"The Electroshock catalogue grows stronger with each subsequent release and now represent cutting edge Electronica in their idiosyncratic, yet very singular fashion. Artemiev / Phillip B. Klingler's 'Dreams in Moving Space' is a nightmarish descent into Hell. The title, which may be mistaken for a floating almost New Age-y CD, could not be further from the reality. 'Nightmares in Moving Space' would be a more appropriate title perhaps. This CD is a disturbed, dreadful sonic passage through dreams gone askew, that of shadow-filled sound worlds. Artemiev and Klingler possess a sound dissimilar to any other artist in this field and manage to produce music that really has no particular sonic traits with which a listener may relate. This makes for a perfect premise for these ears, as loathsome as it is listening to a new CD only to feel as though given this month's version of last month's big seller. There is a distinct iciness to the sound - pictures of an unending frozen tundra one might relate to Koner's works. This is not Koner, though. Whereas Koner manages to recreate the wide-open spaces, this recording can be quite claustrophobic at times. There are essentials of 'Stalker' as well, with its dark, menacing drones, unrecognizable animal sounds, and the suspense of what awaits around the next turn. Rapoon's "Just Say faith" is another point of reference. No matter the comparisons as they are provided only to lend the reader a slight suggestion of the moods portrayed. This CD is in a territory of it's own. Set against blowing forlorn wind effects, the pealing of distant bells and a lone cello the CD begins on an ominous note, continuing on an ever-downward spiral. Music doesn't usually creep me out, yet (on first listen) I must admit to turning this one off twenty minutes in - so disturbing the sound. Thunder claps, moaning half-human cries and other sonic effects made this listener feel as though this must be what Hell sounds like. Animals gnawing at objects unseen, ripping reverberations, crackling static, hissing snakes and the ever-present crunching of footsteps - always just seconds away - lend a feeling of anxiety and trepidation to this recording. Finally, there is that 'double-edged ' approach whereas a quiet listen will provide one with a rewarding ambient experience - yet for those loud sessions there is much to unearth from the mix. Layer upon layer of fantastic sounds overlap each other, one more disconcerting then the last. This CD is perfect for Halloween or clearing your home of those pesky guests. If 'Stalker' and 'Heresy' are to your liking you will most certainly treasure this release as well. Sweet Dreams aren't made of this..." (The Raging Consciousness Desk)
"From ace Russian electronic soundsculpter and ambient artist Artemiy Artemiev (working with Phillip B. Klinger) comes what is easily one of the scariest recordings of dark ambient music I've ever heard. 'Dreams in Moving Space' will definitely be played on my outdoor speakers on Halloween for all the neighborhood kiddies to hear. Attempting to accurately describe this music would be impossible (yes, even for me). It's filled with everything from minor key swirling synthesizers, deep drones, odd synthesizer effects, post-industrial noise, dissonance, and about a million other creepy sounds. Okay, okay - you convinced me. I'll try to adequately describe this CD. Sheesh! Another thing about 'Dreams in Moving Space' is that it's long. It clocks in at over seventy-four minutes in length. You're really getting more than you bargained for here, in more ways than one. If I could afford to lose the bet, I'd wager that you can't last through the whole album in a pitch black room. 'Dreams in Moving Space. Part I' opens the CD with an eerie series of synths rising and falling over a background of spooky high-pitched keyboards, odd and reverbed rustlings and rumblings, and whistling synth textures. Kinda like being on a ghost ship in the middle of the night and it's raining outside and...well, you get the idea. It's seriously macabre music! I mean it! It's also over twenty-minutes long and lots more happens before it's over. 'Lost Souls in Bamboo Jungle' is less oppressive but is certainly just as weird. Echoed gong-like tones, sounding like glass tubes being struck, blend with heavily-echoed distorted spoken words. Industrial elements in the background and truly bizarre keyboard textures swirl and dance all around. The song inspires a strange sort of vertigo due to the way the vocals seem to come and go. At times, there is what sounds like the gurgling growl of something.. well, to use a line from the SF movie John Carpenter's 'The Thing', "Whatever it is, it's big and it's pissed off". You get a mild breather with a short five-minute song at the mid-point, 'Between People, or Within' which is an odd arrhythmic atonal soundscape with disturbing scraping noises and howling-like noises. Ya gotta hear it to understand what I'm trying to say, trust me. The album closes with the seventeen-minute 'Murmurs Across the Surface' and Part II of 'Dreams in Moving Space (Moscow Mix)' (sixteen minutes). 