Very good echos about Tenganan. De très bons echos au sujet de Tenganan.

English review from Dutch Progressive Rock Page (references to Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd, Dead can dance, Enigma...)

JIM CORCORAN December, 21st 2007

Tracklist: The Trip Begins (2:41), Interlude (0:58), Nova (5:49), Interlude (:02), Indian Ocean (3:36), Interlude (0:51), Dusk (1:33), Interlude (0:19), Storm (3:50), Interlude (0:11), Dancing Mist In Besakih (5:41), Interlude (0:33), Garuda (1:16), Interlude (0:02), La Spirale Des Sons (4:04), Interlude (0:05), Divine (0:44), Interlude (0:47), Pure (3:21), Interlude (0:09), Illusion (9:02), Interlude (0:57), Panyembrama (4:18), Interlude (0:41), Mystical Island (3:51), Interlude (1:05), The Hidden Beast (2:06), Interlude (0:04), Towards Infinity (7:05)

Ah, Key West, Florida, “The Conch Republic”. A regular vacation spot for myself and my family. The Cat Man and his flying house cats. A fishing pole in one hand and a beer in the other, at like three a.m. The bikers kicking back at the Hog’s Breath saloon. The geckoes and drag queens sashaying in harmony on Duval Street. Such is the carefree life of Key West. And the music. Oh, the music. The scene there, aside from Jimmy Buffet’s studio, offers mostly the unplugged type, often delivered in the middle of the day at an outdoor bar by a slightly intoxicated middle aged dude in a Hawaiian shirt playing classic rock covers on acoustic guitar. French synthesist Miguel Samiez’s Aeryal project would give this island paradise’s music scene the jump-start it needs.

Samiez, under the Aeryal moniker, has put out a self-released hard disc, as well as a film soundtrack, two studio releases (the most recent being reviewed here) and a live CD (which we will hopefully review soon). His latest studio effort, the world-beat sounding Tenganan, is comprised of fifteen tracks, separated by brief, snippet like untitled “interludes”. At over an hour in length, it tends to sound bland. I would not recommend the continuous formula of programming and synths for active, analytical listening, but the CD is quite suitable as background music for working on the computer or sleeping in on Sunday mornings.

Aside from the elements of synths and programming, the other ingredients in Samiez’s tropical new age stew include a lot of indigenous weather and nature sounds, often found in the interludes. Caroline Plachta’s French spoken word bits on The Trip Begins and Mystical Island point to Enigma as a reference. Other notable influences are ambient/world artists Vidna Obmana, Mark Seelig, and Shamanic percussionist Byron Metcalf. Analog-era Tangerine Dream is an obvious pointer, as well as Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, and Dead Can Dance.

The production of the CD is smooth and sleek, with a colorful booklet thrown in.

On his next studio CD, I suggest Samiez, as I have with so many other bands I have reviewed on this site before, experiment with longer tracks. Oh, and lose the cheesy sound effects and just stick with the music.

Conclusion: 7 out of 10

http://www.dprp.net/reviews/200828.php#aeryal

English review from All Music Guide (references to Jarre)

François Couture December, 21st 2007

In the winter of 2003, French electronic music composer Miguel Samiez, aka Aeryal, visited Bali, Indonesia. He came back home with field recordings and, one can only guess, plenty of mental images and impressions. Recorded between 2005 and 2007, Tenganan (also the name of a Balinese village) is meant to crystallize those memories into sound. However, this is an album of orientally flavored electronic music, much more than specifically Balinese-inspired world music. Aeryal's approach follows the French school of electronic music, with a serious debt being paid out to Jean-Michel Jarre. Tenganan does contain a bit of gamelan music here, a few seconds of traditional singing there, and a lot of ambient crowd noise for in-between-tracks textures, but the main focus of this music is found in the keyboards. And Aeryal succeeds in that regard: Tenganan is a delicate and varied aural journey, marked by Jarre-esque quiet passages ("Towards Infinity," almost a pastiche) chill out room tracks ("Dancing Mist in Besakih," "Nova"), and bits with a stronger Balinese flavor ("Panyembrama"). Throughout, the music remains accessible, listener-friendly, and inner-journey inducing. It makes a strong and even album, though a tad bit long. Still recommended for fans of the lighter side of electronica bordering on new age music. ~ François Couture, All Music Guide

(3 stars out of 5)

http://ubl.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,4567279,00.html

French review from CosmosMusic

AERYAL : "Tenganan" (65:35)

A l’instar des albums de Olyam, Tenganan nous invite à de subtils et savoureux voyages intérieurs, son progressif fortement teinté de new-age se répandant en vagues successives pour dorloter les âmes rêveuses que nous, fans de prog, sommes souvent. Aeryal, alias Miguel Samiez, délivre ainsi de délicieuses atmosphères planantes, aux volutes électroniques qui charment autant qu’elles hypnotisent. Alors, attention au départ...

http://www.cosmosmusic.fr/decembre2007.html

English review from Rate Your Music (references to Vangelis, Gandalf, Jarre, Deep Forest!)

