Artist description Often full of opposite emotions, memorable melodies & lush engineering. Simons music creates strong visual landscapes, emotional interaction & a real sense of listener participation

Music Style Electronica, TV/Film/game themes, Dance, Trance, Ambient.

Musical Influences Future sound of London, William Orbit Jazz Jarre Angelo Badalamenti Tom Waits David Bowie

Similar Artists depeche mode vangelis joy division electro ksa mogwai omd

Instruments Roland JV1080 Emu Emax II Roland DR330

Albums Rush Music CanvaS

Press Reviews I'm listening to "sSpear'ea" by British artist Simon O'Donnell (aka Release). No that's not a typo on the song name (I double-checked). Here is a truly unique electronic song with elements of hard techno and ambient new age mixed together in a unique fusion, forming truly a progressive electronic song.I like many things about this song. First, the bizarre chromatic chord structure really grabs my attention. Then the synthetic shakuhachi adds a neo-ancient mystique to the piece. Then at 0:47 the groove starts...this is a hard techno groove with a very cool subdued lead synth that really keeps the listener engaged. This is very well done, folks.So many techno songs fall into this trap of wanting to stay danceable no matter what. Mercifully, Simon does not shrink from the task of songwriting. Case in point, at 1:45 an extended soft bridge loaded with ambience and that wonderful lead synth bring the groove to a screeching halt. I swear to God I can hear elements of Prokofiev in that bridge, extremely symphonic and classically composed.In fact, as I listen to the song in its entirety, I am struck by the classical influence upon it. Yes, you read that right: a classically-sensitive techno song. The song has tremendous structure, with formalized voicing and beautiful transition. The conclusion to the song is a *perfect* counterpoint to the hard edge of the main theme. I am so impressed by the composition, I find it difficult to put it onto paper.There are many other things to like, including the great engineering, well-selected instrumentation, and outstanding performance. In fact, I'm hard-pressed to come up with things to improve. The only thing I can come up with is that a few of Mr. O'Donnell's passages go on a bit too long without variation. A bit of fx or perhaps a secondary theme would fix that right up. But this is truly a nit.Overall, this is an excellent song, and an incredibly well-composed piece for its genre. It would stand up well in the electronic classical genres as well. I encourage listeners to check out this artist immediately.Charisma: 7.50 Technical Skill: 8.00 Structure: 9.00 Interest: 8.00 Lyrics: n/a Performance: 7.50 Arrangement: 8.00 Recording Quality: 8.00 Long Term Appeal: 8.00 OVERALL: 8.00Rush music opens up with the adrenalin blast of spaceport 7, the up-tempo breakbeats then give way and Voodoo is laid before u. An easy dirty, fu$%ed up bass line grinds away. Moans and groans litter the background and the bass just continues, rolls on, drawing you deeper into its murky, dark chicken blood world.On sspearea the sound comes closet to comtempory techno chucking out beats at an alarming rate, anthemic in places and reminiscent of Moby Circa GO but when you actually listen you can hear the ideas and imagination that takes this beyond dance music – this is working in movements, its neo classical. And the sheer power that comes across as the song builds to its climax is pure Wagner. (& this is a working mix!)A few moody chords does exactly what it says on the tin and links us to Oboe Summer, which comes on all early depeche mode/OMD and then bang! Turns into killer summer pop hit that never was. This is laying back, sun rays caressing, head gone astray, things can only get better, tastic this is rock by Delakota, since I left you by the avalanches- that good believe me. Summers here kids and this is the soundtrack.Early Electro influences can be heard again on discs a darkly robotic kraftwerk, Tubewax Army, Scott 4 esque piece and later on Chimney Sweep, which uses cut up rhythms and an explosive distorted guitars to full effect to create a desolate Joy Division like feel.Red Stiletto picks up where the earlier Voodoo left of and being the aural equivalent of blue Velvet or the novels of Barry Gifford of doesn’t let go. Red Stiletto occupies that space in the mind we don’t like to go, the place where killers lurk and its all sorted out with a fight, a slap and another whiskey and it screams PLEASE IM GONNA FREAK.The Mood set ODonnell takes us down is the disturbing ambient hallway that is the seamless blend of Slitter and the next track Tent pole. You’re afraid to open the door and…its okay its Gas – like Eric Betty Blue it leaves huge spaces so much sop you can float forever on its calm after the storm. Back Garden continues the theme but adds wonder and awe to the mix, such a huge sense of wonder that the next track UNDEREWATER has to continue the narrative. Symphonic and compelling the track allows you to drift across its movements on a lilo of sound. The theme is explored again in experience which give you a sense of being adrift in space and floating into one of your own past conversations as it continues forever in the ether,Starting with the sound of US talk radio, pick up driving, baseball cap wearing hillbillies RADIO layers samples with a space guitar in church sound and large Hammond organ swells. The sound ebbs & flows – very much like Flying Saucer Attack, MogWaI, flood in the ambient guitarscapes world.Mechanical death and White Dots just remind you fear & hate still exist with the former being the perfect soundtrack for turning on Frankenstein’s machine and the latter encompassing the confusion and helplessness of a nightmare.The CD ends with “The Wall – thankfully no a pink Floyd cover but a mix of through the wardrobe to Nornia wonderment and europeon cop film melodrama.An Album of terrific highs, lonesome plains, expansive oceans. A CD of space & solitude but also of dark company, found in that lonely space waiting just there, within.8/10

Additional Info Fan Club members get access to exclusive music.

Location Keighley - United Kingdom

Copyright notice. All material on MP3.com is protected by copyright law and by international treaties. You may download this material and make reasonable number of copies of this material only for your own personal use. You may not otherwise reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, or create derivative works of this material, unless authorized by the appropriate copyright owner(s).