'Murmurs Across the Surface' is very dark ambient at its finest - terrifying, unearthly, and yet compelling at times. Synth chords that almost seem to rise and fall in tone are mixed with what sounds like the labored breathing of a giant mechanism. Crank this puppy up (it gets kinda loud at times) and watch your neighbors beat hell outta their houses. They'll probably call a priest thinking your house needs an exorcism. The relentless intensity of the song (with its occasional monstrous crashing gong reverberating like a sonic boom) will suck the joy out of you. Some really disturbing 'crunching' noises appear and I'm really glad I'm writing this review during daylight hours. Believe it or not, the CD finally does lose some of its terror on the last cut (relatively speaking). The music is still dark, but a sense of sorrowful beauty has emerged, even amidst the lower register synths, reverbed and echoed gong effects, and almost moaning sounds. What really threw me, though, was the emergence of a rapid-fire drum rhythm in the back of the mix. Counterpointing the noir elements with this "snare drum and high-hat on speed" beat is more than a little disconcerting. It's really weird to hear it so far down in the mix. The drones and synths clearly still dominate the song. Eventually, the cut starts to seriously wig out. Abrasive sounding noises (like a person making rasping noises through a respirator) mix with the synths and that crazy unchanging rhythm. It could drive you bonkers. This doesn't last and the mournful drones again take center stage. Arteimy Artemiev and Phillip B. Klinger have fashioned a nightmarish and surrealistic vision of some kind of twisted cyberscape, filled with horrific visions, unsettling images, and flat out terrifying sonic assaults. If you think you know dark ambient, think again. 'Dreams in Moving Space' makes 'Stalker' seem like 'have a nice nap' music. Whether or not you'll like it is dependent on your ability to withstand some of the most grim and unsettling music available. If nightmares scare you, I'd leave this one alone. This is a ride on a hellbound train. Just be glad you can get back by just switching your CD player off - I hope." (Wind & Wire)
"Dreams in Moving Space" and "Space Icon" extend the seemingly limitless boundaries that such electronic kosmische sound explorers as "Cluster" and early "Tangerine Dream" mapped out during the early 70s: music that has been vacuum packed and initially sounds devoid of human involvement, until the slow motion groove suddenly takes hold. We've been here before many times, but one can only admire the precision-jewelled artistry and technological skill that Artemiev, Klinger and Frohmader have employed to create these dark, shifting rumbles from deep space that sound starkly modern, but also unfathomably ancient." (The Wire)
"I don't know who Phillip B. Klingler is and an internet search turned up nothing. But this release is more an exploration of sounds than mood and imagery. The resulting atmosphere is dark and the music is similar to 'Point of Intersection' and, to a lesser degree, "Mysticism of Sound", though it lacks the intensity that I enjoyed so much on 'Mysticism...'. The themes don't vary much, the musicians setting a fixed course around which they slowly assemble their orchestra of sound. Actually this is probably the most abstract of Artemiev's recordings I've heard yet, particularly the relatively short track 'Between People, or Within', a five minute primoridial soup of spacey banging, static, and industrial sounds. Short, but to the point, and my favorite track on the disc. 'Murmurs Across the Surface' is the track that comes closest to qualifying for inclusion on 'Mysticism of Sound', another voyage into the darkest (and freakiest!) corners of space." (Aural Innovations)
