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Alan D Group: Members Posts: 3670 Joined: Aug. 2004 Posted: Jan. 21 2007, 10:16 Although I remember mentioning her once or twice myself on occasion, I don't think there's ever been any significant discussion of Diane Arkenstone here on Tubular.net, so I thought I'd write a bit about her music. I'm sure she's not everyone's cup of tea, but she's an old favourite of mine and I have most of her albums. She's often compared with Enigma, or Delerium - but I'm not drawn to either of those, and for me she has a character all her own. Her albums are nearly all essentially instrumental, though one of the recognisable aspects of her style is the use of wordless, ethereal vocals. You'll probably think 'Ah, like Enya'. or something - and you'd be kind of right, except you'd never confuse Diane Arkenstone with Enya. Certainly though, there's a distinctly feminine, gentle flavour to her music that nearly always succeeds in making me feel better at the end than I did at the beginning. There's a pretty good 'Best Of' album which is as good a place to start as any, and you can hear a lot of samples here. My favourite is probably Aquaria, which is one long, full-length instrumental piece, based on a consistent theme. You can hear lots of samples here. Another favourite - an album which for sustained feelings of sheer sunshine optimism takes some beating in my view, is Jewel in the Sun, with some samples here. And finally, if you like a Celtic flavour, you might like to try a slightly earlier but very lovely album, Avalon (under the pseudonym 'Enaid', of which there are some samples here. All these are available from Amazon, generally more cheaply than from the links I've given to her website (where you can download them as well as buy CDs). Back to top

Ginger Daddy Group: Members Posts: 401 Joined: April 2002 Posted: Jan. 25 2007, 10:08 Hi, I listened to some of the samples and enjoyed them. The tendency of the tracks I listened to did seem to be towards more 'trancey', chill-out, type of arrangements which I like to listen to while relaxing with a book and a glass of wine. I'll be checking them out on Amazon like you suggested... Cheers! Terry. -------------- http://purplerhapsody.co.uk - no words, just emotions Back to top

Alan D Group: Members Posts: 3670 Joined: Aug. 2004 Posted: Jan. 25 2007, 11:45 Quote (Ginger Daddy @ Jan. 25 2007, 15:08) The tendency of the tracks I listened to did seem to be towards more 'trancey', chill-out, type of arrangements which I like to listen to while relaxing with a book and a glass of wine. Ah yes, thanks. Looking back at what I wrote, I see I didn't make that clear. Most of her music is not the kind of thing you'd sit down and listen to with full concentration. Rather, it sets a mood. She's invariably someone I turn to when I'm doing something else, but don't want silence. Back to top

Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Jan. 25 2007, 17:03 Well... by listening to the samples I found, it sounds like she's closer to Miriam Stockley/Adiemus, one of my favourites in this genre, than to Enigma or Enya. It's far more rhythmic than Ms. Brennan and not as hypnotic as Mr. Cretu. And she sings invented words, something that also brings her closer to people like Lisa Gerrard. Plenty of electronic sounds as well, as I can hear. In short... I just love this. I'm definitely going to buy her 'best of' album, and maybe some others after that. -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

Alan D Group: Members Posts: 3670 Joined: Aug. 2004 Posted: Jan. 27 2007, 12:01 Quote (Ugo @ Jan. 25 2007, 22:03) it sounds like she's closer to Miriam Stockley/Adiemus, one of my favourites in this genre, Can you recommend an Adiemus album please, Ugo? Given my predisposition towards the Diane Arkenstone sound, where's the best place to start? Back to top

Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Jan. 27 2007, 17:14 Any of them, they're all wonderful! No, seriously, their 'best of' The Journey is the best place to start if you have nothing of them. However, what follows are short descriptions of each album. In general, Adiemus/Karl Jenkins is well known for his (their?) mix of classical strings & orchestrations, loud ethnic percussion and layered-up vocals (mostly sung by Miriam Stockley) with invented meaningless lyrics. You can find more information about Jenkins and Adiemus their unofficial site, i.e. this one, and on Wikipedia. Adiemus I - Songs of Sanctuary is their first, the one which features their biggest (and only?) hit, the eponymous "Adiemus". The song titles are vaguely Enigma-like in that they are in fake Latin, sounding like pseudo-church chants, pseudo-sacred material   - but the music is not church-like, not at all. Just check out the wild percussion on "In caelum fero"... Adiemus II - Cantata Mundi is slightly more classical-oriented, with modern renditions of Bach pieces and other baroque material, and with considerably longer songs than the first album (their average length is 7 minutes), but all very much enjoyable. At least to me. Adiemus III - Dances of Time explores the concept of dance forms through the various ages, with pieces built as dances: a ländler, a rumba, a pavan, a minuet, a tango, a Vienna-style waltz, etc. There's also a "Rain dance" featuring another exceptional showcase of strong percussion and tribal vocals... it really sounds like a Native American rain dance. Adiemus IV - The Eternal Knot is Jenkins' Celtic album, with song titles inspired by Celtic myths and legends and plenty of Celtic instrumentation & tunes in it. Check out "The Dagda", on the unofficial Adiemus page's Sound Gallery. Adiemus Live - Not much to say about this, it's a concert recorded for the Welsh broadcaster Opus Television. The audience's response sounds quite enthusiastic, though. Adiemus V - Vocalise - Their latest one, which does not feature Miriam Stockley (for unknown reasons) but does not suffer very much from that. Here Jenkins goes classical again, with Adiemus-styled renditions of pieces by Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert and a real masterpiece, Rachmaninoff's "Vocalise". Well - I hope all of this is useful to you. Happy listening! -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

Alan D Group: Members Posts: 3670 Joined: Aug. 2004 Posted: Jan. 28 2007, 05:10 Thanks Ugo.  Just looking on Amazon uk, now, I see considerable confusion ahead - several of those on your list seem to be no longer available through Amazon. There's more than one 'best of' album, too.... I think I'll probably start at the beginning with the first one (though I need to get to the end of the month, first! ) Back to top

Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Jan. 28 2007, 08:34 Quote (Alan D @ Jan. 28 2007, 11:10) Thanks Ugo.  Just looking on Amazon uk, now, I see considerable confusion ahead - several of those on your list seem to be no longer available through Amazon. There's more than one 'best of' album, too.... Well... maybe Amazon UK may not have many Adiemus albums, but Italian online shops such as Lifegate Music Shop have got all of them. Check out their listing... Also eil.com has got them all, but maybe they're a bit more pricey in there due to the fact that they mainly sell rare stuff. Regarding the 'best of' albums, only one (The Journey, not "A Journey" as it's listed on the Lifegate listing, above) is the official Adiemus 'best of' collection. The other one (The Essential Collection) includes both Adiemus stuff and non-Adiemus stuff by Karl Jenkins, and IMHO it's not so good as The Journey. Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy whatever you choose to start with. -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

Alan D Group: Members Posts: 3670 Joined: Aug. 2004 Posted: Jan. 28 2007, 09:00 Quote (Ugo @ Jan. 28 2007, 13:34) Regarding the 'best of' albums, only one (The Journey, not "A Journey" as it's listed on the Lifegate listing, above) is the official Adiemus 'best of' collection. The other one (The Essential Collection) includes both Adiemus stuff and non-Adiemus stuff by Karl Jenkins, and IMHO it's not so good as The Journey. Ah, that's really useful to know - thanks Ugo. I'll let you know how I get on. Back to top

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