MYTHOS

RadioIndy / U.S.A.
“Surround Sound Offensive” by MYTHOS / Stephan Kaske (Electronica Artist from Germany)

One listen to Berlin electronica group Mythos' "Surround Sound Offensive" will change the way you listen to music forever.
Mythos frontman Stephan Kaske has composed an incredible, artistic instrumental album that gives a new meaning to fullness of sound. Self-produced by Kaske in Dolby Pro Logic Surround Sound, "Surround Sound Offensive" constantly has a variety of sounds going in different places at the same time that artfully come together as a compositional whole.
These instrumentals, minimalistically labeled "S.S.O.-1" through "S.S.O.-11" are excellently crafted, well-layered, catchy, and unique. These songs are, by nature, best when listened to loudly on a surround sound system, and the album is meant to be listened to from beginning to end, as an artistic whole.
"S.S.O.-2" has an '80s feel to it with a great beat and a full sound that brings lots of different sounds together. "S.S.O.-8" has a lot of spacey ambience going, more great beats, and excellent instrumental layering with well-timed fades and dueling instrumentation.
"Surround Sound Offensive" is an electronica masterpiece filled with amazing, full instrumentation that fills the canvas with Kaske's artistic expression.
Fans of electronica, and anyone with a surround sound system are going to want to pick this one up.-

Chris & the RadioIndy.com Reviewer Team
- RadioIndy / U.S.A

Cd Of The Month / music-transformation (D)

Stephan Kaske's new cd has been released just now. We could assure ourselves of its outstanding quality of sound.

Titled "Surround Sound Offensive" Kaske presents again a masterly album.

But not only the Surround Sound is awe-inspiring, but also the music is catching and dynamically, as before on his previous albums KAMASUTRA, EDGAR ALLEN POE and MYSTERIA.

These albums belong to the best of Electronic Music, whereas Kaske follows his own very special style.
- music-transformation (Germany)

Morpheus Music (GB)

STYLE
Lively high end electronica in the German Berlin-school tradition. Mythos presents here an album aimed at showing just what electronic music can sound like when making full use of the technology currently available. Full surround sound recording is used to establish a rich spatial arena with crystal clarity and dynamic acoustic effects. The Mythos sound is well suited to this approach - bright synthesiser themes and sequential patterns dance with luminous warmth, multi-layered, deftly crafted, melodic; airy effects swish and swirl throughout the soundscape; stirring programmed beats littered with variously manipulated hits, blips, splashes and zaps drive the music energetically forward. Kaske weaves the odd snatch of vocal ephemera into the mix - tribal chants or strongly effected speech, choral swells building the intensity to fever pitch. This latest Mythos album fills your headspace from end to end - demanding your attention - music on the offensive.

MOOD
The mood of Surround Sound Offensive is in keeping with the title - dramatic, stirring compositions full of energy and aural detail. The European heritage shines brightly - this is music of the machines bent toward their futurist potential - unashamedly synthetic whilst at the same time full of feeling and theatrical grandeur.

ARTWORK
Arriving in a slimline jewel case the artwork is uncomplicated and eye catching. A strong yellow sun-burst fronts the package. Sharp black lettering presenting the title and between the lines a pithy explanation of the intent of the album. Inside is a timed tracklist and German language discussion of the project in greater detail. For English speaking fans the insert opens out to reveal the relevant information in English.

OVERALL
This latest Mythos release is presented as the first in a new series of Mythos albums "offensively and consequently custom-made, matched and fine-tuned to YOUR wishes right from the start of the composition". In other words the artist Stephan Kaske is aiming to satisfy the desires of synth fans that are not content with mp3 quality sound or even common CD quality - Stephan explaining "the multiple psycoacoustic effects, binaural dummy head recordings and numerous surround elements appear and work best with the equipment adjusted to DOLBY PRO LOGIC (TM). We chose this format because the vast majority of fans have it available in their hi-fi systems, cars and home cinemas. It is also, of course, totally stereo compatible; many spacious events are already impressively effective in stereo". Eleven tracks in all make up this releases - the latest in an impressive Mythos discography that dates back into the early nineteen seventies!

WHO WILL LIKE THIS ALBUM
Mythos is building on the colourful tradition of electronic music that the project has pioneered since the early days. This is an album for musical technophiles especially, but will doubtless appeal to all fans of the genre that enjoy the more energetic end of the Berlin-school. You can listen to samples from all tracks at CD Baby.
- Morpheus Music (GB)

Ultima Fronteira / Spanien

Nuevo trabajo del compositor alemán Stephan Kaske bajo su proyecto MYTHOS, unos de los clásicos de la música electrónica, heredero de la Escuela Berlín.
"Surround Sound Offensive" es el título de esta obra conceptual, un disco dividido en 11 cortes con los cuales el compositor busca sacar provecho a los sistemas musicales multicanal, es decir, principalmente Home Cinemas con el sistema Surround Sound. La verdad, que este sistema musicalmente hablando está muy desaprovechado y se limita su uso al cine, pero Stephan Kaske, lo mismo que hiciera Jean Michel Jarre con su Aero, nos muestra todas las posiblidades de esta tecnología.
En este trabajo, nos encontramos música electrónica de calidad, heredera de la mejor Escuela Berlín, de manos de un hombre que siempre ha demostrado grandes ideas compositivas, secuencias, ritmos, voces corales al estilo Mythos, con una calidad sonora sobresaliente y con el añadido del sonido multicanal. Desde el primero hasta el último tema, los seguidores de la música electrónica van a poder disfrutar de este trabajo, un disco recomendable disfrutar con un buen sistema home cinema para poder apreciar los apabullantes sonidos que se van sucediendo, a lo largo de todos los altavoces, en una sinfonía que deseamos que no se termine.
"Surround Sound Offensive" es un disco para los amantes de la música electrónica, un regalo para los oídos y más aún si se puede disfrutar de un buen Home Cinema a un determinado volumen, cuidado todos aquellos con vecinos susceptibles de sufrir daños auditivos por la escucha de buena música.
- Ultima Fronteira / Spain