'NYX' 12th Igneous Flame album.

Released 5/7/2013

Hypnotic and meditative, 'NYX' waxes and wanes around thirteen slow-motion tracks encompassing depth and air. Each track is centered on a fixed tonal structure, recurring sounds and themes appearing throughout giving an overall coherent sound to the album. Spatial and spectral processes add to the subtle colour of the work. In terms of spectral balance, 'NYX' has a tempered upper frequency range, resulting in a softer sound than is usually present in ambient music. For this release, I felt that less was more and focusing on a somewhat band-limited spectra allowed for a more tempered overall production.

The album is 'long-form' in terms of its overall duration - it's a 'single' album of just over 2 hours in length. In the traditional sense of defining an album by what can be fitted on a CD, it would be a 'double' album, but as 'NYX' is a digital only release, there's no requirement to define it as such.

Headphone listening recommended / suggested. (album was composed, mixed and mastered on headphones)





Reviews 30/7/13

'Make your own Taste' blog

Igneous Flame’s NYX is a very generous helping of ambient indeed, clocking in at over hours, and is best digested in a single large helping, if possible. I’ve used it for meditation purposes about ten times, had it on while working, and also sat staring into space absorbing the little nuances on offer. And I conclude that this is not just really good, it’s totally effing good in every way. I’ve pointed out before that the differences between “meh”, workmanlike ambient and really good, thoughtful and carefully crafted ambient can be subtle. When you’re doing a recording of this length, falling into the boring trap would be all too easy. Kelly, however, has taken on the task of pad minimalism and succeeds admirably. Unlike the other more experimental recordings of his I’ve sampled, I’d say this is straightest ambient I’ve heard from him, the focus being on drones and synths, the all-enveloping haze and murk of mega-reverb. There’s a resemblance in feel to the works of other melancholy faves of mine, Matt Borghi and Jason Sloan, and I think these guys are on the same wavelength, but there’s also an element of sweeping drift ambient such as you might find on, well, Wilkerson’s albums and in the less minimal works of Oöphoi. However, unlike those others, Igneous Flame’s music remains nocturnal in tone, a late-night storm rather than a pretty sunshower.

It’s somewhat silly to pick out highlight tracks from a work that is best enjoyed as a cohesive whole, but I found the choral synth sounds on “Night on Earth” particularly pleasing, as well as the hypnotic roar of “Deep Magic” and the slightly lighter tones of “Philtre” and “Wave”. NYX is dazzling in its consistent beauty, and I guarantee that pretty well any ambient music enthusiast will get hours of blissful pleasure out of listening to it.

This may be a new direction for Igneous Flame, but it’s a path I hope he takes again. Super-duper mega recommended.

Full piece here



Availability details:

Bandcamp 24 Bit Flac and all other download formats Here

CD Baby 16 Bit Flac and all other download formats Here


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