Craig Padilla is one of the premier Berlin school sequencers in the U.S.A. His discography is loaded with outstanding deep-space music. In 2000, he stepped out of his paradigm and recorded
Vostok, a long-form composition built on one continuous sequence. He shopped it around and landed a deal with Spotted Peccary Music.
Howard Givens, one of the label's founders and co-owners, co-produced. This piece is pure minimalism. It has all of the characteristics of desert ambience but the textures are those of the Antarctic wasteland. ("Vostok" is an underground lake discovered by a Russian expedition. It is theorized to have some answers regarding the formation of life on Earth.)
Padilla's atmosphere is deep and expansive. His sound design uses silence and empty spaces as integral elements of the soundscape. This is the ultimate icescape. It is also essential minimalism.
Vostok will appeal to fans of James Johnson,
Vidna Obmana,
Rudy Adrian, and
Tuu. ~ Jim Brenholts