"Artemiy Artemiev has been releasing for a few years now music that is always at the border of electronic and electroacoustics, both in the spirit of 'Tangerine Dream' and Francis Dhomont. From CD to CD, he is building a dreamlike world, trippy, mystical ('Mysticism of Sound'), sometimes cold (like on "Cold") and these days a lot more disquieting than usual. Because 'Dreams in Moving Space' is a lot less positive and spirited than its cousins. Is it the influence of Phillip B. Klingler (of whom I know nothing about) who collaborated on this last opus? One thing is sure, on the title track (22 minutes), one can hear disquieting sounds, eeries complaints that would be at home as the soundtrack for a haunted house ride. In 'Lost Souls in Bamboo Jungle', I had distinctly heard voices calling for help through the noises of a cybernetic jungle. Stunning. Artemiev and Klingler offer cinematic music anchored in electronics, to which they added electracoustical elements. This record is in continuity with Artemiev's previous, 'Space Icon', with Peter Frohmader, less the space pulse (except for the past track on 'Dreams...', with a more dirving beat). A deranged ambient disc with rich textures. Maybe Artemiev's best release to date. Very strongly recommended." (Delire Actuel)
"Shifting expectations again, Artemiy Artemiev has teamed up with Phillip B. Klinger for this new album, though to my untutored ears it is difficult to tell who contributes what in this collaboration. Part one of the eponymous title track is certainly dreamlike, though with its industrial sounds it seems more like a nightmare scenario. 'Lost Souls in Bamboo Jungle' has a 'Twilight Zone' feel to it: disembodied voices, distorted clock chimes, floorboard and door creakings, all over an ambient backdrop. The shortest track, 'Between People or Within', is also the most discordant and least likeable. 'Murmurs Across the Surface' continues the industrial sounds with what sounds like a distant thundering factory floating around in space. Final track is Part Two of 'Dreams in Moving Space', subtitled the Moscow Mix, more dreamy electronica drones with a touch of backbeat. I have to admit this isn't one of my favourite AA albums, it is a little too industrial sounding for my tastes, but it does have its fair share of moments." (The Borderland)
"Artemiev is currently represented by a slew of releases that are appearing every year. 'Dreams in Moving Space' sees him teaming up with American, Klingler, who normally records under the name PBK (his initials). 'Dreams... ' is a CD that I wish were a round table. How come? Because I feel I'm up against a brick wall with this kind of project. 'The Space Icon' album had me very optimistic, hungry for more thoughtful and introspective music from Artemiev. But here I was disappointed. Five super-long tracks fill the bill, but none of them seemed to get anywhere or say anything. Thick dense droning waves of grungey noise pervades half of the work, but that is a compliment compared to other parts, where it was merely noise... other spots add a bit of classicism - slightly more atmospheric and easier on the ear to be sure. But the repetitive nature of the structures, and the (intentionally?) messy demeanor of the arrangements were impenetrable for someone of my taste. Not the sort of project that I can make much sense of I am afraid to say." (Expose)
"Philip B. Klinger (aka PBK, an obscure American artist with lots of weird industrial electronics releases in the late 1980's) joins Artemiy for one of the very best of his releases yet. This is dark and spooky ambient music, a richly melodic diversion from the isolationist school, full of mysterious reverberated sounds, long synthetic tones and unusual (slightly) rhythmic structures. Only occasionally does it gain any normal focus, and when it does, the use of rhythm machine does let musical ambience down a bit, particularly on 'Dreams in Moving Space. Part II (Moscow Mix)' the album's 16 minute closer, where the rhythm has the feel as though it's coming from another room (Is someone playing a horrible techno record next-door?) and doesn't really fit in with the music. Overall though it's a rather good album." (Audion)
"The last release (so far!) is 'Dreams In Moving Space' (ELCD 014). This, again, is co-written with Artemiy and Phillip B. Klingler. Now this is more like it! The opening track, 'Dreams In Moving Space. Part I' features swirling mists of synth with a back wash of sound effects and noises that, in effect, creates a superbly evocative piece. It drifts, constantly ebbing and flowing, and the use of the odd industrial clanging and banging adds a certain gravity. Intensely eerie. 'Lost Souls in Bamboo Jungle' has eastern sounds in there, but not as many as I thought it would (especially with a title like that!). Voices echo through a bubbling, writhing synth with sliding cymbals and it all gives the feeling of one of those strange dreams that stay with you for years - again, a very strange and absorbing piece. 'Between People, or Within' is the next track. This is a somewhat more structured piece in that there's a beat that keeps coming in and out of the piece. It drips with really odd sound effects and sounds, at times, like something from Stockhausen. 'Murmurs Across the Surface' brought images straight away of 2001, why? It was a sense of isolation that the track sends out, and reminded me of the trip through the star gate, especially near the end of the journey. A swirling backwash of synth with a odd industrial clanging boom beats out whilst a string style section sings mournfully. A very touching piece. The final track is the 'Moscow Mix (Part 2)' of the title track. It's a bit more soothing and ambient, although there's still a certain something lurking, a desperate nastiness hiding in those shadows. Classic album. Best of the batch by far. Anyone wanting to find out more about any of 'Electroshock Records' may well get it from www.gamma-shop.com" (Modern Dance)
