The Butterfly Effect is a phenomenal album! Not only is each track carefully crafted and uses very particular sounds and background effects, but it also flows from beginning to end seamlessly. This album has a wide range of 'ambiance,' including everything from chilling beats to acoustic guitars and other particular instruments.

Remember Carl Sagan's Cosmos and the Vangelis music? This album very much reminded me of that, and took me back to a mental state that I had forgotten all about. Take my word for it, put this album on, turn down the lights, and let your mind wonder to the deepest corners of your imagination.

Gjunkie @ Zentopia Transmission

I was surprised at how the Butterfly Effect was able to evoke such a wide range of emotions. From peace and tranquility to discomfort, even fear, Tim is a master at using music to reach the depth of what makes us human. In effect 02, I couldn't help but feel like I was floating as his music carried me over trees, rocks, oceans - I felt like a butterfly, riding on the air currents. In effect 03, Tim was able to stimulate something animalistic in me, and I found myself pulsing to his almost tribal rhythms. At first the image inside the cover seemed out of place - until effect04. The almost frightening sounds in that piece warn of impending doom, and perfectly suit the metal, apocolyptic image. David Suzuki's scientific interjections create a surreal sci-fi sound, evoking discomfort, even regret, with what humans have done or are doing to our planet. By effect 6, Tim had me in a dreamlike state, lulled into ease by the hymn-like voices. With the Butterfly Effect, Tim has once again created a masterpiece, his music carrying us on a beautiful and terrible journey. That's what being human is all about.

Nicole Strandlund
Calgary, Alberta

Concernant le concept qui régit l’album, on doit à Edward Lorenz, un météorologue du MIT, l’idée qu’un battement d’ailes d’un papillon peut être amplifié de proche en proche et provoquer une tempête aux Antipodes.

Pour faire simple, il a utilisé cette métaphore en 1963 pour illustrer le caractère très complexe des prévisions météorologiques à long terme car on ne peut intégrer toutes les variables dans les calculs. Or, lors de ses expérimentations, il a remarqué que la moindre erreur infinitésimale dans une valeur de départ avait des conséquences énormes au niveau des résultats. Grâce à cette découverte, expliquée de manière très sommaire, les travaux de Poincaré ont connu un regain d’intérêt et cela a donné naissance à la Théorie du Chaos. Voilà pour le point de départ.

« The Butterfly Effect » débute par une voix parlée qui s’adresse au papillon en question pour lui demander son secret, sur fond de musique aérienne basée sur une ligne de basse agrémentée d’effets électroniques. Puis c’est au tour du synthé de créer l’environnement sonore qui accompagne des effets électroniques plus discrets.

(continued on the Music in Belgium website)

TIM GERWING. The Butterfly Effect. 624481129724

The Butterfly Effect is a mixture of instrumentals and songs written with a laid back attitude utilising the most modern of musical techniques to add vibrancy to these dozen tracks. The title deserves to be played over and over again as it manages to combine uplifting themes and pleasant melodies into a piece where the acoustic guitar shines though. The spoken words serve to heighten the effects. The striking chords are fantastic when heard and these make it so engrossing that it compels to be heard again. I won't give the full title to the third track as it provides the geographical position of the type of cloud, but Cumulonimbus is a very ambient piece with gently pulsating layered textures that drag the listener towards the towering majesty of it all. The unusual percussion on Little Walk: Biota adds intrigue as the jungle sounds in the distant provides a great backdrop for the mesmerising mellowed riffs to develop on this long track. The slow moving and hypnotic Water is perfectly suited to late night headphone listening. You may have already gathered that there is quite a variety on this album with no two tracks following in similar footsteps. One of the guest musicians Serwan Yamolky plays the oud (a stringed instrument) throughout Nothing Useless In The Sidereal Immensity and this solo instrumental is an unusual inclusion. Things return to normality for the last song Stream Of Consciousness with a proper drumbeat, bewitching synth notes and guitar passages of beauty. The eight minutes pass so quickly and it's a grand way to conclude an excellent CD.

Modern Dance Magazine, UK

[This album] is absolutely colourful, rich informative and an incredible launching pad for an imaginary journey from one highlight to the next.

The speech at the beginning sets the tone of the entire CD, giving an idea of one aspect of butterfly effect. The combination of music, vocals, and background effects is done in such a way that leaves the listener in continuous suspense.

Another great feature of this CD is that each song has its own individual entity. This is due to a smart choice of instruments and individual background effects; but still each song fits the main theme perfectly.

The stream of consciousness is an excellent choice to wrap up. This song easily rounds off the listening experince, leaving me in a state of imagination.

Davut Sanli
Adrasan /Antalya, Turkey

I really wanted to say a BIG thank you for "The Butterfly Effect". What I mean to say was I enjoyed the majority of the pieces on first listen, but felt in time they would grow on me even more. I do not think for one minute it is a cd that can be felt upon just one sitting, but its hidden delights will reveal themselves over repeated listening.

