Californian producer Sudi Wachspress aka Space Ghost has already tried his hand at a number of different styles; he seems to have a strong preference for funk-saturated house for a start. On his latest album, »Private Paradise«, he has held back significantly in both areas, however. Only two numbers (»Inner Focus« and »Time Station«) feature a punchy direct beat and deep house chords, the rest consists of melodic, dancing ambient or the rhythm gently chugs along at a moderate tempo. For his productions, he relies on digital sounds that remind us of the eighties, but also signal the recent interest in artificial instruments of all kinds. Titles like »Virtual Age« seem to infuse this with a measure of concept. But it’s more the serenely gliding title track or the eloquently named ambient relaxation exercises in the form of »Sounds of Peace« and »Heal« that take us to the heart of the matter. You could dismiss this as »feel-good electronica« if Space Ghost’s music were not so unobtrusively powerful and so kitsch-free elegant. There is certainly enough aggression out there, but it is by no means the case that you have to exorcise it at all costs like a demon with decidedly libidinous music. Not with Space Ghost anyway.
Private Paradise
