Bernard Xolotl is a French synthesist who has worked with Clearlight's Cyrille Verdeaux, which could give some indication of his stylistic direction. Daniel Kobialka is a well known violinist from the bay area, and the author of music that you see in new age bookstores - fluffy, meditation music. Ostensibly cosmic electronic music, Kobialka's violin should drag this more into his arena, and his romantic/melodic style occasionally flirts with that sappy sickly sweet new age area (like Kitaro or Yanni), but somehow these two pull this one off. The music is quite excellent, in a style obviously influenced by Klaus Schulze, Ashra (mid period) etc., yet spacier and much more melodic. There's really an awful lot going on here. I have to admit, even though Kobialka does an admirable job, it's the tracks without him that I like best. With a really long bonus track "Saturn" for an addition, this Erdenklang reissue comes highly recommended for those not totally turned off to new age-isms.

(Originally published in Exposé #4, p. 26, Edited for Gnosis 4/8/01)