Record Reviews

DRUMBIENTONE ~ SONGS OF PLANETS AND MOONS VINYL ON ~ POLAND ~ Electronic & Ambient Recorded: 2024 Released: 2024 This is the debut album by DrumbientoneFind albums by this artist or the alter ego of Polish Jazz drummer / composer Bartlomiej OlesFind albums by this artist. The album presents nineteen short tracks, named after the planets and moons of our solar system and beyond. The music was inspired by the electromagnetic vibrations by these celestial objects, as registered by human space probes like Voyager. The music has nothing to do with Jazz, and offers a very personal alternative to sound creating, but considering the rich and complex personality of Bartlomiej, it is not entirely surprising to find him dealing with an entirely different mode of expression. I am neither a great specialist nor a follower of Electronic / Ambient Music, but on a purely aesthetic level, the music offers quite a fascination listening experience, which is certainly different from most of what we get exposed to, and expanding one’s horizons (sonically and otherwise) is always a positive step. Overall, I am always glad to embrace anything Bartlomiej Oles is involved in, as he has never disappointed me since many years. Although this is a very extreme experiment with soundscapes, I enjoyed it and recommend to other inquisitive listeners to explore it as well. It is definitely an interstellar trip.

Updated: 02/06/2025Posted: 02/06/2025

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DRUMBIENTONE ~ TIME DIARY AUDIO CAVE 2025/007 (Barcode: 5908451336035) ~ POLAND ~ Classical Recorded: 2025 Released: 2025 This is an album by Polish composer Bartlomiej OlesFind albums by this artist, who operates under three (so far) musical alter egos: as Jazz drummer, contemporary Classical Music composer and finally as Ambient / Electronic Music creator, the last of which under the DrumbientoneFind albums by this artist moniker. This album combines the Classical Music composer and the Ambient Music creator personalities, presenting a set of eight composed piano pieces, beautifully performed by pianist Mira OpalinskaFind albums by this artist, who recorded the album “Cat`s Songs - 17 Haiku For PianoFind albums with this title” with his compositions a couple of years earlier. The music is melody based, serene and contemplative, with the piano pieces being the dominating presence, while the Ambient / Electronic soundscapes accompany the piano in the background, adding another dimension but staying respectfully mostly in the shadow. I enjoyed the music, as always, not only for its almost Romantic vistas, but mostly for the aesthetics it represents and the firm creative freedom Oles embraces, ignoring norms and trends. As much as I admire him for his pioneering work in the Jazz field, which created a substantial recorded legacy in the last two and a half decades, I also respect him for the courage to venture into new and seemingly very different territories, as long as his work is honest and creative. Overall, this is another impressive outing by the “new” Bartlomiej Oles, which follows the new regions of his career and takes his music to new circles of listeners. Perhaps in time we will hear him adding his Jazz personality to the fusion of his new music, which might be “closing a circle” of sorts. In the meantime, lets enjoy this new music, for the healing effect it has on people, who open their hearts to it.

Updated: 11/09/2025Posted: 11/09/2025

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