Global Communication

Introduction

Global Communication is Tom Middleton and Mark Pritchard who are probably better known as DJs.  It used to be the case that their work under the name of Global communication was ambient but they broke this rule a while ago unfortunately.

[ Album Cover ]

76:14
by Global Communication

Released 1994
Label: Dedicated
Catalogue: DEDCD 014

[ Reviewed July 2002 ]

When I look at the release years for my album collection, I have more albums from 1994 than any other single year.  I'd discovered ambient music and bought loads of stuff as it came out, a lot on the German Fax label.  This album is an absolute classic, head and shoulders above the rest.  The sleeve notes say that it was recorded between 91 and 94 and it always amazes me how albums have a consistent feel to them when they are recorded piecemeal like this.

It's very difficult to say what 76:14 sounds like; I would say it's ambient for the most part with some more up-tempo moments with an accompanying drum machine.  The sounds are most like Tangerine Dream of the 80s but with more ambience and less tunes.  I file it in my ambient/electronic section at home.  It has very characteristic sound that is deep, warm, all-surrounding and very beautiful.  At times you could be back inside the womb with the rumbling and rushing sounds but it always remains musical, not just a series of noises.  A typical track will have a simple theme of three notes slowly repeated, deep within the mix of distant human voices and lush sounds.  GC have a knack of holding notes for just the right amount of time before moving onto the next one.  Once you're in the groove of a track you want it to keep going forever, then the next track starts and you think ah, this one.  The final track is the masterpiece featuring human voices and a slowly looping tune.  A solo female voice repeats a four-note motif.  It is so beautiful it hurts, especially if you hear it live with real choir as I have.  The tracks are seamlessly joined and unimaginatively titled after their timings, as is the album.

One interesting note is that 8 07 is based the Tangerine Dream track Love On A Real Train.  Strangely I'm not too keen on this one of all tracks as it strikes me as being too repetitive.  It was issued in various guises as a single.

GC haven't done anything else quite like this album although Pentamorous Metamorphosis is no too far away stylistically and equally stunning.

Tracks:
1.4 024:02
2.14:3114:31
3.9 259:25
4.9 399:39
5.7 397:39
6.0 540:54
7.8 078:07
8.5 235:23
9.4 144:14
10.12 1812:18
total time (give or take)76:14

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Copyright Steve Bachini