"A really interesting meeting that of these two creators of universes of sound. The American Phillip B. Klinger, better known by his artistic name PBK, started an interesting career in the musical avantgarde of the late eighties. His music, between Ambient and Minimalism, soon attracted a remarkable attention given the eminently sinister character that PBK achieved without resorting to typically bleak sound effects. That extraordinary and so unusual skills are joined in this album with the talent that Russian composer Artemiy Artemiev has to create complex, dark atmospheres of sound. Explorers of fathomless musical abysses, both artists offer us a work of electronic music of a deeply experimental nature, with passages which could be labelled within Ambient and others nearer to the structures of Concrete Music." (Amazing Sounds)
"This year (2000) wasn't exactly the best year for ambient music, though it was a good year for electro-acoustic reissues. While a lot of people were excited, including myself, about the new Biosphere, it was sadly lacking ambience in spite of techno pulsations. Even new Aube (with his impressive one-CD-a-month millennium project), Nocturnal Emissions and Yen Pox releases were lacking, or just very different. But one of the brightest lights of ambient music this year was Artemiy Artemiev's electro-acoustic collaboration with Phillip B. Klingler. A vast, musical/anti-musical panorama, proves that electro-acoustic and ambient music styles still have plenty of life left in them. Pick this up and impress Your friends by telling them that it's Russian. In a year with a number of both solo efforts and collaborations at the hands of Artemiev on his Electroshock Records label, spanning a variety of styles from a kind of Krautrock/space rock guitar work to moody electronics, this one is a subtle, unique blessing in the ambient genre, and one, I doubt, with any particular intent - save for creating dream-inspired pieces. Artemiy, son of infamous Russian electro-acoustic innovator Edward, works with a variety of sounds and techniques, using whatever he comes across that suits his needs. In this case, Artemiy and Klingler borrow elements of sci-fi film scores, folding them into new visions, while at the same time taking turns with musique concrete, electro-acoustic, ambient, and even break beats (on the 'Moscow Mix' of 'Dreams in Moving Space. Part II'). The album ventures between electro-acoustics and electronics, to create a drifting, oceanic vista of sounds, both mired in a sort of collective consciousness memory, and in a vast panoramic future. Each work pushes in surprising directions. Sparse melodies and drift and collide between affected field recordings; sounds break down to reveal silence, which is abruptly covered by drones; melody turns into drone; patterns are revealed in discordant, fractured field recordings; beats come out to direct the flow of sound in 'Dreams in Moving Space. Part II', but are in no way obtrusive. Artemiy shows that he is able to work with and expound on Krautrock styles on one album, and abandon those for an electro-acoustic style on another, all of which tends to show a number of similarities to the creations of his father, but with a unique style all his own. This is the kind of subtle ambience that is the perfect background music -involving enough to actively listen to, but texturally smooth enough to keep on behind your thoughts and ears when you're doing something else." (Supersphere)
"Five quite long compositions in this brand new collaboration. Anyway, it seems to me that the sound and the feeling coming out of them is more 'wicked' somehow, more noisy and tending to picture sinister soundscapes, with the use of samples and concrete sounds, and with the use of wide dynamic climaxes which keep the tension high for the whole length of the record. Actually, the 'spacial' side of this music has been heavily emphasised, and as the title of the compositions themselves suggest, they really seem to be transfigurations of movements, or passages in real, or mental, environments." (D.L.K.)