Review by WindHawk June, 24th 2008

Tenganan

wiss based artist Aeryal is a talented chap in the field of new age tinged electronic music, and the album Tenganan is an interesting but slightly flawed addition.

The 15 tunes on this release bascially are one of two kinds: Either a tune inspired by ethnic influences, exemplified by tribal sounding rhythms and the occasional world music elements; or tunes with longing and haunting qualities to them seemingly reaching out into space.

In style and manner the music I am reminded of Vangelis quite often, especially for the tunes with a distinct space mood to them, while some of the more subtle compositions remind me quite a lot of Gandalf; in particular the compositions where samples of nature sounds are dominant in ambient and mellow soundscapes. Some of the pacier tracks sound more like a mix of Jarre and Deep Forest though; due to the combination of slick melodies and fast modern rhythms.

Overall a fascinating release in many ways, but also one that is slightly at loss for direction.

(3.5 stars out of 5)

http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/aeryal/tenganan/

French review from Zicazic

Ecrit par Fred Delforge mardi, 24 juin 2008

Tenganan (Dreaming – Musea – 2007) Durée 65’35 – 15 Titres

http://www.aeryal.net
http://www.myspace.com/aeryalmusic
http://www.myspace.com/tenganan
http://www.musearecords.com

Arrivé à la musique électronique après avoir découvert Jean-Michel Jarre et « Oxygène » alors qu’il n’était âgé que de sept ans, Miguel Samiez a découvert plus tard François De Roubaix et ses mixes improbables d’instruments synthétiques et d’instruments ethniques et a décidé de construire sa vie dans cette même direction, celle que lui dictaient ces deux maîtres à penser. Après quelques années de créations musicales pour agrémenter des jeux vidéo, le créateur s’est vu inspiré par un voyage à Bali et a décidé de créer non seulement Aeryal mais aussi « Tenganan », un album qui habille des sonorités ramenées de ce voyage à d’autres crées spécialement pour l’occasion. Il en ressort des atmosphères étrangement planantes …

Il faudra bien se résoudre au bout de quelques écoutes à faire abstraction des titres de cette quinzaine de morceaux qui, tout bien pesé, n’en font qu’un seul avec quand même quelques étapes transitoires, pour se concentrer plus longuement sur leur contenu, sur ces atmosphères qu’Aeryal est parvenu à recréer en studio, ces nuées d’insectes qui crépitent dans la platine et ces cloches qui interpellent inévitablement, ces bruits parasites qui n’en finissent plus de mettre les sens en éveil, plongé que l’on est dans des attentes plus ou moins oppressantes qui n’en finissent plus de changer au fil des minutes selon que les sons et leurs enchaînements sont plus ou moins aériens … De pièces longues et fabuleusement redondantes en passages plus brefs et très spontanés, « Tenganan » n’en finit plus de surprendre et l’on vibre différemment selon les tons employés, les xylophones répondant au bruit lancinant de la pluie et les accents guerriers succédant aux bruissements plus délicats de la vie. C’est un mystère auquel Aeryal nous convie, un de ceux qui demanderont beaucoup de temps avant que l’on puisse définitivement les percer et ça tombe bien, ce sera autant de bonnes raisons de se le repasser régulièrement. Public cartésien, s’abstenir !

http://www.zicazic.com/zicazine/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=5480&Itemid=2

PDF: http://www.zicazic.com/zicazine/index2.php?option=content&do_pdf=1&id=5480

From LisaBuzz

English

The work on Aeryal is as crafted and splendid as a fine piece of jewelry. Pampers is said to have offered 1000 dollars to use songs from Tenganan for their next ad campaign. In my robot hut, I have a collection of vinyls from electro. Tenganan has its place among them. Tenganan is nothing earth shattering however, it's a pure 2000s.

http://music.lisabuzz.com/u.php/Tenganan-Aeryal/11917/

Français

Ecouter Aeryal régulièrement, c est l'hygiène de l'âme, la bonne hygiène de l âme. Tenganan est premier des ventes d album au Chili depuis le début des 2000s. Boire un cacolac ou conduire son solex, il faut choisir, mais toujours en écoutant ce merveilleux son electronique. Les 2000s sont des années où le fric et le sexe ont plus que la côte.

http://www.lisabuzz.com/f.php/Aeryal-Tenganan/11917/

From Progressor

Miguel Samiez – keyboards; programming Christophe Gigon – guitars With: Rama - vocals (1, 14) Caroline Plachta - vocals (12, 13)

Prolusion. Based in Switzerland, according to the Myspace page for this release, “Tenganan” is the debut album by AERYAL, from France. It is a CD two years in the making, and the recordings started when Miguel Samiez, the man behind this release, was visiting Bali in 2005. Samiez himself has been around for some time apparently, as his discography starts with music made with the Commodore Amiga back in the 90's, but it appears that the change of musical style on this album warranted that it was released under a different moniker.

