Label: Daisy Chain
Released: 2007

01. Indidginus - Champa
02. Indidginus - Doors To The Deathless
03. Indidginus - Mind Over Mantra
04. Indidginus - Transgenesis
05. Indidginus - Machu
06. Indidginus Feat. Ishq - Cy
07. Indidginus - Chakrasonic
08. Indidginus - Omega 3
09. Indidginus Feat. Ishq - 10 Cubed
10. Indidginus Feat. Ishq - New Horizon

Behind Indidginus project there is artist Michael Martin. His solo act is for sure not widely known on the scene. Up to now he released just one album - "Align" - and a few tracks on downtempo compilations and on uptempo compilations as well. Yet main course of Indidginus is downtempo: organic music that is looking for its original place on the Earth. In this style exactly was done his "Align". Unfortunately, the album was released only in digital format so far.

The first track is "Champa". This is a beautiful piece with an anxiety in the background - the best composition from this album. On the foreground we have sadness builded on pads. While the sounds in the background are pleasantly not coordinated. In that way Michael achieved a very interesting arrangement. Next we have "Doors To The Deathless". The beginning is a great - though it's lasts just a few seconds - Gregorian chant, which fastly turn into pads, then these pads turn into already main image of the track: very simple and very cheerful melody, which accompaniment is not so fast and not much complicated structure of morning trance, which luckily receive progressively a dose of new sounds. However, disturb me expression of that very unsophisticated melodiousness. That expression isn't in the next track - "Mind Over Mantra". This is the most baroque composition of the album. Its bizarreness attract, excite with every new minute. And these minutes we have thirteen. And while initially phaze, indeed, is builded on simple motives, then when percussion come we will be directed into the atmosphere quite similiar to that known from the "Champa" composition. And even we will go far away: into the world a bit cybernetic, which will be changed with flute into earthly, which will be changed in around the middle of the track into cosmic, and what will be important in that time: foundation of the arrangement will be changed as well. In the result we have from this one a journey on different spots. But this is not the end, because the final is the crawling of synth, with an alienated, mystical epilogue.

Next we have "Transgenesis". "Transgenesis" is a very successful chillout created from the world music nature. On the saxophone melodiously plays Nic Le Roux (the biggest virtue of the track), we add to this quite a big dynamism of the arrangement - among other things a vocal whiff of Africa and a guitar joy - and a pretty fast tempo. We have a composition that makes happy. Earthy course is deepen in another track. The most interesting thing in "Machu" is a feeling of completely, simple "joie de vivre" in which there is no pretentiousness, insistently, any pressure. The composition's life goes "live". On the bass guitar lazy (this is a virtue) plays Josh Hawks - and he in the main measure brings a pleasantly lack of any hurry, and when we have high notes of a flute - then we can feel like around a bonfire in the time of pink sunset. Next is "Cy", and "Cy" is the first of three tracks from this album created through the collaboration of Michael Martin and Matt Hillier (Ishq). And from that three compositions this one appear in my feelings as the most saturated with Indidginus sound. Solid, fast rhythmicity of the percussion, a little dark, Eastern atmosphere, a little dose of male vocal, simple main melody - these elements we have here.

The track number seven is "Chakrasonic". We have here kicks on 4/4, simple and cheerful melodies and ethnic motives. The most nicely in the whole is the sitar with a melody that is rising and falling; when this motive come into the composition then suddenly as if is stopping its row - interesting. The track "Omega 3" is a simple melody, joyful atmosphere, melody on piano, sitar. We have here vocals, this time as if Arabic; flute motives are also directed to that area of the atmosphere. In my opinion, this is the best composition about happiness from the album. The last two tracks are done in a cooperation with Ishq and these two are controled by the style more of Ishq than of Indidginus, although as such these are still more indidginus-like. In the case of "10 Cubed" beginning is cosmic, technologic, cybernetic, industrial (in ambient style), then we have overcast sky on the Earth. Relatively simple construction is transforming into the beautiful fondness in the second half of the track. "New Horizon" is equally jaunty track and as well having percussion; very nicely sounds here in the backround crystalline sounds of Ishq, warmly sounds a female vocal. And this, in sum up, gives us the most coherent effect of cooperation of these musicians in this album in the respect of building one atmosphere.

The conclusion I will start from bad points. This album have them three which are touching me during almost every listening to. For the first, we have here too many simple melodies. I would expect a bigger sophistication in this case from every artist on this world. For the second, while the album is opening beautifully calm, the last minutes of the album are disappointed in this way; too dynamic sound we have. (The album ends like without having "the end"). I think that Michael should - because all tracks lasts 70 minutes, the space on that invisible CD should be easily found - composed also a calmly track for the finish. For the third, if we are talking now about compositions done in cooperation with Matt Hillier then, unfortunately, they are not - talking in short - the masterpieces. I am not sure, but I think that the main reason is in the way of cooperation. Michael Martin lives in RSA, Matt Hillier lives in Great Britain. Their music was probably done via internet. As I said: I'm not sure if this is the fact, but for sure there can be felt some lacks typical for that kind of working: they didn't manage to create own, original atmosphere, arrangement is too simple. There are the germs of an idea, because the music is very nice, but despite everything I am expecting far more creativity and depth from the results of their another cooperation. I have on mind of course their joint album that they are working of at the moment.

The above details, in different intensity, disturbed me in "Align". Besides them we have already only the pluses. I like that the tracks are not unambiguously. I mean: they are for sure unambiguously in the sense of hearing them for the first time, or hearing them inattentively. With a closer and longer contact the value of the tracks rise, because the compositions in majority are trying to mix different colours. The best example is perhaps "Omega 3". I am receiving this track as European-African. Other important example is "Mind Over Mantra", which is an earthly-cosmic blend for me. Other virtue of "Align" is directing the music into one aim: completely blue optimism only from time to time covered by grey clouds. (To have no doubts: that "grey clouds" are not bad points, but simply that more sadness emotions of this music)... So what kind of the album we have in sum up? I will say in the way like reviewing a composition: simple melodies, summer atmosphere, vast spectrum of the sounds.