"Dreams" presents two long eponymous tracks (the second of which is entitled 'Moscow Mix') as well as three others of varying lengths - although the 'Moscow Mix' offsets a beat against the lowering cumulus of noise that masses behind it, this is a sombre collection of pieces on the whole, invoking the point at which one's longings turn jet black. With a hint of Eno's 'The Lost Day', and of some of Ligeti's slower pieces ('Lontano', the first movement of the Cello Concerto), coming through in the mix, it does so with an intensity, and a care for the color of sound, that makes this a wholly successful work." (Stride)
"Ambient music is magical due to the fact that it can create any mood or feeling and transport the mind to any location within the imagination. With 'Dreams in Moving Space', I expected to find myself within the limitless area dreamy space but instead had my subconscious picked clean of twisted thoughts and childhood nightmares. One of the first tests I give to ambient music is the 'sleep test'. I put it in, drift off to sleep, and see where the music guides my dreams and thoughts. At first, everything was okay. The sleepy winds of 'Dreams in Moving Space. Part I' floated from my speakers and placed me adrift on the ocean. Just as I began to enter my dream state, the music took a slight twist and I began to hear small shots of static and other weird noises placed sporadically within the music. My dreams quickly twisted and became bizarre and I forced myself to wake up and turn it off. That was a world I did not wish to enter because I needed a good nights rest. 'Dreams in Moving Space' is an album filled with this type of music. It is the soundtrack to your nightmares. With only five songs, it clocks in at an amazing 74:32 so you definitely get your money's worth. It is dreamy music, but it has been tainted and tortured with static, running water, human cries and voices, and many other sound effects. These effects give the impression that they are all under some sort of stress and cause the listener to become anxious, nervous, and finally downright frightened. Artemiy and Phillip have done a wonderful job of giving dreamy ambient music a set of claws. This is not a CD to be left alone with while locked in a pitch-black room. If you are a fan of ambient music or a writer trying to pry creepy and bizarre ideas from your brain, this is a must have. It's too easy to loop a sample over and over and call it music to sleep by but to find the right atmosphere for turning a dream into a nightmare takes true insight and talent. All music composed, arranged, performed, recorded, engineered, and mixed by Artemiy Artemiev and Phillip B. Klingler." (Satrvox)
"This CD is a collaboration between Artemiy Artemiev and Phillip B. Klingler (PBK). The music was made between September 1998 and February 2000. There's five songs in here. We open things up with "Dreams in Moving Space. Part 1". It is a sound voyage through outer worldly realms. You hear processed sounds and soft synth lines, slowly drifting away. A dreamy portrait of space indeed. On "Lost Souls in Bamboo Jungle" there's processed sounds/voice, synth with echo and reverb thrown in. A cosmic, psychedelic, meditative track. Definitely strange. On "Between People, or Within" you hear various sound sources colliding altogether. The "noisiest" piece of this album. An interesting brand of meditative cacophony. "Murmurs Across the Surface" brings a more peaceful note. A near-ambient song with "musique concrete" undertones. Relaxing. Then, we conclude with "Dreams of Moving Space. Part 2 (Moscow Mix)": synth mixed with some percussions. It is soft ambient music of cosmic proportions. Simply marvelous!!! An amazing release, no doubt." (Mastock)
