VIABLE SYSTEMS 4, by KEITH BERRY

VIABLE SYSTEMS 4

by KEITH BERRY

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Jim Schneider As a fan of the works of Brian Eno, this series from Keith Berry really satisfies! Favorite track: ON VANISHING LAND.

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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
High quality glass mastered CD with artwork by Keith Berry

Includes unlimited streaming of VIABLE SYSTEMS 4 via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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Poster/Print
A2 size 420mm x 594mm poster on 160 gsm paper

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1.	SAKURA 03:45	buy track
2.	TROPICAL SEDIMENTS 08:07	buy track
3.	CALIFORNIA DREAMS 06:31	buy track
4.	VAPID BUCOLIA 07:23	buy track
5.	ON VANISHING LAND 10:11	buy track
6.	EIGENVECTORS 04:07	buy track
7.	LIVING POD 07:32	buy track
8.	CONCRETE TOWERS 04:36	buy track
9.	GLIDERS 02:51	buy track
10.	4-H PSA 02:28	buy track
11.	LIMINAL STATE 05:41	buy track
12.	GRUEN TRANSFER 04:52	buy track
13.	EXOTIC HYBRID 05:23	buy track
14.	HYPERNORMALISATION 02:45	buy track
15.	FERRIC OXIDE 02:00	buy track

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R E V I E W S
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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.

www.textura.org
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The previous instalment of Viable Systems wasn't that long ago (Vital Weekly 1259), and now the fourth one arrives. The gap between two and three was bigger. I can only speculate about the speed and would think this is because the COVID-19 pandemic keeps Berry housebound and what else can you do, other than doing new music. By now, Berry has a clear vision of what he wants with his music and number four is very similar to the previous three works in this series. While much of this stays in very much the same musical territory as before, and it is hard to write about such things in renewed glowing terms, (see what I said last time about!) I think there the devil here is in the details. I still have very little idea as to what Berry does with his sound and how it is all generated. There is the well-known piano sound, set against an ambient background that reminded me of the best of Brian Eno doing ambient music, but I believed to be hearing guitars as well and in 'Liminal State' the sound was broken up with an effect that reminded me of an eroded tape. There is quite a bit of variation in the various moods and textures here, some between lighter and some darker, some very smooth and some a bit rough. Oddly enough, the last one I played on a quiet Saturday afternoon, and so I did with this one, and again on random/shuffle repeat for quite some time and again pondering over the fact that an application in which the listener is allowed to control sounds that Berry produces would indeed be something to desire.

Vital Weekly
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In the fourth installment of Keith Berry’s Viable Systems series, the composer is once again orchestrating comforting soundscapes that drift on open aural seas. “Tropical Sediments” loses track of space and time, adrift on the open ocean into a vast unknown. Drenched in sweeping reverb, “Vapid Bucolia” sits in a pocket of melancholic lament. Scouting the next peak on the horizon, gauzy synths seep into every pore like a passive virus, coaxing you to continue the journey forward. Sunrise beckons on “Gliders” as gleaming sonic surfaces reflect light into a prismatic display. Berry extracts warm, gentle tones while deep bass pads and sparse guitar plucks act as guideposts. Viable Systems 4 is cool to the touch, but that glossy exterior shrouds an engaging and sympathetic embrace. Berry’s explorations always tap into auditory dimensions meant for traveling. Viable Systems 4 is another beautiful chapter in this continually unfolding story.

Foxy Digitalis
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released March 18, 2021

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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" ... more

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