Creative talent and new age music are equal terms in reference to the many creative and influential musicians producing music today. This can be said of every music influence available today of course, and like every genre, new age music had a group of select artists in the primordial years whose earlier influences formed the inception and foundation of the genre.
Clifford White is a musician living in the United Kingdom defining our new age music genre then and this is true today. His biography as a musician began during an era when there was much less of a foundation to build upon and had to rely primarily on his own creative intuition as a vital resource. Clifford White’s inception into the new age genre first emerged in 1985 at age 17 when he released a phenomenal album entitled Ascension which quickly established Clifford as a leading composer and producer whose music greatly influenced our genre in the early years.
Atlantis is the 2010 MG Music label release Clifford White has just produced in his present day Sanctuary Studio in St. Albans, Hertfordshire and it is great news to know Clifford White’s talent for producing outstanding music and creative intuition during modern times is just as ingenious today as in earlier years. Currently he presides over his multi faceted 21st Century New Media Ltd business which specializes in media consultation of Internet, film, software, television and media related training courses. In addition to his musician website he also hosts the New Age Music News website and his presence in the new age music genre today remains on the forefront.
Clifford White has made Atlantis into an exciting electronic composition based in theme on the lost underwater city adventures first recounted in the writings of Greek philosopher and mathematician Plato. Knowing Clifford has made explorations of his own by using a broad range of influences and innovations with every successive album, these novel synthesizer effects translate into a modern Progressive album that reaches Epic and Cinematic proportions while recounting the ancient city lost beneath the waters.
Atlantis ( Title Song ) is the Epic first of 11 exploratory melodies on this Electronic expedition transcending folklore of the past into a new modern day chronicle overflowing with depth and creative imagination.
One innovation of many on this release is the unique metrical timing by using the middle C note on piano. Balanced with precision, this synchronized rhythm gives the impression of a heart beating with adventurous excitement while the main keyboard melody and regal orchestration begin to herald in this majestic opening song.
Catacombs has a more mysterious allure given the ever present key changes made throughout the keyboard melody with percussion timing and synthesizer enhancements furthering this deeper realm in atmosphere like the dreamy sequences in moderately timed song Xtasea.
The Kingdom has Contemporary guitar rhythms along with an energetic beat illustrating a brighter atmosphere while shedding new light onto the mysterious underwater city, while the Groove qualities in Time Tunnels with percussion accents also maintain the traits given by these more modern progressive qualities.
Voice of the Aegean with a gentle guitar melody resembles the lighter variation of calm like on the song Summit which conveys relaxing qualities by a more moderate tempo. Ascendant & Exodus are comprised of prominent synthesizer surroundings with percussion sequences of bells, woodblock and xylophone.
The epic music heard in New World begin to surface during the first measures when beautiful orchestrations by horns and choir vocals infuse classic imagery of the legendary kingdom of antiquity for which this theme is based upon and just like a paradox, Atlantis the album was composed with a more modern ideology but where they share common traits by their amazing stories and early foundations that had first began on solid ground.
Picture copyright BigStockPhoto – Dirk Paessler
September 2010 | John Olsen at New Age Music World
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Since antiquity the whereabouts of the legendary island Atlantis has been discussed. From Plato to Francis Bacon and into today’s world, it has been a frequent topic for both scientific research and art.Atlantis is also the topic for an album by Clifford White, which was released in 2010. Here he gives the listener a fresh perspective on the old myth. Indeed, after 65 minutes of music you feel that Atlantis has risen from the ocean and become a place in your mind you can visit and revisit again and again. So hang on, and enjoy the voyage!
Atlantis is a popular theme in New Age Music. Most prominent is David Arkenstone’s Atlantis: A Symphonic Journey (2004), but also Alex Herr’s synth classic from the late 1980s Atlantis Arising comes to mind. And now we can add another strong album to the list!
I was excited when I heard that Clifford White’s new album would be about Atlantis. The reason is because his previous albums concerning water are among my all time favorites. The collection An Island Called Paradise is a like a trip to a magical and relaxing island, and I make sure to recommend it as often as I can. Selected songs from it are also among the most popular on our channel New Age Stars. We must also not forget that Clifford White is used to myths and great histories; The Gods Of Olympus(2009) was an album worthy of gods.
So with this in mind I put Atlantis on my iPhone and started my musical journey.
The album opens with the title song, which starts with the sound of waves, a quiet piano melody and then something I can describe (bear with me here) as a Vangelis / Chariots of fire-like synth pluck-beat. Which is always a welcome effect! The larger-than-life strings are also here, illustrating the grandness, the light and magic of the underwater world. The song has a very nice melody, and a calming atmosphere.
Track 2, Catacombs, takes the listener even further down – into a darker world, with a faster beat and nice dripping sounds. After all, the tale of Atlantis – like the real-life story of Pompeii – is first and foremost a dramatic story. If Atlantis hadn’t disappeared, there would be no magic; what you can’t ever see, find or reach is to man always more exciting than what is readily available. Isn’t that so?
I am fascinated by the way Clifford White changes sound from one track to the next, while the tracks still blend perfectly into each other. An example here is track 6, Time Tunnels, which is lounge in style. It has a jazzy freshness. Then it is track no. 7, Edge of the Ocean, which is laid back, has a bossa nova beat and a Vollenweider-ish electronic harp melody. This makes the album into an interesting listen.
There is no monotony or repetitiveness.
Again it is tempting to refer to Vangelis – both in style and in craftsmanship; Track no. 8, The New World, has the force of Conquest of Paradise, and lots of White’s usual magic too. The new world unveils itself before your inner eye.
Atlantis is like a box of surprises. The album closer is Exodus; an upbeat, bright piece. Here I must compare to Jean Michel Jarre’s classic Fourth Rendez-Vous. It shines bright, illustrating the overwhelming power of the Exodus.
As you can see from the references; White is here delivering a top notch album, and will once again find himself on the year’s top lists of new age albums. Atlantis is here as real as it will ever get. Bravo!
September 2010 | BT Fasmer, newagemusic.guide
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