COLLECTION

THE AMBIENT COOKBOOK II

For this 10 year Anniversary of FAX release, Pete Namlook took tracks spanning the decade of releases, creating a digital mix that combines, at times, up to 5 tracks. There is no track listing proper because of this fact...

 Disc one:
  Omid/Hope - Silence (Pete Namlook & Dr. Atmo)
  Clearing Your Head - Air (Pete Namlook)
  Trip From Mars - Escape (Pete Namlook & Dr. Atmo)
  Missing You - Pete Namlook/Hubertus Held (Pete Namlook & Hubertus Held)
  Telepathy II - Psychonavigation (Pete Namlook & Bill Laswell)
  Sequenchill - Sequential (Namlook)
  Lost in the Sea - Sequential (Pete Namlook & DJ Criss)
  Tuff Transmitter - Coeur Atomique (Coeur Atomique)
  Noise Atoms - Namlook (Pete Namlook)
  Begend - Shado (Pete Namlook & Bobby Bird)
  Clearing Your Head - Jet Chamber (Pete Namlook & Atom Heart)
  The Flight - Syn (Pete Namlook)
  We Don't Mind the Rain - Virtual Vices (Pete Namlook & Wolfram Spyra)
  The Real World - Namlook (Pete Namlook)
  Fishology - Dreamfish (Pete Namlook & Mixmaster Morris)

 Disc two:
  Elle a du Shell - Air (Pete Namlook)
  Silent Intelligence Parts 5 & 6 - From Within (Pete Namlook & Richie Hawtin)
  In Heaven - The Fires of Ork (Pete Namlook & Geir Jenssen)
  Dreamtime - Silence (Pete Namlook)
  Night Time Pleasures - Syn (Pete Namlook):
  Set the Controls for the Heart of the Mother Part VI - The Dark Side of the Moog (Pete Namlook & Klaus Schulze)
  Telepathy II - Psychonavigation (Pete Namlook & Bill Laswell)
  Beteigeuzian Ritual - Shades of Orion (Pete Namlook & Tetsu Inoue)
  Magnetic Field - Ambiant Otaku (Tetsu Inoue)
  Morning Spirit - 2350 Broadway (Pete Namlook & Tetsu Inoue)
  False Decodings - Move D/Namlook (Pete Namlook & David Moufang)
  Counter - Koolfang (Pete Namlook & David Moufang)
  Environmental Observation Post - EMC (Pete Namlook)
  Tightness - Jet Chamber (Pete Namlook & Atom)
  Est ce que l'amour fait mal? - Air (Pete Namlook)
  Je suis triste et seul ici - Air (Pete Namlook)

 Disc three:
  Hello from the Children of Planet Earth - Silence (Pete Namlook)
  Travelling without Moving : Trip I - Air (Pete Namlook)
  Interview with New and Native Organic Life - New Organic Life (Pete Namlook)
  Pulsar - Pulsation (Pete Namlook)
  Tightness - Jet Chamber (Pete Namlook & Atom Heart)
  Into the Desert - Silence (Pete Namlook)
  Talk to the Stars - The Fires of Ork (Pete Namlook & Geir Jenssen)
  The Flight - Syn (Pete Namlook)
  Mind over Matter - Psychonavigation (Pete Namlook & Bill Laswell)
  Spirit Preparation - Planetarium (Pete Namlook & New Composers)
  Soft CRD - Miles Apart (Pete Namlook & Peter Prochir)
  Bedouin Love - Silence (Pete Namlook)
  African Virus  Part III - Outland (Pete Namlook & Bill Laswell)
  Sonne - Sequential (Pete Namlook)
  Breeding Machine - Possible Gardens (Pete Namlook & Peter Prochir)
  DX Synth - Jochem Paap (Jochem Paap)

