Artist description For me, ambience exists in the absence of familiarity, creating an aural environment where it is up to the listener to participate or lead. My ambient music creates rooms, shapes, moods and environments, all inviting you to wander the corridors of your mind.

Music Style Ambient, Film Music, Environmental Soundscaping, Dark Ambient

Musical Influences Angelo Badalamenti, Eduard Artemyev, Michael Danna, Brian Eno, Future Sound of London (FSOL), Lisa Gerrhard, Elliot Goldenthal, Jerry Goldsmith, Ennio Morricone, Howard Shore, Vangelis, Tangerine Dream

Similar Artists Eduard Artemyev, Brian Eno, Tangerine Dream, Mindspawn

Artist History [1995] Short Video Productions (film music) [1996] Sampling combined with midi-music [1998] Samples only, chord patterns, ambient, industrial [1999] Fluid soundscapes, sound design, ambient, industrial [2000] Ambient

Group Members Matthew Florianz (all tracks) | Erik T'Sas (on Molenstraat track) |Maarten Welzen (keyboards and composer on track the Moonlight Bar) | Ivo Selder (on OpenStage Track)

Instruments Korg, Behringer, Onkyo

Albums Morphine for the mind (1996) // Dark Message (1996) // Shapes Rooms Environments (1997) // *.wav (1998) // Supplement (1999) // Sprook (1999) // The Tone T(h)ree (2000) // Sprook EP (2000) // improvisaties in d (2000) //.net (sampler/2000) // The Sowing (sampler/2000) // Grijsgebied (2001) // Open Stage (2001) // Molenstraat (2002)

