Given that his music is so relaxing, it’s quite difficult to think of John Beltran working hard! But ‘Espais’ is further proof of his creative zeal, being a sizeable ambient album that casts a subtle spell. Beltran is at his most effective when he brings up the bass range and introduces a darker shade to the music, and this happens in both ‘Raume’ and ‘Muse’ to strong effect. More blissful are the title track and ‘Descorazonador’, where Beltran shows how a little thought on the piano can go a very long way. And before you say how easy it is to write good ambient music, try it – it definitely isn’t! Beltran is one of the masters of this particular game though, and anybody familiar with previous work will not want to hesitate. That’s because ‘Espais’ is incredibly soothing music for the morning after or the evening before.
5 out of 5
Reviewed by Ben Hogwood
{http://soundcloud.com/john-beltran/espais-officlal-preview}
