The Circular Ruins and Mystified "Fantastic Journey" CDrThe Circular Ruins/Anthony Paul Kerby and Mystified/Thomas Park have already collaborated back in 2009 on the album "One Thousand Dreams", on which APK appears as Nunc Stans. Now both of these sound sculptors have reunited for another chapter, celebrating early science fiction writings and paying tribute to pioneers such as Jules Verne, H.G. Wells and others. Released during February 2013 on APK's DataObscura label.Cavernous primitive tinkles, along with field recordings and deep drone clouds, unfold the first journey, "Twenty Thousand Leagues". At 13 minutes it is the longest track on the album. Myriads of unfathomable noises, rumbles and gurgles provide a truly breathtaking ride through underwater domains full of wonders and mysteries. "The World Beneath", with hypnagogic drones merged with sparse and subtle phantasmagorical cacophonies, invites you to an adventurous journey through huge caverns of Dinotopia, a hidden island inhabited by humans and sentient dinosaurs who have formed together a harmonious society. Richly colorful sonic marvels embellish "Forbidden Planet" along with hissy organics, ghostly apparition and distant crypto drones. Wow, a truly unique and fascinating piece exploring fabulous primordial mysteries!!! Sonic adventure continues as we land on "Mysterious Island", surrounded by serenely expanding and meandering primal dronescapes, later cascading through deeper soundwalls to densely blurred passages. It showcases absolutely thrilling aural alchemy between both explorers!!! The next track, "Beyond The Farthest Star", reveals with mysterious drone rumbles and assorted weird voices, noises, soars and organics, moving up and down and all wrapped by hissy blankets. Another extraordinary listening odyssey awaits, even if not easily accessible!!! The final cut,"The Voyage Home", opens with deep drones and rumbles, but soon warmly expansive cinematic drifts invade, enriched by some subtly tinkling fragments, and express moments of sadness. The second third dives deeply into abyssal realms, powerfully immersing and masterfully flavored by diverse tinkles, rumbles and eerie voices. The track moves through raw, dissonant accompaniments and brings the journey to its final point, exactly where it was initiated 60 minutes ago. For all lovers of stunningly adventurous dronescapes, this is a genuinely "Fantastic Journey"!!! The more you listen to it, I mean deeply devoted, the more the soundscapes embrace you!!! Great job, Anthony & Thomas, certainly one of the top releases of 2013 so far!!!Richard Gürtler (May 25, 2013, Bratislava, Slovakia)