Press Reviews [BIRMINGHAM NEWS AND POST] Local label puts ambient music back on the map. Published 19th May 2001 | Sometimes words are not enough to do justice to music. This astonishing CD is the fruit of an international partnership between Midlands label H/S Recordings and Dutch ambient artist Matthew Florianz. Ambient's had a bit of a rough ride since its heyday at the turn of the 1990s when it was seen as a panacea for clubbed to death space cadets. The days of marrying astronaut samples with dub beats are long gone, thank goodness. Florianz makes truly immersive sound art which owes everything to the European tradition of early Tangerine Dream and the pure aesthetics of Brian Eno at his most abstract. GrijsGebied's icy soundscapes exist purely to transport you to another state of mind. The first time I heard this album, I fell asleep. In a 68 minute narcotic flow, GrijsGebied avoids all the ambient clichés - there are no drums, no bleatings of sheep and not a note is wasted. Although divided into eight tracks, the album works as one piece, a journey through whatever landscape the music invokes. The key to the consistency is the simple equipment Florianz uses - in his case a box of tones, manufactured by Korg. Deep editing and sound manipulation gives him access to timbres that are unique. The second technique, and perhaps the most crucial, is Florianz's skill as an arranger and engineer. What initially sounds as quite an abstract drift reveals itself, on closer inspection, as a great skill in keeping all the elements in check. If one theme is in danger of becoming too prominent it is folded back into the mix to morph into new shapes and a new direction. It's no exaggeration to say that this is a hugely important album in the annals of electronica and if you're at all interested in the genre, you simply must hear it. It's available directly from the label's website for a tenner (www.hsrecordings.co.uk). Trust me, it's a classic. Rating: (5 stars out of 5) Andrew Cowen [FUTURE MUSIC MAGAZINE] Liquid Morphine GrijsGebied | Published Autumn 2001 |"Coinciding with our chillout special this album deals with the deep side of chill. The album drifts in and out, and just as you think it's gone it rears its head with textures. First track in het begin conjures up images of the opening sequence of a dark thriller. Each track is epic with huge sonic spaces and the pace is slow and developing: dageraad isn't audible until about 26 seconds in, although you feel its presence before. There's a danger it could be dismissed as soundtrack music but it's nice to see someone flying the true ambient flag in this commercialised world of so-called chillout" 7/10 [MOSES] In a state of consciousness that is not awake, yet not asleep, you grasp at what you might create. Creation is the right of the mind. To create something, a place that can not be realized in the conscious state is what many strive for. Dreams are realities not yet come to pass. People we'd like to be, places we'd like to go, things we'd like to do. The mind's endeavor is a worthy one. It is here where we shape our existence, our thoughts, our circumstance. In this alternate dimension, we are the masters of our destiny. It is us who choose the path with which we travel to achieve our aspirations. A quiet reflection of our potential is what reveals our capacity to make our dreams come true. Wise are those who can grasp the language of the mind. Wiser still, are those who make the attempt. [ENCOMIAST] Valley of the Shadows i liked but it seemed a bit rushed. there is room for more development on this excellent theme. I like how the piano keeps returning to a statement of that simple motive, but not so regularly as to become completely predictable. A very good atmosphere though...makes me think of The Martian Chronicles. The Tone Three part I does much better i think. It's like being encapsulated in a womb. Very very excellently done...less is definitely more in this case. Wow...i'm feeling almost depressed yet soothed by this. nice work. -ross [BANKER ON MP3.COM] The Tone T(h)ree - part 2 | A descent down the spiraling walkway into the darkness of the unknown. Wonder, promise, fear, chilling excitement. Where does this path lead, how long will it take to get there? Is this path different from any other? Darkness gently illuminated by tiny sparkles of light. Is this the pathway to the essence of life, or the gloomy route to death... and nothingness? | The Tone T(h)ree - part 3 | Slowly the view ahead emerges, twinkling light gives way to full illumination. The question of where does the pathway lead is answered. A wide surrealistic landscape awaits the footsteps of the traveler. Ice cold and hard in the fore yields ever gently to the softer expanse beyond. The journey continues. I do not know if this is what the author was after, but these were my impressions after listening to the first five tunes. These two came back to haunt me and I wrote what I felt. Make More! [8THNOTE ON MP3.COM] liquid morphine coaxes you to go inside yourself and explore what is there. if anyone were able to use a paintbrush to convey sound, then this is the aural passion and bliss one would see. turn the lights down, put on headphones, and become immersed in this sound. ambience is a term that does no justice here. this music is life. --8thnote [LISTEN.COM] Elongated electronic emanations draw out light, airy tones and dark, ominous drones. Like an Andrei Tarkovsky soundtrack, this music is at once static in time, but deeply moving. - Marc K. [XANDER STORMS] SPROOK | THE MUSIC | With his synthesiser, Matthew Florianz has created a soundscape in which two elements rule: light and darkness. With simple gestures he keeps the music flowing, giving you the opportunity to sit back, close you eyes and let the imagination flow. How would you define the soundscape unfolding? Land, sea, infinite space ... ? The creator sets but one ground rule: it is dark and light fights for its place. Until the last track the light fights for its place. But when the light comes through, it creates a new soundscape. Lighter of course, but also more clearly defined. Some people will recognise it as the kind of sound Vangelis created for Blade Runner. Although it is in the same mood, it does not rip it off. It rather helps you get back to 'reality' and makes for a happy end. Light has conquered darkness. Until you press replay, of course. SPROOK | THE SOUND | After the waltz-like music in the prologue, you are not giving much melody to hold on. This is music where the 'ambience' matters. How you take the music will be greatly affected by your mood and musical preferences. Do you need a clearly defined score with melodies and their development? Then this is not your cup of tea. Do you want to do something with the music; let it take you in a journey in your imagination, do you have something to add for yourself? Then this cd is highly recommended. I have played it in the dark. Loud. Letting the sounds flow around me and those magnificent basses go through me. Sprook gives me a change to use my own imagination. Something most modern music does not give you the opportunity to. | XANDER STORMS |

Additional Info Side Project: www.mp3.com/improvisaties(www.wanrecords.net) // Samplers: .net (www.wanrecords.net) :: The Sowing (www.darkseeds.com)

Location Den Haag, ZH - Netherlands

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