 Disc four:
  Life Eternal - Psychonavigation (Pete Namlook & Bill Laswell)
  Drawn - Hearts of Space (Pete Namlook)
  Gel gör beni ask n'eyledi - Sultan (Pete Namlook & Burhan Öçal)
  DSPill - Psychonavigation (Pete Namlook & Bill Laswell)
  Trautoniolo - Psychonavigation (Pete Namlook & Bill Laswell)
  Secret Location - S.H.A.D.O (Pete Namlook & Bobby Bird)
  Rich Drums - 2350 Broadway (Pete Namlook & Tetsu Inoue)
  Vocal Atoms - EMC (Pete Namlook)
  Last Dance on Luna - Virtual Vices (Pete Namlook & Wolfram Spyra)
  While Angels Sleep - Silence (Pete Namlook)
  Master of the Sky - Silence (Pete Namlook)
  Winter - Seasons Greetings (Pete Namlook)
  Yenilik #8 - Sultan (Pete Namlook & Burhan Öçal)

          Produced and mixed by Pete Namlook
Bill Laswell is featured in both the Psychonavigation and Outland projects.

          2002 - FAX +49-69/450464 (Germany), PKPWPS 3 (4CD)
          2007 - FAX +49-69/450464 (Germany), MP3 009 (MP3 CD)
Note: The 2007 release is 320kbps encoded version containing all 4 CDs in MP3 form with each disc as one track.

REVIEWS :

After 10 years of releasing some of the most innovative and beautiful electronic music around, Peter Namlook has treated his global following to a monster 4 CD collection of his works. It is to his credit that he has succeeded in mixing his music together with such contrasting styles and pulled it off in such spectacular fashion. Such is the work rate of the man (over 300 CD's released to date) that it must have been hard to distil all of his work into just five hours, however Namlook's achievement is not just in showcasing his work, but ensuring each piece compliments the other. The collection takes you on a beautiful, flowing journey into ambient soundscapes, burbling basslines and whispered spoken vocals, intermixed with strong heartwarming melodies. Highlights? There are so many, but among them would be the ghostly countdown of the fathoms into darkness, tranquil synths and air bubbles of 'Lost In The Sea' and 'The Real World', with its well crafted drum programming and a majestic tune which eventually unleashes itself with a lead synth line to die for. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the short three-minute piece by Jochem Paap (aka Speedy J) entitled 'DX Synth', tucked in at the end of disc three. The Ambient Cookbook II has a simplicity that cuts through you, grabbing your attention in a similar fashion to say the very best work of Aphex Twin or Squarepusher. This really is a superb introduction for Fax virgins, although it still offers something for existing fans through its loving mix. It remains a pity that this collection is restricted to just 1,000 copies, however, if you are a fan of electronic or ambient music, The Ambient Cookbook II is an essential release. And if you don't like the music, you can at least enjoy Namlook's included homemade cooking recipe's.

9 out of 10

courtesy of the Barcodezine website

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The original Ambient Cookbook came out back in 1995, and gave the listener a good cross section of the music available on Fax at the time. There was a mixture of music from not just Namlook, but also from the numerous other artists and collaborators on the label.

Now, to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the label, the Ambient Cookbook II has been released. Comparisons with the original release are of course inevitable, but in reality this new 4 CD set is something entirely new. Whilst still featuring an excellent selection of music from Fax, the majority of the tracks are by Namlook or Namlook & Collaborators. The only non-Namlook tracks are Atom's "Tuff Transmitter", Inoue's "Magnetic Field" and Jochem Paap's "Dx Synth".

The most noticable thing about this release is that the vast majority of the tracks are continually mixed with crossfades of significant length. Unlike the first Cookbook, the tracks here are mixed in such a way as to compliment each other, and to create "new" tracks. On the fourth disc for example, the track "Gel Gor Beni Ask N'eyledi" from the Sultan album, plays by itself for the first few minutes, before further tracks such as "DSPill" and "Trautoniolo" are brought into the mix. Only when "Rich Dreams" from 2350 Broadway starts, does the initial Sultan track finally fade. Similarly mixed sections appear throughout the four discs, but there are also sections that are relatively unmixed. The aforementioned "Magnetic Field" from the Ambiant Otaku album only has a very quick crossfade at beginning and end, but then in my opinion, this particular track is just too devine a listening experience to mess about with!

Overall, this is a highly recommended release, which would serve as a good introduction to the label. In the main though, it is a worthwhile part of any Fax devotee's collection. Familiar tracks are put together in a new context, so even if you do have most or all of the original releases, this is still worth getting. Here's to the next ten years of Fax!

Andrew Firth (courtesy of 2350.org)