Amir Baghiri "Live Long And Prosper" CDIranian ambient designer, based in Germany, Amir Baghiri celebrates here his comeback to the scene. Almost 5 years passed since his last co-work with Wee Bandits entitled "A Brief History Of Light" and released back in 2007. December 1st, 2011 marks his return on Databloem's sublabel Bluebox with "Live Long And Prosper" CD. "Shore Leave" opens the show with peacefully swirling organic ambience infused with various environmental recordings that smoothly shifts into more active terrains emphasized with gentle and crystalline tribal beats. This heavily textured composition moves through various passages where deeper primordial atmospheres are attractively interplaying with rhythmed high-tech elements. "Forbidden Planet" carefully explores immense realms painted by darker, but warmly inviting washes, again enriched by natural sounds of birds' chirps. "Romulus" is a 16-minute opus with evolving and ever-changing, strongly organic texture floating from tranquilly desert washes towards highly mesmerizing trancey grooves. "Romulus" creates a very intimate, warmly nocturnal atmosphere and captures a pure moment of natural magic. I know that Amir has dedicated this album to all fans of Star Trek series and thus I should be journeying through sky high realms, but so far the images painted by his soundscapes rather evoke hot and dry nightly desert vistas. But no problem for me, I love these pictures so much!!! And they keep on appearing also through the next composition "Mudd" that features slow-motion spiraling washes, tranquilly sonorous and magnificent! Sort of native voice samples unfold "Where No Man Has Gone Before" and add mysterious guidance to this composition, where deeper drones are later merged with more frenetic tribals. Towards the end the texture swiftly sneakes into calmly hypnotic outro. A quite shamanistic performance!!! "Blood Fever" invades with deeper, droning passages, more colossal and intense, now it's the time when I am transported into fascinating interstellar territories. The heavy drone overlaps to the next piece, "The Minds Eye", enriched by some occasional outer space sonic outbursts, but also spiced by assorted ancient percussions and sounds. Amazingly intense and immersing!!! "The City On The Edge Of Forever" keeps its grandiose, aerial structure with hints of various industrial effects that swiftly transfers into monstrously beautiful drones, deep space odyssey has just begun again and my deserted landscape imaging is forgotten. Amir at his most droning!!! "Lost In Space", with its intense organic feel, uniting watery percussive sounds with celestial washes, brings this fantastic voyage into a truly mesmerizing and evocative ending! Even if several of the tracks hold strong influence by the Master, "Live Long And Prosper" is undoubtedly done with big passion and accomplishment, paying attention to all details, including the sound quality. Welcome back and keep on soundscaping, Amir!!!Richard Gürtler (Jan 06, 2012, Bratislava, Slovakia)