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Paris Music Corp is the nome de plume of Texas-based creator of cinematic electronica, John Andrew Paris. But if the proximity of the words Paris and Texas in a musical context immediately but you in mind of a certain film and Ry Cooder’s desert soundscapes, then I’m sorry for pointing out the connection and distracting you.
“Light Speed”, taken from Paris Music Corp.‘s eponymous album, and his first in half a decade, is a confident slice of ambient keyboard creativity. It is built on bubbling beats and fluid sound washes, gentle riffs and hypnotic grooves, and the influence and inspiration of artists such as Mick Karn, Gary Numan and Pink Floyd. You even catch something of the drifting and non-conformist freedom of Miles Davis, perhaps not in its sound but certainly in its attitude and delivery.
As Paris himself says, “There is a certain haunted feeling in some tunes and others just reflect the ambiguity I like in my writing style. It is a body of work I am very proud of. A lot of the ambient works are a result of on the spot improvisation. I am influenced by a lot of jazz musicians’ approach to music.”
Yet despite the parallels that can be drawn, “Light Speed” is nothing if not unique. It is gentle and beguiling, yet creative, forward-thinking and adventurous. What more could you ask for?