Analysis. There are basically three types of pieces on this album, where the main distinguishing element is style rather than sound. The basic setup on all the tunes here are the use of synths and keyboards, most times in multiple layers, modern electronic rhythms with loops and rhythmic elements added to the basic rhythmic sounds, frequent use of melodic percussion, and samples of various nature sounds extensively used to add textures to the compositions. In addition, the guitar has been allowed to add sparkle to the soundscapes, and voices and vocals are added for effect on a few tunes. And within this basic frame three slightly different styles are explored, sometimes with entire songs dedicated to one specific style and at other times with two different or all three styles visited in the individual track. The first of these styles, as I hear it, pretty much sounds like a mix of Deep Forest and Jean-Michel Jarre, with distinct melodies, often with an ethnic or tribal beat, and are generally fast flowing and accessible tunes, easy on the ears, but also a tad amorphous at times. The second style is a mellower and more ambient type of music, most times with dampened synth melodies or atmospheres. On those tunes and segments the sampled nature sounds are much more dominant, often cleverly incorporated into the mood and melody explored, reminding me quite a lot of the mellower releases of Austrian keyboard wizard Gandalf. The third style explores a style of music that is slightly darker, deeper and melancholic; with a general feeling of deep space to the sonic landscapes served. Vangelis and Tangerine Dream are artists that come to mind when listening to these particular soundscapes. Binding all this together are samples and melodic lines. One track ties into the next either by a melodic theme ending one tune and starting the next or by the use of sampled nature sounds. In addition, there's a distinct oriental atmosphere to the album as a whole and, although not dominating the musical elements with that particular mood, pops up now and again and with a frequency that makes it an album feature rather than an effect on an individual tune. The album as such seems to be made to be listened to in one sitting. Whereas the pieces come across as mixed in quality individually, listening to the album as a whole is another experience entirely, and fans of this kind of music are advised to do just that. I guess the opening track is called The Trip Begins for a reason.

Conclusion. Musically "Tenganan" is a bit of a lightweight release, as the compositions aren't complex or challenging to listen to in any way. Slick and well-produced songs are the name of the game here: accessible, melodic and with a distinct commercial sound to it all. Even so, many tunes are compelling; it is a fairly fascinating release in its own way and it's certainly not made without skill. Fans of electronic music in general and new age in particular may find this to be a nice addition to their collections.

(4 stars out of 5)

June 11, 2008

http://www.progressor.net/review/aeryal_2008.html

From Musea

English

AERYAL is the name of a project led by Miguel SAMIEZ, a French composer born in 1974. When he was seven years old, he discovered Jean-Michel JARRE and "Oxygène", an experience that marked him forever. He also captured the spell of François de ROUBAIX' sonic explorations and astonishing mixes of ethnic and electronic instruments. Self-taught, Miguel SAMIEZ has specialized in video games music composition. Released on the Dreaming label in 2007, "Tenganan" was inspired by a trip to Bali. This album blends sounds recorded on location with rhythms and atmospheres recreated in studio. Here is a very nice electronic music album, that doesn't miss a tribute to the great artists in the genre, with an added touch of originality. To be discovered !

Français

AERYAL est le fruit des travaux de Miguel SAMIEZ, un compositeur français né en 1974. C'est à l'âge de sept ans qu'il découvre Jean-Michel JARRE et "Oxygène", une expérience qui le marque à jamais. Il tombe également sous le charme des explorations sonores de François De ROUBAIX, ses mixes inavouables d'instruments ethniques et électroniques. Autodidacte, Miguel SAMIEZ se spécialise dans l'écriture de musiques pour jeux video. Publié sur le label Dreaming en l'an 2007, "Tenganan" a été inspiré par un voyage à Bali. Cet album marie des sons enregistrés sur place et des rythmes, des atmosphères recréées en studio. Voici une très belle oeuvre de musiques électroniques, qui n'oublie pas de rendre hommage aux grands du genre, une touche d'originalité en plus. A découvrir !

