Kim Carter - From the Horizon
Dance/Electronica, Ambient, Neo-Classical
Wales, United Kingdom
Overall Impression: There are certain pieces of music that are meant to excite, whilst there are others that have the bold desire to move a listener on a profoundly deep emotional level, and there are those select few pieces that feel as if they transcend both space and time altogether, "From The Horizon" is one such creative offering. Kim Carter invites listeners on an alluring journey, one that will fill them with many a deep thought and many an existential pondering, fully immersing them within a texturally rich blanket of expansive synth pads, beautifully arranged piano explorations, and cosmic-inspired melodic phrases. "From The Horizon" is a track best experienced with your eyes closed in order to be fully absorbed by its organically evolving textures and atmosphere-steeped character.
Strongest Point(s): A strong sense of atmosphere is integral in a track of this nature and it's clear even from the very few first seconds of "From The Horizon" that this has most definitely been achieved. The texturally absorbing qualities of the synth coupled with the more traditional tonal qualities provided by the piano allow for a particularly rich and inviting soundscape that listeners will find hard not to be pulled in by. It's also great to hear that there's also a clear focus on melody and whilst the overlapping synth pads help to give the track its expansive sonic properties, it's the ethereal nature of the main synth-based melodic phrases that help really heighten the emotional aspects of the writing.
Target Audience Appeal: This style of track can often prove difficult to place into any one particular genre as there's a fair bit of crossover, which is always a good thing I say, but I believe the track most closely aligns with the ambient electronica genre and I think this would serve as a good place to start. There feels like there's a strong German electronic and new-age inspiration here along the lines of Tangerine Dream and Jean-Michel Jarre respectively, so it might be worth trying to target these specific audiences also.
Artist target suggestions: Tangerine Dream, Jean Michel Jarre, Steve Roach, Rick Wakeman, The Alan Parsons Project, Vangelis, Ashra, Mike Oldfield, Michael Stearns, Isao Tomita, Cluster, Edgar Froese, Peter Baumann, Four Tet, Sun Rain
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About the Reviewer:
Andre Avanessian is a freelance session musician, composer, and sound engineer based in the U.K. Having studied music production and composition at a degree level, he has taken his passion for all things audio-related to a level that has allowed him to become both a competent musician and performer. Being a self-confessed "Guitar Nerd" Andre has been continually studying the guitar as well as teaching it, helping students learn the instrument, develop their songwriting, and become proficient in home recording.