The name Pete Namlook should need no introduction for modern ambient fans--his remarkable Fax label was on the forefront of the early nineties ambient-techno explosion, releasing now classic work by Tetsu Inoue, David Moufang, Jonah Sharp, and many others. Namlook is also a gifted composer himself, arguably picking up Klaus Schulze's mantle for highly proficient space music creation. Namlook has become something of a legend in the intervening decade, due in part to his commitment to creating and promoting ambient and electronic music in a not always supportive environment. Namlook's work is numerous and often hard to find (as with a large number of Fax releases), which in turn sprouted legions of collectors and high prices that always result from low supply and high demand. While many Fax titles are perhaps not “worth” the prices paid for them, Namlook saw fit to create a reissue series of classic Fax titles to allow people to hear seminal releases like Inoue's Ambiant Otaku while not having to sell offspring to do it (I find the Ambient World reissue artwork to be much more aesthetically pleasing, as well.)

This brings me to Namlook's third installment of the Air series, subtitled "Secret Heritage" (originally released in 1999). For me, the Air series is Namlook's most appealing solo work, finding him creating music in a wide variety of styles with the least amount of filler material. While I've always felt Namlook's penchant for twenty-minute tracks has allowed him to fill entire CDs with less than stellar material, the first two installments of Air stand easily alongside classics of the ambient genre. "Secret Heritage" is a departure from the previous Air albums. While earlier albums were traditionally ethno-ambient, "Secret Heritage" seems more comfortable with ethno touches in an extremely light (some might say romantic) and listenable mid-tempo electronica setting. "Secret Heritage" is by no means vapid or "easy" music--but it does forgo some of the mystery of the early entries in the series in favor of an almost "pop" (as close as Namlook gets to pop, anyway) sensibility. But does it hold up?

"Secret Heritage" begins with a sprawling ambient track "Inauguration," somewhat similar in style to much of the previous Air material. The entrancing synth environments are punctuated with flute, drums, and cymbals, leading one to believe that this will be a colossal trip into deep space dreamtime. It's a fine track, highly focused, and rather unusual with jazzy drumming, similar to Grosskopf's work on Schulze's Moondawn. Track two, "Oui" completely changes the atmosphere from deep space to a more earthed terrain. The startling cover image--that of a beautiful woman drawn in the style of Jean "Moebius" Giraud--reminds us that this is less an album of space, and more a rumination on beauty and love (the quote on the inside of the booklet loosely translates to "You are beautiful ... so beautiful that to look at to you is to suffer!"). An insistent rhythm propels us through the ambience; ethnic claps and shakers eventually build to a full-on groove--accompanied by an attractive Middle Eastern-sounding wind instrument. Eventually, some sampled throat singing enters the fray--creating a strange mixture of cultures in this technoid setting; an ambient techno melting pot. Later, these vocals are triggered in such a way that they create a tune. This is a startlingly cheesy moment in the recording, as the power and nuance of throat singing is reduced to the nadir of a Deep Forest recording. Thankfully it does not last long. The final six minutes continue in much the same way, with excellent percussives (and a somewhat sexual underpinning sample) propelling you gently along to track three "Est ce que l'amour fait mal?" Here is perhaps the highlight of the album, featuring Namlook's jazz origins in full force. This is sweet, romantic music featuring synth vocals, French spoken word, strummed dulcimer, jazzy bass, the wind instrument from track two, and all manners of downtempo percussion. The music shifts subtly with marvelous transitions that never break the flow. Surely this is Namlook's idea of music to make love to. Finally, we are presented with a stylistic 180, as Namlook shifts back into ambient mode with "Give Space a Trance," beginning softly with interstellar ambience of the highest order. This music would not have been out of place on a Shades of Orion disc, at first. At around the five minute mark, Namlook switches to trance--reminding us that he made his name creating dance tracks. It's a great track, mixing beats and synth textures with "Garden of Dreams" style synth vocals. By the end, all of the previous Air series styles are mixed together in one breathtaking ambient-ethno-trance (with some fantastic dulcimer melodies) rocketship; an anthemic and highly satisfying ending to "Secret Heritage."

Though "Secret Heritage" never truly reaches the heights of previous installments of the Air series, it does offer some memorable examples of the best Namlook's work has to offer. While I've found most recent Fax output to be generally not to my tastes, "Secret Heritage" takes risks, and largely succeeds in creating a diverse, listenable, and, above all, sexy experience. While I might not recommend this particular work to Namlook/Fax beginners, "Secret Heritage" makes a usually satisfying confection for the ambient-techno aficionado.

Available from the Ambient World sublabel of Fax.

since July 15, 2003