A good review from a japanese website (reference to Mike Oldfield!)

http://diskunion.net/progre/ct/detail/PGL-12542

Français

Cette oeuvre de 2007 est issue d'un artiste solo clavier/électro né en Suisse* (sic) en activité depuis début 2000 (re-sic). Comme le montre la jaquette, ce disque se base sur un son ethnique et world music, dans une mouvance électro/chill out qui rappellera le Mike Oldfield des années 90. Avec un soupçon d'ambient/hearing music, on se retrouve face à un ouvrage impressionnant empreint d'une profonde spiritualité.

A review from a belgium website (references to François de Roubaix and Jean-Michel Jarre)

Aeryal est un projet instrumental du jeune compositeur français Miguel Samiez. Comme dans ce village irréductible que l'on connait bien, il est tombé dedans quand il était petit (sept ans). Dedans quoi ? Dedans Jean-Michel Jarre et "Oxygène", ce qui l'a marqué et a inspiré son parcours musical par la suite.

Une autre influence majeure fut celle de François de Roubaix et ses mélanges d'instruments ethniques et électroniques. Cet album intitulé "Tenganan" a été inspiré par un voyage à Bali. Il y marie des sons enregistrés sur place avec des atmosphères et rythmes refaits en studio par la suite.

Il n'est pas évident de retenir tel ou tel titre de cet album puisqu'il s'agit de musique éthérée, atmosphérique, lounge. Cependant l'ensemble est agréable à l'oreille l'on se laisse facilement emporter dans ces ambiances légères aux rythmes assez softs. L'apport instrumental ethnique ajoute une touche d'originalité intéressante.

Côté titres, on évolue entre motifs courts avec voix d'ambiance, interludes entre deux chansons, ou morceaux plus longs et élaborés.

Ceux qui aiment un petit peu de dépaysement sonore ne seront pas déçus, car le travail de Miguel Samiez est pointu, réalisé avec beaucoup de bonnes idées, et n'est pas dépourvu de fraîcheur.

Xavier Rossey (3 and a half stars out of 5)

http://www.musicinbelgium.net/pl/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=2666

Doug Smith (USA)

With the release of Tenganan, Aeryal has surpassed greats like oldfield, vangelis, and jarre !!! Others such as tangerine dream and isao tomita aren't even in class with him. Another master of the musical tale, wakeman, has be surpassed too.

Once again aeryal (Miguel Samiez) proven himself a master of the musical arts. Many melodies are soothing to the soul. Many create images in the mind of distant worlds and grand landscapes. Expanses of space are brought into clear reality without overpowering the mind with its immenseness.

David Schombert (PORTUGAL)

J'écoute cet album de Miguel Samiez en boucle depuis 3 jours : de l'electro-lounge de haut vol, une superbe invitation au voyage, avec un zeste de sonorités exotiques, une rythmique d'enfer, une production et un mixage parfait, et des sons électroniques magnifiquement amenés. Ce disque va vous amener vers les rivages de mondes chaleureux et inconnus, à la lueur analogique douce et bleutée d'une nuit d'été.

http://www.schombert.net/index.php?2008/01/14/210-aeryal-tenagan

Melodark (FRANCE)

Planant...

quelques secondes d'écoute m'ont permis de "voir" quelques impressions

"the trip begins" - lever et coucher de soleil en Afrique ou ailleurs.

"Nova" - Un match de "ping-pong" entre les peuples.

"Indian Ocean" - bords d'Ocean aux corails ravissants.

"Dusk" - Me fait penser à Ken Davis.

"Storm" - Un parfum de "Schiller" avec cette pointe de douceur suisse, marque de ta fabrique.

"Dancing Mist in Besakih" - Faut que je réécoute....

"Garuda" - Vie sauvage, beaux paysages et "ethniques" visages!

"La spirale des sons" - ...Heu....No comment; je regarde et apprécie la Danseuse Orientale qui s'est invitée dans mon esprit...

"Divine" - Visites de ruines ou sanctuaires... chut....

"Pure" - Mike Oldfield, quand tu nous guide...

"Illusion" - Rythmes d'effleurements...Mea Culpa... je ne me contrôle plus...

"Panyembrama" - Un mélange d'odeurs et senteurs psychiques aux couleurs des marchés ethniques.

"Mystical Island" - Cousteau aurait pu prendre cette musique pour les images d'un reportage sur les tortles des Galapagos.

"The Hidden Beast" - faut que je réécoute!

"Towards Infinity" - Je retrouve mes "voyages" à la Tangerine Dream et Vangelis.

Mon cher ami, c'est un beau cd que tu as fait là. Je suis preneur