Two electronic artists from the western US, Craig Padilla and Paul Ellis, join forces to create 72 minutes of enjoyable electronic music. Echo System is clearly inspired by the classic 70's electronic synth masters (Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, etc.) However, rather than simply imitating the pioneers, Padilla and Ellis draw inspitration from them, infusing their own distinct styles, and adding depth and interest to an all too often two-dimensional musical form. Craig and Paul spent two years fine-tuning Echo System, and it is sure to appeal to long time fans of electronic music. Definitely a must for fans of Padilla or Ellis' previous works, and a great introduction to those discovering either of them for the first time.

Paul Ellis' Into The Liquid Unknown is as close to classic Berlin-school electronic music (i.e., Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze) as one can get without actually being from the Berlin school. The mechanical sounds of classic analog synthesizers and sequences pulsates on this recording from the beginning until the end. Fans of Steve Roach's early rhythmic- and sequencer-based work, such as Empetus and Now/Traveler, will verily enjoy Ellis' Into The Liquid Unknown. Ellis has crafted this recording into a long-running and cohesive work that drips of electronic music nostalgia, while at the same time creating a work that is truly representative of his own voice. This is a fine recording, and certainly a time-worthy disc for those who have a thirst for German electronic music that longs to be quenched.

Paul Ellis is one of the two brains behind Dweller at the Threshold. It’s immediately clear that this is a professional musician who knows what he’s doing from the way the fragments are glued together, smoothly leaving no trace. The sounds he uses are perfect for the atmosphere he has in mind - and there are a lot of atmospheres on this album. The title is divided into three parts, all clocking in at around 15 minutes. The way the three parts float together is very listener-friendly; no fear for disturbance of a break in the special atmosphere Ellis has left you in. Whatever you want, it’s here; heavenly choirs, broad outstretched symphonic planes, cosmic fascination and killer sequencers. At times Jarre-esque, but with more effects, at others surging Dweller-patterns full of wondrous complexity…

Ancient and modern come together on "I Am Here," as veteran musician/composer Paul Ellis creates an electronic music portrait inspired by the mysterious rock carvings of the Chinook Tribe of Native Americans who lived in the Columbia River Gorge 15,000 years ago. Just as they left their mark etched in stone, so Paul Ellis paints in sound from a palette that includes synthesizers, sequencers, guitar, bass, and voice.
The three long form compositions on the album, two in the 20 minute range, and one almost 30 minutes in length, have a spellbinding quality that is constantly evolving, and draws favorable comparison to the electronic music artistry of Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra, Craig Padilla, Patrick O’Hearn, and Jean Michel Jarre…

From Out Of The Vast Comes Nearness, Paul Ellis‘ first release on the Lotuspike label, is a purely electronic expression of five long-form pieces that blend ambient sound design with rhythmic electronics, recalling the classic works of genre masters like Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze or Vangelis; but with a restrained modern air. With a mixture of synthesized sonics, both melodic and cerebral, the music brings to mind the unfolding expanse of the cosmos, stated with a graceful patience that propels the steadily evolving, constantly moving synthscapes to a highly personal level. Fans of Paul’s style will recognize his signature immediately, and while this new work retains familiar elements from his earlier releases, it is perhaps his most reflective album to date…

Those who love rather complex and dynamic sequencer music with an acoustic edge and an occasional high-tech feel should check out the music Paul Ellis' has put down on his amazing album "Last Hiding Place of Beauty". The CD contains four long tracks, all making a powerful, straightforward statement, keenly melting vibrating sequencer patterns, fx's, and a wide range of vintage flavored synthesizer textures such as Mellotron flute. As said previously, the overall structure is rather complex, although lots of space is found within the core of every piece of music. The great interplay between bass grooves, drums, electronic and acoustic instruments is quite mind blowing, especially on the 16-minute title track. The overall outcome is simply breathing the joy of honest electronics more than once.

The American synthesist Paul Ellis is a fast growing power in electronic music. From the Berlin school-orientated music he created with the band Dweller at the Threshold and on his early solo works, he switched to an impressive mixture between Berlin school, ambient and lots of own inventions. This album is another great addition to the Paul Ellis catalogue, imbued with his usual brilliant creativity and invention. He is a truly unique artist and continues that tradition here. The music is pure listening pleasure, with Paul's beautifully crafted and layered electronica totally entertaining you from start to finish. It also has that intelligent and reflective vibe that is so typical of Paul's work.

The American synthesist Paul Ellis is a fast growing power in electronic music. From the Berlin school-orientated music he created with the band Dweller at the Threshold and on his early solo works, he switched to an impressive mixture between Berlin school, ambient and lots of own inventions. His album "The Sacred Ordinary", his first on the Groove Unlimited label, already was a masterpiece but what he has done on "Silent Conversations" is no less than sensational. On "Silent Conversations" there is an important place for the genius of ambient Steve Roach, who contributes on four of the nine tracks. This can be heard on the excellent opening track with the great title "The Only Known Photograph Of God" and "Peripheral Vision". Ellis is a master of sequences…

On Sacred Ordinary Paul's artistry of creating a palette of rich emotional sounds sets a foundation from which he weaves a series of electronic web like pieces with a keen sense of melodic invention and dimensional symmetry. There is an hint of nostalgia in these tracks as well if one has been privy to the classic melodic sequencer style electronic music periods over the past few decades. This brings another kind of depth to the experience while at the same time this music is really about the here and now as it unfolds with a kind a graceful patience and awareness to detail that keeps pulling you in deeper with each play.

Electronic music maestro Paul Ellis continues his lifelong exploration into the aesthetics of minimalism, ambient, space music, and the classic sequencer-driven Berlin School sound, on his third Spotted Peccary Music release, Moth In Flames. The veteran artist meticulously crafts restrained pulsing electronics that provide the measured momentum to steadily move through a morphing soundscape of classic analog synth moods and atmospheric textures, on his most refined work to date.
Like a perfectly placed pendulum, the music of Moth In Flames steadily moves through the blurred boundary where melodic and ambient music overlap, pulling from both worlds while never straying too far into either…