Lithuanian music producer Skardas uses the alias Aplink here for this two-track, digital only release. Not much is known about Skardas as he likes to stay behind the scenes and concentrates on his musical output, according to his entry at Discogs. As far as I am aware, Aplink is a one-time affair for him, and this little release ventures into the minimal realm of Ambient music.

Galatea Galante consists of a quick pulse serving as a steady, dominant beat that is being accompanied by a quieter, eerily monotonous string loop that morphs ever so slightly into a two-note string similar to the beginning of Pearl's Girl by Underworld. As it is typical for minimal songs, nothing much happens, and neither should it. While the song fades away, one realizes just how dominant the pulse beat of the track is, as it is the last thing heard when the track is faded out. Four-Hour Fugue is an intensively dismissive piece, again featuring a one-note string that is rhythmically morphed to resemble a beat and to give the minimal track a bit of a change. At around 03:40 minutes, a quick pulse as in Galatea Galante is introduced to the track. The pulse is becoming louder and takes over the track while the strings are pushed to the background. This time, though, the pulse fades away before the strings.

Aplink's release is a cold, distant one. The monotony in the songs is oppressive and causes an uneasy feeling, and I guess this might be the intention of the producer. As I'm ever so often talking about warm and comforting Ambient music, these two tracks are indeed a welcome change and I keep coming back to Four-Hour Fugue quite often. A solid release which evokes the craving for more songs by Aplink.

Ambient Review 005: Aplink – Galatea Galante / Four-Hour Fugue (2006). Originally published on Dec. 18, 2011 at AmbientExotica.com.