Mary Yalex is a German producer. Her electronic compositions lies somewhere within the ambient, but in a more active and engaging style than most.

Mary Yalex Sunset Stories (Sound As Language)

Not rhythmically, though. There is very little percussion, which is probably why she gets lumped in with many ambient or even new age types. I find her work to have plenty of movement, but it is movement that doesn't need obvious beats. She builds her tempos and rhythms though her synths (I'm using that word to describe the sound, not any particular instrument). Even the sequencing of loops provides the underpinning for some of the songs here.

These pieces are well-formed, though, and not as amorphous as you might expect. Yalex uses repetition and variation to flesh out her ideas, and bits and pieces of classical structure help keep songs moving forward.

The lack of obvious beats simply leads the mind to find some on its own. Mary Yalex challenges listeners, but once accepted it's clear that hers is a chimerical challenge. These songs alight in the mind and draw out wondrous visions. This is a lovely world.

Jon Worley