Odyssey V By David De Michele

 

Odyssey V

By

David De Michele

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

I have nothing but positive words to express on the works of David De Michele, he is without doubt one of the finest electronic music creators of his time, and here we get the most wonderful of opportunities of being able to take yet another voyage of galactic delights with the artist, on this new album entitled Odyssey V.

First we must break orbit with our musical planet of plenty and prepare our engines to take flight, this can be done so very beautifully with the opener and title track Odyssey V. I love it when a musician places his title header as number one on the track listing, it shows me his intent and confidence that the palette created upon is utter quality, as this song most certainly is.

The softness of chords and musical structures on the previous track is continued somewhat with this next offering entitled Gateway, however, under pinned in this arrangement is a mood of expectation and excitement. Through the music one can sense a system worm hole or portal has been opened up, and the leap to our next odyssey of mystery is about to begin. The build and mood of anticipation here is huge, but De Michele retains that sense of purpose, and keeps at all times, the composition perfectly balanced.

So The Search begins, light years flash by as if in a twinkling of an eye, solar systems disappear into the inky depths of the universe, as scanners are now employed. The artist’s expressions and textures here are filled with hope and mystery, and one can feel through the tones of De Michele’s keyboards the vastness of this whole project in a track that is full of wonderment, the progression of the ethereal vocalisations and light percussion are a key element to this pieces elevation.

Some say it is a luxury to be able to look back with an objective point of view in life, indeed it is, and combined with knowledge and wisdom, doubly so, here on Retrospect we have a piece that is almost mournful at times, a track that through its chords and repeating motifs is one of the finest examples of synth based space styled music there is.

We find ourselves at the midway point on our journey and the pull of a planets orbit has kicked in, this next arrangement entitled Gravity explains the mood perfectly and one can almost feel the grip of this world gaining strength, the pulse styled percussive effect that runs through this track is vital to its overall compositional structure, and it also adds a layer of exciting tension into the composition as well, whilst at the same time the artists soft synth pads manufacture a blissful reality of confidence that all will be well.

Through the eyes of David De Michele we are taken on a voyage with each track created, he is without doubt a master narrator and deserves all the plaudits that he gets, on the track Pinnacle, there is a level of sensitivity that is so palpable and emotional. I found this track deeply moving, its emotional energies were strong and powerful, whilst the composition its self was soft and akin to a warm embrace.

We are at our goal, the journey has been long and fascinating, and now through the offering Arrival we can celebrate this almost concluding voyage through the stars. We are greeted by synths that are gentle, creative and uplifting, and with the very delicate added percussion we are gifted a true treat, one that reminded me in parts of early Vangelis in build expression and texture.

We finish with the longest piece off the release and called Timeless, this is an incredibly stylish way to conclude an album indeed, a repeating keyboard motif, and one that may reminds you of a certain mister Mike Oldfield. With a progression that was so carefully worked and crafted, it was a pleasure to listen to over and again, with true care and attention to detail De Michelle has ended with all flags flying in an opus of brilliance.

Odyssey V by David De Michele is a journey of musical pleasure, it is a voyage of an explorative nature, so beautifully narrated by the artist it leaves you wanting more each and every time, and trust me you will listen over and again. David De Michelle is a musician that takes each note he manifests to the universe seriously, and then covers them all with a warm blanket of confidence and colour, on this album we have a collection of stunning tracks that gives you the very best he can offer, it certainly is a musical journey you will never want to return from.