Deep Space Blue

by Jim Ottaway

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Australian soundscaper Jim Ottaway, based in Gold Coast, Queensland, owns a quite extensive discography counting over 25 albums, all self-released on a CD or CDr formats since 2004, when he debuted with "First Light" album. During 2017 Jim Ottaway has released two albums, "Timeless e-Motion", which is out since January 1st and "Deep Space Blue" with the street date August 1st. Jim Ottaway's most recent album, carved between May 2014 and June 2017, comes in a catchy glossy 4-panel digipak designed by the artist himself, precisely exposing the focus on the fascinatingly ambiguous vastness of the cosmos. It immediately triggers the deep immersion, nice job, Jim! 6-minute opening piece, "Astral Voices", magnifies the listener transportation with euphoniously expansive and sonorously embracing female choir-like drones coupled with warmly nuanced blankets, scrupulously permeated by outlying gossamery cyber-biotic clatters. Gracefully immense intro! Artificial fanfares announce "In Search Of The Lost Star", before delving into unfathomably enigmatic echoed glimmers crossed with soothingly infinite, yet titillatingly high-pitched meridians and gently cascading drone murmurs. Rousing brass calls resurrect once more, while translucently intangible chinks are guarding above. Another masterfully engulfing composition!

The next track, nearly 11 minutes long "39.5 Light-Years (Trappist-1)", spotlights on the ultra-cool red dwarf star, which is located, as entitled, 39.5 light-years from the Sun. Thrillingly oracular immenseness unlocks its gates with monochromatic choir stratums amalgamated with remote cybernetic signals and auxiliary chiming traceries.

Distant sequences inconspicuously arise along with further glimpses of male chant traverses and tenebrously obfuscated bells. As much intoxicatingly audacious as its title, bravo, Jim! On "Stars of Ice" an array of diaphanously ear-tickling tinkles persistently sinuate, amplify and commingle with billows of vigorous vertexes, clandestinely observed and juxtaposed by mesmerizingly oscillating mirages infused by frog-like undercurrents. For pure aural bliss reinforced by several ear-bending eruptions it's highly recommended to wear your headphones! The title piece, "Deep Space Blue" clocking over 11-minute mark, shifts into more rhythmic terrains, coalescing vaguely galloping bass patterns with relentlessly invading high-tech helixes and additionally ascending epic vistas. Gauzy clinks percolate here and there. "Interplanetary Panspermia", at 16:21 the longest track on the album, deals with the hypothesis that life on Earth may have originated through the "seeds" of life, which exist all over the Universe. A quite weird domains are entered, where static, hallucinogenic drone layer is constantly contrasted with pervading vibrations, nebulous rumbles, oddly twisted fragments and piercingly buzzing pinnacles. Although piece like this might drive me nuts at times, surprisingly it fits quite well the extraterrestrial theme even if more dissonantly experimental. 

I think "Deep Space Blue" CD is an exquisitely triumphant album and a high quality accomplished product by Jim Ottaway, where the aural and visual parts coexist in absolute equilibrium and everything is augmented by top-notch presentation. The album meticulously reveals some of the most intriguing enigmas of spellbindingly adventurous cosmic realms and since this is my first encounter with Jim Ottaway's space odysseys, I really look forward to explore more by this crafted Aussie. Nearly 60 minutes long "Deep Space Blue" is a real treat offering a fully rewarding listening experience to each avid deep space connoisseur!

Reviewed by Richard Gürtler (October 12, 2017, Bratislava, Slovakia)