Total Time 67.10

Dave Hickman : Apple G4 + iBook G3
Emagic Logic Audio Platinum + EXS24 + ES1
Natiive Instruments Reaktor + Traktor DJ Studio
Novation Sypernova II
EMS VCS
Casio MIDI Guitar
E Bow
Korg Kaoss Pad 2

All tracks composed, played and produced by Dave Hickman.
Recorded and mixed at Blueomni, Cornwall, 2003

Artwork : Michael Peters
Design : www.studioflokati.de

Review in Modern Dance
You just know don't you when your really gonna enjoy a track on a CD by only listening to the opening bars. Well here on the Star Look Down, a masterful ambient performance of hypnotic beauty has been assembled which must surely be accepted by those among you who enjoy their music: the gentle ambiences naturally haunt the mind. Casting aside the floppy notes and wallowing sounds here you'll find a tightly structured lesson in how to make quarter of an hour seem like only three and a half minutes. It develops in an exemplary manner and half way through the low notes could rattle your ribcage. It's all the work of Dave Hickman who recorded and mixed the six tracks at Blueomni in Cornwall. The second track, Mirror 2 Level 4 is more unsettling in nature with it's slightly off key bell sounds that give a distinct Japanese flavour. Perhaps the sequenced After The Migration, with its Tangerine Dream inspired structure will please many, yet dbkaos is no copycat as you will notice whilst listening to this ten minutes section. The next piece is more introspective and there is a feeling that its all about textures, but Endelyon Alpha proves us wrong as it develops into another wonderful lesson in how to make instrumental music fascinating. As you would expect from the title, Hydrosphere contains a deep ocean of sound and is not scary in any sense. The title track in comparison is very scary and profoundly menacing. There's no sacrifice to be made listening to this CD, rather the exact opposite. Lovers of ambient music take note, don't miss an opportunity to show off this CD to your friends. (Philly)