Review of Parallel Worlds EXISTENCE debut cd album.

[Parallel Worlds]

hello all,
here's the review of the EXISTENCE album from the Expose magazine (US):

"(Rubber rubbercd005, 2003, CD)

Everywhere on this planet are places to be found where young hounds bubbling with talent are waiting in the shadows to be discovered. Here we have a young guy from Greece, Bakis Sirros, who hides behind the name Parallel Worlds. Only a couple years of experimenting with electronic gear to his credit, Parallel Worlds is a name to be reckoned with. Like the famous predessors in the 70s, Sirros sculpts his sounds on a huge modular among other analog and digital gear. His debut album consists of no less then 14 tracks. From a nucleus of seemingly simple drum machine rhythms, he weaves an atmosphere of darker complexity, with washes of treated sound of which a recognizable melody sprouts, to be served off with harmonious motives or/and space or other effects. There’s a definite trace of Kraftwerk and 80s synth pop, especially Depeche Mode, but Sirros has a style of his own; fresh, strange sounds and intricate drum machine lines are sonic witnesses. Despite the darkish character, several infectious melodies tend to stick in the head after a couple of spins. Too bad the mastering is sloppy, though the next batch will have a proper one. – Roel Steverink"


the EXISTENCE cd album can be purchased from most music stores here in Greece and Cyprus( ) and, for the rest of the world, can be bought from CDbaby.com.

best regards,
bakis.

[Parallel Worlds]

and one more review from the greek online music magazine MIC( http://www.mic.gr/cds.asp?id=27300 ), translated to english by me:

Parallel Worlds - Existence:

"Most of the times, when someone characterizes a musical work of art with the names “electronic”, “dark”, and “atmospheric”, rarely the first thought that comes to mind is something more than something simple and minimalistic, in an “ambient” style, and, why not, sometimes “easy” too. “Existence”, thru the 14 tracks that it contains and the 75 minutes that it lasts, is the best from the recent examples. So, we can say that, in this album, darkness can indeed contain an unknown deep complexity, beyond the drum machine rhythms and the artificial effects, and can become an imaginary, futuristic soundtrack for a movie that never really existed.

Parallel Worlds are an one man project, but, in live concerts, more appear on stage. “Existence” album was released in the end of 2003 and it contains recordings from the period of 1998 – 2000.

Of course, modern electronic musicians mostly work with sampling and digital technology. In this matter, Sirros is an exception, as his music still sounds modern, and within the contemporary styles, but the aesthetics of his sounds and the colour of his sonicscapes is based mainly on analogue machines (Sirros’ favourite machine seems to be the Doepfer a100 analogue modular from Germany) .

What I want to say is, that Sirros follows the flow of this era of analogue reinessance, that is really evident during these recent years, and manages to (in other words, succeeds) to compose a unified, often excellent, album in which the emotions and sensitivity of a human being are not missing at all. In contrary, these are basic elements that seem as if they emerge out of the cables, transforming the darkness of urbanism and its environment, into timeless electronic poems. Something like a different “Blade Runner”…
I really recommend this wonderful work."
8 out of 10.
Panos Panotas – MIC Online music magazine (GR)

[Parallel Worlds]

Joerg Strawe - CUE Records (DE) review of Parallel Worlds "Existence" cd album:

Elektronik aus Griechenland
Ein weiteres Album von Bakis Sirros aus Griechenland. Er firmiert unter Parallel Worlds und es ist bereits sein drittes Album. Existence lasst bekannte PPG sounds auflebel und kombienert achtziger TD sound mit modernen Klangen. Lasst aber immer wieder traditionelle synthesizer sounds durchklingen. Ein tolles album und nur bei uns erhaltlich. Ein Titel zum probehoren war auf der letzten Schwingungen CD!

btw, there is a mistake in this review: this is my DEBUT album, Not my third...