By his own admission Ben Muller says that he sometimes makes noises with a guitar and if he’s lucky those noises occasionally become music. Ben Muller is the creator of the music project called Ahimsa, who’s latest Ep, Qualia, was written, recorded, and mixed in a bedroom in Townsville, Australia.
Is perfection quite possibly too hard to achieve? I would like to think this Ep aims for that. I have never heard any of Ahimsa’s previous work, so I am a bit uneducated with its history. Though this has to be one of my favorite new Ep’s I have in my collection. Any time I play this for friends of mine, they can’t believe how amazing Qualia is. The opening track, “Arcane” starts off as if you are witnessing the beginning of time. Ahimsa uses several layers of synths and guitars to blend a beat and sound that is done flawlessly.
The Ep continues on, to becoming a really epic and amazing piece of instrumental work. The title track “Qualia”, then “Ganymede” and “Neubula” erupt into some of the most amazing sounds so simple yet beautiful that you are just in awe to be hearing something this prodigious come out of a bedroom in Australia!
I would even be willing to go further by saying this has a sound of greatness as if you are standing at the gates of heaven in awe and trepidation while they play the soundtrack of your life. Seems like a crazy statement, but if you hear these tracks, you would probably understand. Then just as the music is building to this gigantic final climax, the soundscape goes off into a different direction, where it feels like you are swiftly flying through the skies to yet another destination. Heaven or hell? Only you know where this music should ultimately be transporting you.
I highly suggest lying down somewhere in your home, turning off the lights and listening to the entire Ep in one go. The music will astound you so much; you will just lose your sense of time and everything around you. It’s that damn good people.
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Every track on this Ep is pure brilliance, with every song in perfect juxtaposition with each other. Technically brilliant, each song is also performed with artistic and emotional significance with tunes that are easily memorable. There is no overplaying or any self-indulgence whatsoever, Ben Muller, holds the reins tightly and firmly on his guitar and the backing instrumentation, never once being tempted to play the expected 24-bar guitar solos that normally accompany this genre of music.
“Qualia” is one of those albums you can listen to for days on end. It reminds me a great deal of a cross between Explosions In The Sky, Tangerine Dream and Vangelis with Ben Muller’s signature guitar style entwined throughout. It is mixed with quiet surreal moments and more upbeat rhythms and beats, making this one of those rare Ep’s where you actually enjoy all of the tracks. This is definitely worth owning. I just discovered Ahimsa and will be instantly looking out for other works by this project!
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