released September 20, 2003

Staticbeats Review of Exhibition #2 – www.staticbeats.com

To understand the premise behind Exhibition #2 you must first grasp the Audiobulb philosophy and concept. Visit the website, take some time to admire the excellent site design and fine attention to detail. After your first visit you should get an idea what Audiobulb is about; electronic meets organic where digital finds acoustic, with an adherence to the push and pull between the contrast of the soft inviting world of nature and the harsh and sometimes abrasive world of electronics. The importance of the design and presentation are especially apparent when visiting the website. Audiobulb is not solely about one specific concept or another but rather about an entire approach to creative output and delivery. In addition to the audio releases you will find exhibitions of digital artwork as well as audio samples for downloading into your own creations. With an appreciation for the importance of education, Audiobulb offers a page dedicated to the sine wave, with a selection of tracks derived from the 440 khz tone, and short quotations from such notable contemporaries as Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso, and Oscar Wilde.

The philosophy of Audiobulb is to "embrace uncertainty, flexibility and creative risk taking". Exhibition #2 embodies this philosophy with a balanced selection of challenging beatless noises, digitally effected meanderings and structured rhythmic interpretations. Standout tracks come in the form of the more beat-oriented tracks from the likes of Diagram of Suburban Chaos, Bllix, and Build, while the more experimental tracks by Marion, Claudia, and Autistici are equally welcome alongside the others. The mixture and selection of such tracks makes for an engaging listen.

Exhibition #2 is a fitting title for this approach as the album is quite obviously a work of art. These days, more studios and galleries are finding the beauty and purpose of audio works that are presented on their own or alongside traditional pieces. Imagine stepping inside a separate box for each song and allowing yourself to completely accept what you hear. Take each track as a journey and as a work of art on it’s own and you will find the significance behind the exhibition as a whole. This is an album that may be listened to several times over for a different experience each time - much as a museum can be visited to appreciate a work of art from a fresh perspective on a new day. Try playing the tracks in a different order, listen in the morning or at night. Find a dark place to contemplate or a well-lit office to disengage from. Just as in art, there is no wrong way to approach this music.