Ebia - Hunter Of Worlds

Upon learning that Jörg Bialinska aka ebia has done an album inspired by the great club-sound of the 80's played by Cyber People, Hypnosis, Koto, Proxyon, Rygar, Syntech and Laserdance, I was immediately eager to hear it.
Although I will be the first to admit that musicwise the 1980's were one of the most dreadful decades ever, I was still brought up with 80's music. As a result, I still have a soft spot towards some of the popular styles of that period, such as the "Spacesynth" (or Space Disco). There's nothing progressive or artsy-fartsy about this music, it's just fun to listen (or dance) to when you get bored. In the Spacesynth genre, Laserdance and Koto were the be all and end all, followed by the Cyber People, Proxyon, Hypnosis and others, most of them sounding pretty much the same.
So, what is Spacesynth or Space Disco, I hear you asking? It's a danceable (in the way of the 1980's, not 2000's) and energetic music which is pretty repetitive and is built around cyclical synthesizer melodies, spiced up by rolling bass lines, steady drums and some atmospheric sounds. Simple? It is. Bad? No. It's fun. Just plain fun. For a reference point, imagine a totally instrumental, spaced out and energetic version of Italo Disco and you get pretty close.
"Hunter of Worlds" begins with a 6-minute "Galactic Quest". Menacing bass drones open this piece. After a while, a rich symphonic soundscape takes over. The drums are introduced and off we go. An exciting Laserdance-like melody is all we really need for this positive and uplifting slice of Spacesynth sound. The title track begins with highly atmospheric synth sounds, before a rolling bass line takes over. After a while we get the same thing - typical Spacesynth, done in a highly positive and inventive way. Jorg uses some interesting patches and the quality of sound is excellent. There's also that atmospheric interlude that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand. "Passing Tripoint Station" is more of a relaxed number, with a slow rhythm, gently percolating bass and echoing synthesizer melodies. This is truly an eye-opener, it's magical how the guy turns simple dance sound into something so captivating and atmospheric. "Solar Eclipse (Dub Mix)" follows closely with dramatic chords and synthesizer arpeggios. A rhythm starts as the level of excitement grows in no time. More arpeggios follow, as the piece remains rather trancey and repetitive. This reminds on the last stage of Laserdance's output (circa 1995) when they started incorporating more Techno elements into their trademark synth sound. However, on "Solar Eclipse" the rhythm is pronouncedly Spacesynth in style (i.e. no hard Techno bass drum). On the other hand, "Voyager In Night" is pretty much a classic Spacesynth number, with an overall major and optimistic tone. "Invader" is more menacing, with a complex rhythm and lots of atmospheric sounds. "Brothers of Earth" begins with deep sounds but after a while in comes a typical drum rhythm and a very 1980's-like melody. A classic! "Cosmic Flight (Remix)" is full of captivating sounds, at the same time retaining the dance beat and the rolling bass line. And then "Gates of Chaos" sounds like yet another typical Spacesynth track. This one has got some really captivating melodies and once again great sounds. An absolute winner! Finally, "Faded Sun" closes this album on a rather dramatic note. This is a slower track, with heavy bass synth and melodies of a cosmic character. I wish Jorg made more music in the style of "Hunter of Worlds".
But even if it remains a one-off experiment, it's still a significant and very individual-sounding foray into the world of Spacesynth / Space Disco.