Robert Scott Thompson‘s As First Star Wakes, She Wanders There is a pean and homage to the myths and legends of East Antrim, Northern Ireland, my ancestral home.  The title refers to the Grey Lady, the stunningly beautiful apparition clothed in the fragrance of bergamot, who traverses the mists of the Dark Hedges of Gracehill at twilight.

The recording is presented in two parts.  Disc 1 is conceived as one chapter of the work and is more in the realm of classical ambient, while Disc 2 is more expansive and includes pieces that move a bit farther afield.  There are points of contact between the two parts though they are somewhat disparate and intended to function independently in conception.

Various modular synthesizers were used (ARP 2600, VCV, AKS, etc.); also notable is the role of now antique analog synthesizers such as the original Sequential Prophet 5 from 1981.  Complementing the sound sources, layers of resonant sound processing, using various approaches to multiband sound analysis and resynthesis, aided the development of textures.

Robert Scott Thompson is one of the virtuoso’s within the context of ambient and experimental music. As First Star Wakes, She Wanders is a massive addition to Robert Scott Thompson‘s massively impression catalog. Get a copy soon!