05:41)
12. GRUEN TRANSFER (04:53)
13. EXOTIC HYBRID (05:23)
14. HYPERNORMALISATION (02:45)
15. FERRIC OXIDE (02:00)


Media Report:
Genre: ambient
Country: UK
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits