Electronic music mainly influenced by the Berlin school and minimalist composers, with dense textures, experimental sounds, epic soundscapes and mysterious melodies.

6 MP3 Songs
ELECTRONIC: Experimental, ELECTRONIC: Soundscapes

Show all album songs: Round Mi Songs


Details:
"The title track of this exceptional CD by Gustavo Jobim from Brazil is a four-part suite, beginning with "Floating Tones Around Mi." It opens with solid sequencing and a great melodic progression, drawing the listener in quickly. "Lament" immediately changes the tone, more reserved. Melodic lines are particularly well developed as a piano deftly maneuvers through synths and the sound of a gentle rain. "Procession" changes things dramatically, with a single pounding tympani-like beat. Organ music adds to the procession as the feeling grows. "Leaving the Atmosphere" changes moods yet again. Throughout "Round Mi," but particularly so in this fourth movement, I'm reminded of how Klaus Schulze blends classical and modern synthesizer influences, although Jobim's sound is all his own.

If you prefer more straightforward electronics then you may just want to play the 31-minute "Clouds" on infinite repeat. Starting with soft textures and atmosphere, a laid-back sequence starts going into the fifth minute, gradually picking up speed. Jobim then rides this mesmerizing phrase all the way through. Synth oboes are beautifully rendered, very much like classic Tangerine Dream. With only subtle changes over its course, "Clouds" captivates.

"Loopsurf - Loopsearch" chugs energetically along in a sequence not quite like anything I've heard before, low and mechanical. A brighter hypnotic loop merges over the top. Gradually, more synths are added. It's a distinctive hybrid between the likes of Klaus Schulze and Philip Glass. After moving briskly along for the first half, the latter half drifts into deep space with bleeps and blips of an otherworldly kind. Round Mi is a unique and excellent take on Berlin school from Brazil."
© 2004 Phil Derby / Electroambient Space

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"Brazil sometimes gives us quite unusual EM, and this album is no different. Here, synthesist Gustavo Jobim created a set of tracks which is very difficult to describe. To say diverse is to say nothing. To my mind, most of it will appeal to fans of the Berlin School, but the range of sounds and influences on this album is huge.

There are three tracks in Round Mi. First comes the title track which is a suite divided into four parts. The first part ("Floating Tones Around Mi") has a very rich synth sound and propelling sequence. Pretty exciting stuff. The second part is called "Lament" and fittingly it features slow and darkish piano playing coupled with other instruments, nature sounds and light synthetic touches. There's also funeral-like bass line underneath it all. "Procession" is rather doomy and sounds influenced by chamber music. "Leaving the Atmosphere" shows strong progrock influences and really sounds like a chamber/progrock piece sans drums.

Clouds is a 31-minute epic that starts with drawn-out ambient tones but after a while a sequence starts and increases in pace. It then takes center stage and dominates the bulk of the track. It all has an airy, bright sound, really, which pretty much corresponds to the title. The track doesn't change a lot throughout its course but it does manage to create a hypnotic and somewhat calming effect, in spite of the fact that it's rather upbeat.

Loopsurf-Loopsearch is the last track and it's the best one on the album. It's rather experimental compared to what has gone before and features a lot of loops (surprise, surprise!) and sequenced elements. I can hear some Klaus Schulze influence here, but the track doesn't sound much like anything Klaus has ever put out. It's the most synthetic sounding piece.

I do notice a few bum notes and out of sync elements but Gustavo is only in his early-to-mid twenties which is a very young age for progressive music. Recommended. The album comes with a list of thanks which is an interesting reading. It includes (apart from the obligatory Schulze, TD, Vangelis and Jarre) people like Philip Glass, Änglagård, Anekdoten, Can, Carl Orff, Mahler, Radiohead and other great names."
© 2004 Artemi Pugachov / Encyclopedia of Electronic Music

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Music has been a constant presence in Jobim's mind. As a child, he would spent his free time always humming improvised melodies, driven by mouth percussion. This kind of hobby continues to this day, creating a fertile mental soil from which all his musical ideas are born.

In 1999 he heard for the first time the electronic music made by artists such as Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Jean-Michel Jarre, and Kraftwerk. He was surprised by the similarity of their sounds with his ideas, and decided to also make such music.

Jobim began composing in early 2000, at an age of 17, first using a computer; later that year he began playing his - still only - synthesizer, a Roland XP-30. He recorded many experimental tracks during that early period.

ROUND MI was made during 2001 and 2002, and finally released in the first days of 2003 by the independent Brazilian label Som Interior. While it showcases Jobim's first influences, it has hints of what would be his own style. It is a work full of mysterious melodies, Berlin-school-type sequencing, experimental sounds, epic soundscapes and dense minimalist passages, mainly influenced by the sounds of Klaus Schulze and Philip Glass. The album was well-received by the electronic music listeners in Brazil, his home country, and in some places around the world.

Some facts and projects since the making of Round Mi:

- the slow process of composing and recording the second album, follow-up to Round Mi

- free mp3 releases of experimental works, showing Jobim's taste for improvisation, instant composition and the relations between noise and music, expanding his universe of sounds and influences. Download links are available at his official site; the releases are:
2005 - Symphony No.1 in F minor ("Piano")
2006 - MarCHian Sketches (Because they were made in MarCH)
2007 - The Art of Boredom (Seven piano pieces for brave ears and well-humoured minds)

- Abstract Paintings: following the path of the free mp3s, this a collection of new soundscapes, mostly made in 2007, which includes a volume 2 containing collaborations with artists from different countries. it shall be released by the end of 2007, or beginning of 2008.

- work since 2005 with the experimental rock group Zumbi do Mato, one of the oldest and most original Brazilian underground bands. A rock group with crazy lyrics and no guitars, Zumbi's unique sound has often been compared to Frank Zappa.

Jobim can be easily reached on MSN/Windows Live Messenger; he's online very often. The contact is pepeeditiones@hotmail.com . He will be happy to chat and he's always looking forward to meeting other creative minds.

There are more samples of ROUND MI and the other releases at the myspace page: www.myspace.com/gustavojobim.

You can see more information, more reviews, news, photos, images, links etc. at www.gustavojobim.com .