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VIABLE SYSTEMS 6

by KEITH BERRY

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LIGHTSAILS 03:13
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CIRROSTRATUS 06:14
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about

R E V I E W S
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Sound artist Keith Berry steers the sixth installment in his Viable Systems series into revelatory, unexpected exotica and lounge terrain. A mirage of tropical sun-warped ambient bliss evocative of infinite blue skies, palm trees and tiki bars, and a tranquil escape from modern life. Something like Brian Eno meets Martin Denny.

www.normanrecords.com
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With some regularity, we receive new releases by Keith Berry, who produces a series of works called 'Variable System', now presenting the sixth volume. His "main interest is in generative music systems, simple rules that can create complex music, the process being just as interesting as the product". I believe I reviewed the previous ones, the last being Vital Weekly 1361, and it's not easy to find new words describing what he does. Berry's music is ambient and pleasant to hear, as there is not much darkness here. Atmospheric it is, and it's never even close to new-age music, which is good. Unlike some of Brian Eno's more generative music, Berry's music is more varied throughout the album and in his use of sounds, perhaps oddly making his music less generative. That is something that I enjoy. Before I wrote about Berry's work, it would be nice to see if his music would also work as an app on one's phone, and I would still like to test that. But for now, this new work also works quite well as a standalone release, with musical pieces to enjoy from start to finish. Berry uses quite a bit of orchestral sounds, and ethnic percussion, loops these around, and adds a melodic context to these sources. Dreamy, uptempo (well, relatively, of course, as Berry doesn't produce dance music), spacious and atmospheric, it is all delightful music. Much like the Statische Musen mentioned elsewhere, this is the perfect soundtrack to do while doing chores that you don't like. It will bring joy to one's day. (FdW)

www.vitalweekly.net
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Keith Berry's Viable Systems series is as reliable as the changing seasons. Each year a new volume from the UK-based sound artist materializes to add another set of superbly crafted ambient-electronic tracks to the total. Yet while the sixth arrives right on schedule, it also changes things up dramatically: for this go-round, Berry's shifted from soothing pocket-sized soundscapes to lounge-styled exotica that conjures images of sun-soaked Caribbean beaches and O'ahu resorts. As before, Berry produced the material using generative means, but his skills as a sound designer are so adroit you'd never know it from listening to it. That's especially so when the music's gleaming surfaces are so attractive one's attention is wholly engaged by them. There's nothing coy about the track titles either when ones such as “Hawaiian Postcard” and “Tropical Modernism” engender immediate associations.

The change isn't immediately apparent when “Catalan Opening” unfurls in a gently sparkling wave that could conceivably have graced any of the earlier sets. The introdtcory drum roll, quasi-funky groove, whispered flutes, and percussion of “Tropical Modernism,” on the other hand, indicate something different's going on; as if further confirmation's needed, “Terra Incognita” blends guitar twang, congas, and vibes into a slow-burning swoonfest, and a saxophone purrs through the sleepy dark ambient of “Promissed Lands” [sic]. While some tracks are tranquil (see “Towards a Dream” and “Palm-Tree Garden”) and others ominous, all fifteen exemplify the polish of their creator's assured hand. Eno's sometimes cited as a reference when Berry's music is discussed, and it's easy to understand when evocations such as “Hawaiian Postcard,” “Low-Lying Lands,” and “Lightsails” could pass for lost tracks from 1978's Music for Films.

Not everything transports the listener to a tropical seaside locale. “Cirrus Clouds Above” and “Retrieval System,” to cite two examples, are exactly the kind of ethereal ambient soundscape Berry is so adept at creating. But with many of the new pieces buoyed by rhythms, the project has undergone a noticeable expansion in identity, and a not unwelcome one at that. With a multi-hued package design that calls Memphis Design to mind, Viable Systems 6 sits comfortably alongside the other striking volumes in the series. In terms of content however, the latest set adds to what's been done before. In casting his gaze elsewhere, Berry's made a smart move; even better, it suggests all kinds of exciting new possibilities when one could imagine him tackling Baroque music, smooth jazz, and any number of other genres on the volumes to come.

www.textura.org

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released September 18, 2023

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KEITH BERRY London, UK

"With Viable Systems 1 Eno himself might deem it the best ambient album he never produced"

"Some highly atmospheric music, transport the listener to an altered state of consciousness"

"The music resembles the generative experiments of Brian Eno, in concept more than in sound: Overall, the atmosphere is light: these are obviously good-natured musical system"
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