BIOnight - "Egoheart 1999" (1999 Demo CDR)
From Aural Innovations #21 (October 2002)
Mac & Fabio are collectively known as Bionight and they come from Luino, Italy. Their music is hypnotic/ambient in nature, and it stirs many a restless vision of before. It echoes those early pioneers of electronic music, those experimenters who dabbled with their new theories of atmospherics, and it certainly breathes fresh life into the foundations that were laid by those innovators long ago. As I listen to the first track, 'Egoheart', I get images of Tangerine Dream straight away as soft chords start building an introduction for a sequenced bass pattern. It moves forward almost immediately as a drumbeat adds depth in an almost 'Meridian Meditation' style from the album Cyclone. Much of Egoheart 1999 is based upon that style of electronica. The majority is very good stuff indeed, and it rolls like Tangerine Dream/Klaus Shulze/Vangelis all in one.
Bionight take the music to the next level as they incorporate other influences. All that has been done before somehow seems fresh in this new form. It is definitely not dance music; you will be relieved to hear it is pure electronica in the vein of the aforementioned. The only track that I can say sounds in anyway dance music would be 'Technofly.' This track is the muse for track 2 'Technoflight'; this is a remix of 'Technofly'. To me it is strange that the original song sounds more dance orientated than the remix does.
I have listened to this CD quite a lot and I really do like it. There are some points to point out. The band terms this CD as a demo, which I can understand to a certain extent. Fair enough. It could be stronger in parts; the sounds used in places could have more depth to them but in my opinion it is worth a lot more than the title of demo.
'Timegod' is very Klaus Shulze like. The bass pattern takes the form of the hypnotic, and melodies are worked into place introducing elements of other games. The whole album is very mellow and some people will find it all too repetitive and dull, but those of us who love Tangerine Dream and the likes will be pleased to no end.
'Bionight' is the first track that Mac & Fabio recorded together so it is the beginning of the road. It starts slow and wind like with touches of Vangelis proceeding into a bass type sequence, it spans the start of its 17 odd minutes in a sedate fashion. The sequence stirs from its sleep to incorporate a drum pattern into its awakening and this track reminds me of Klaus Shulze in many ways. Very good stuff.
For more information you can visit the BIOnight web site at: http://www.bionight.net.
Contact via snail mail c/o Mac; via Cascina Ferrari 11; 21016 Luino (VA); Italy.
Reviewed by Albert Pollard