Robert Haigh: Darkling Streams

It would be impossible not to liken Darkling Streams to music by many neo and modern classical composers. Barely reverberated keys float through the minimalist chords to construct vapors of beauty, tranquility and lull. Subtle arpeggios, appearing in similar tonalities, sprinkle the album with patience and poise. Walking keys across abstract and chromatic scales remind me, of course, of works by Ryuichi Sakamoto, and there is an essence of the last breath by Erik Satie, Henryk Gorecky, and even John Cage. Finally, when the synth line comes in, I recall minimalist pieces by Brian Eno, Harold Budd and Steve Reich. Yet in the 90s Robert Haigh was credited with developing ‘ambient drum’n’bass’ via his lauded Omni Trio project. So how was I to know that at once I would fall in love? Another gem from that mysterious Primary Numbers label, already responsible for favorite works by Aidan Baker and Jack Dangers.