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Recenzje (Reviews):
WWW.EUROCK.COM:
"Adam “Certamen” Bownik hails from Poland. In the late 80’s he discovered the music of Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream, which fired his creative imagination. Since then he has been experimenting with musical ideas, and this albums sees them crystallize into his own sound that is distinctly neo-Berlin School. The album title and long track lengths describe perfectly his creation, a synthetic tsunami of sound."
"Certamen is distinctly neo-Berlin School. The album title and extended compositions make for a striking musical creation, a synthetic tsunami of sound combining dramatic melodic themes w/ heavy pulsing sequential electronics."
E-dition magazine (The Netherlands)
Sometimes being a music reviewer can be very nice. That is, in those moments when you put a CD from an unknown band in the player and you are pleasantly surprised about what blares from the speakers. For example, a CD comes your way that contains three tracks (in total over an hour long) that is pure EM in the best retro tradition, but with a modern slant. And included is a CD booklet that summons the right electronic feelings. In short, 'The Storm Is Here' from Certamen is that CD!
I have no idea who Adam Certamen Bownik, the man behind this band, is, and I don´t want to know. I only want to hear more of his music.
The first (title) track opens with rain, inventive sequencers and heavenly solos. It can continue storming, as far as I'm concernd. Occasionally a Kraftwerk like vocoder voice and tune emerge (listen to the end of this track) and the party is complete.
The tranquil second track, 'Rainbow', provides the listener with a much needed new age shelter before the last track, 'Ozone Zone', bursts out. This sounds heavier than it is in reality, more like the quite period after a storm, and you can still hear several thunder claps in the distance.
Then strings of rain slowly drift away while you enjoy the fresh air sitting on the porch looking at nature coming out of its hiding places. What an idyllic picture.
André de Waal, E-dition November 2005, www.e-ditionmag.com
Certamen is this fine Polish synthesist we discovered with his excellent
opus, Earth, appeared last year on Syngate label. This time, he presents us
another cd of his impressive catalogue. Still in the same mood as Earth and
I Awoke in A Dream, The Storm is Here is an opus which respects and exceeds
the limits of retro Berlin School. If Rainbow is a soft lullaby with
spectral choruses, puffed up by nebulous synths, and crossed by a soft
piano, the situation is quite different with the two other titles, The Storm
is Here and Ozone Zone. The opening track starts on a beautiful floating
intro, a little like Schulze's Body Love, where the choruses mix with the
breaths of a mournful synth. A light pulsation bores this static wind, and
The Storm is Here takes shape. Faithful to its trademark, Certamen pushes
silky and acute synth solos which float in this ambient universe, combine
with a fine bass line and scattered percussions. These ones start to roll
and discord, a little like if they were out of control. This strange amalgam
brings a strange percussions symphony, similar to a storm, where the sound
elements flicker, tracked in the eye of a cyclone. A superb moment which
shows the ingeniousness of Certamen to handle and toy the electronic
percussions. A huge synth buzzing crosses this storm and modifies his
course. A solid bass sequence, hard keys, lighting synth paths coordinate a
powerful rhythm which runs like hell. Always driven by wild sequences, the
movement deviates with Certamens vision and imagination, which uses the
vocoder to announce the storm and its many direction changes. A powerful
title where Certamen floods us with furious and powerful synth solos, as
well as superb percussions which hit and hammer with acuity. Rarely, I heard
a title that long that has such a structure and strike with as much
intensity, as many glares. I am still stun by it. And pay yourself a treat,
play it loud. Paint might be ripped of your walls. Ozone Zone has a slow
atmospheric start. Gradually, a fine pulsation is integrated into the
atmospheric elements, creating a synergy with the chorus's ectoplasms. The
rhythm becomes more constant and is based on a good juicy sequence bass
line. The synth twirls and blows soft solos, like sweet sights and borrows
the soft arabesques colors of Middle-East flavours. Certamen is at ease with
long titles. As an artist, he paints his music with imagination and a touch
of madness. The title track is amazing. Thirty minutes of explosive madness
of a rare power. Once again, the Polish synthesist astonishes by the
progressive structures and the depth of his compositions. Electronic Music
in a Berlin School mode with a progressive touch, extremely well structure
with his many twisting passages. You think Berlin School? You think
progressive? The Storm is Here is truly indicated to you.
Sylvain Lupari/Canada-Guts of Darkness,
www.gutsofdarkness.com
Pod pseudonimem ‘Certamen’ kryje się polski syntezatorzysta, kompozytor i producent Adam Bownik. ‘The Storm Is Here’ to fascynujący zbiór trzech długich impresji zarejestrowanych w lipcu 2002 r. Obowiązkowa pozycja dla miłośników progresywnego elektronicznego rocka, zakorzenionego w tradycji Szkoły Berlińskiej, lecz otwartego na nowe wrażenia i aranżacyjne poszukiwania. Otwierający płytę blisko półgodzinny utwór tytułowy to istny popis Certamena znakomicie czującego się w postberlińskim elektronicznym art-rocku. Sola syntezatorowe brzmią tu trochę jak na obu płytach ‘Body Love’ Klausa Schulze, nie brakuje podminowanych napięciem sekwencji ani elektronicznych chórów. Modulowanie dźwięku i wykrawanie kolejnych improwizowanych ozdobników kojarzyć się może z kolei z twórczością innego rodzimego kompozytora, producenta i wykonawcy: Marka Bilińskiego. Z tym akurat artystą jeszcze silniejsze asocjacje wywołuje utwór ‘Rainbow’; harmonie i aranżacja przywołują na myśl dojrzałe dzieła z płyt Bilińskiego ‘Dziecko Słońca’ i ‘Refleksje’, miękkie tony balansują brzmieniowo między rozwiązaniami typowo elektronicznymi oraz akustycznymi, natomiast format kompozycji to raczej art-rockowa ballada rozpisana na elektroniczne brzmienia aniżeli typowo elektroniczna impresja o sekwencyjnym napędzie. W trzecim utworze, ponad 28-minutowym ‘Ozone Zone’ uwagę przykuwają zwłaszcza intrygująco zdeformowane odgłosy natury, czy zwiedzamy właśnie park Everglades w jakimś innym możliwym świecie, w nieistniejącym dniu tygodnia? Po pewnym czasie włączy się głęboka basowa sekwencja, na tle której rozpościerają się błyskotliwe solówki syntezatora. Nie ulega wątpliwości, że Certamenowi nie brakuje podczas malowania muzycznych pejzaży ani wyobraźni, ani inwencji, ani adekwatnej dawki sekwencyjnego szaleństwa.
Igor Wróblewski (www.generator.pl)
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