"A collaborative CD with mostly excellent results from Artemiy Artemiev and PBK. Part I of the title track is moody dark ambient music which creates an atmosphere of entrapment inside an underwater craft whilst surrounded by falling debris. The despair of the situation is superbly installed into the thoughts by the slow moving, foreboding drones and submerged icy cold sounds. A formidable piece of music. Part II (Moscow Mix) of this track adds a rhythmic beat to the suspense. Quite frankly it distracts and overpowers the track. "Lost Souls in Bamboo Jungle" is rhythmic dark ambience with shadowy sounds and resonating voices. A marvelous piece of music that gives the impression that the voices are in a state of distress, crying out for help. "Between People, or Within" is a short piece of rhythmic, dark, abstract noises. A non-eventful, mediocre piece of music. "Murmurs Across the Surface" takes the listener into the pandemonic abyss. A sinister, awe-inspiring, unearthly masterpiece. Overall this collaboration gives the listener over 50 minutes of excellent, captivating, dark, ambient electronics. I think that deserves a recommendation." (Lockjaw)
"Artemiy Artemiev did not pop up yesterday or a week ago but has worked hard for his position for many years and even being the son of Edward Artemiev, a renowned pioneer of electronica in the former USSR did not make it much easier for him. Many of the things that come from Russia, be it works of technology or works of culture, tend to be underrated and looked down upon by the self-important West and this also seems to be so with Artemiev's music, quite undeservedly, though. The two albums in question are the fruit of collaboration of Artemiev with Frohmader and Klingler and both are evident that we have to do with composers of a remarkably high order. They are hard to be slotted into a single, narrow pigeon-hole and to be juxtaposed with somebody else's works for the purpose of comparison, which reviewers are so fond of. Nonetheless, some words need to be found to ring but a vague bell as regards to what the compositions are about, and the very first term that comes to mind while listening to "Dreams" is "isolationism", which denotes a score to films that are being shot within our minds. The effect is much similar to that of Lustmord's compositions but here the range of means applied is more varied. Artemiev and Klingler are more dynamic, the aural landscape with dark undercurrents flows and ebbs away. "Space Icon" sounds more relaxed and as if "human" - it is occasionally interwoven with beats and the first track is dominated by guitar but the ubiquitous void and lethal coldness of Space do not let themselves be forgotten. Very recommended, albeit might prove difficult to obtain." (ERP)
"Overwhelming feelings of fear and foreboding suffuse the first collaboration between Russian electroacoustic composer Artemiy Artemiev and the American sound collagist Phillip B. Klinger, a/k/a PBK. This is an uncomfortable, deeply weird disc, even more out-there than Artemiev's previous release, the abundantly strange "Mysticism of Sound". Egged on by PBK, whose circle of fiends includes "The Swans" and other practioners of black arts, Artemiev moves further towards anti-music than ever before. "Between People, or Within", a burnt-boneyard of smeared, razored sound, is parsecs away from the lush, formalistic grooves of 1993's "The Warning". Although more melodic, "Murmurs Across the Surface" is nevertheless a waking nightmare, a procession of terror urged by distant, alien drums. And for you club kids, the breakbeat-infected "Moscow Mix" reprise of the title track will surely harsh your mellow. Rave on, you crazy diamond! The textures of this record are remarkable; there are moments when the music seems to melt, rust and crack open. Hard to describe, even on drugs. You've just got to hear it. Hailed as a triumph by the sort of folks who never discuss music at their day jobs, "Dreams In Moving Space" left me stunned and speechless." (Demo Universe)