A new album indeed, but I could hear so many past influences, weaving in and out of the CD. You know I like the opening track. Simple, even graceful, hypnotic. Your beautiful Canadian accent comes over really nicely. Track two is vintage TG - at least thats how I remember your early demos. A beautiful guitar change as well. Track three is my favorite. I dont know why, but I saw an airship in my minds eye, almost flashes in slow motion. I could even feel a conection with the cold stoney photo on the inside of your CD jacket. Not of this world. "Working With You" reminded me of those times when a little tongue in cheek you would sing Forbidden Colours. Please do not get me wrong, because I know you were serious and the content of the lyrics is extremely heartfelt.

However I REALLY enjoyed the last track and could this now be an insight in your third cd? Yes there were other influences,but you still managed to keep the recording yours. A beautiful play on words with the lyrics - Very Shamanistic I felt (something you may even have read in David Toops book? I enjoyed the almost Blue Planet synth sounds at the end as well.

Mark Smith
Tomioka, Japan

TIM GERWING
The Butterfly Effect
CD, Lascaux21, 2004
2,5 stars

I must confess it's a challenge to listen to this 2nd release of Canadian ambient musician Tim Gerwing, which took over 2 years to complete. Listening to it is an adventure in itself, as it investigates deeper worlds and meaning. The first 5 tracks are accessible, delving in deep atmospheres like "Effect 03",before some rich tribal rhythms, environmentals and textures fade in on "Effect04". "Effect05" is a marvellous atmospheric outing, featuring lyrics like on Vangelis' "Albedo" while digging into the music of Mind over Matter's "The End of Time". The mesmerizing effects of water are featured in the 6th track before things get airy in the following track, which also has some vocals. "Effect07" sounds rather restless to me with its sampled vocals, although some sedate atmospheres are present as well. "Effect10" is another stand-out track which pulls off some really grand symphonic atmospheres. "Effect11 is a solo oud-track which didn't move me at all before the rather strange vocal song "Effect12" brings things to an end, although I like the strong symphonic elements featured here. Overall, the excellent produced and mastered "The Butterfly Effects" demands and adventurous and progressive oriented ear.

Bert Strolenberg
E-dition magazine

Après Being to Being nous voilà, de nouveau, invités a pénétrer le temple sacré de Tim Gerwing. Mais cette fois-ci nous entrons dans un nouvel espace, complètement différent de celui de son premier CD. Un espace où l’on ressent fortement la richesse, la spiritualité et la profondeur de ce temple.

Musique et science : quel mélange  transcendant et unique Tim nous offre dans son Butterfly Effect. Ce mélange magnifique exige de la contemplation afin de bien comprendre le message et de ‘savourer’ son essence. En écoutant le CD, je me suis demandée pourquoi le papillon ? Qu’est-ce qui inspire Tim dans le Travail éphémère et inaperçu d’un papillon (effect08) ? Comment Tim chereche-t-il à refléter l’effet d’un minuscule mouvement des ailes très fines de cette petite créature sur l’air qui nous entoure (effect01/02) ? Biota et Atmosphère, pourquoi l’un est vu comme une petite démarche et l’autre grande (effect04/09) ? Ces questions et beaucoup d’autres se révèllent tout le long du CD. Mais l’on n’a point besoin d’aller loin pour chercher les réponses à ces questions !!! On les trouve toutes dans le CD même, dans ces images fértiles de la musique de Butterfly Effect! Je trouve que c’est tellement génial et ravissant comment Tim reussit ici à provoquer notre imagination et à nous donner l’impression que nous volons dans le vaste espcace de notre univers touchant les étoiles, côtoyant les sphères et pénétrant le royaume des nuages. On peut même imaginer le mouvement des ailes du papillon que Tim a joliment dessiné dans effect01.

Je dois faire un tout petit arrêt sur le titre effect07, working with you. En écoutant le poème, j’ai fortement senti une allusion à a.e.m dans Being to Being. Il y a un message très chéri à Tim qui est présente dans ses deux œuvres : c’est le rôle de chaque être humain sure cette terre. Dans Being to Being, Tim se laisse exprimer à travers les paroles de J. G. Bennett. Tandis que dans Butterfly Effect, Tim exprime, par ses propres mots, l’importance du Travail et de la mission de l’être humain. J. G. Bennette dit : « l’homme n’est pas venu sur cet univers pour rien (…) et que nous sommes donnés des pouvoirs creatifs mais qui sont en même temps très dangereux». Tim va encore plus loin en contemplant et admirant le Travail acharné non pas celui d’un autre être humain mais d’un petit papillon. Le plus intéressant c’est qu’à travers tout le CD de Butterfly Effect on ressent ce pouvoir qui est à la fois crétif et dangereux même si c’était le pouvoir d’un papillon !!

Si on me demande de définir Butterfly Effect en quelques mots, je dis : Un voyage dans les profondeurs de l’âme à la recherche d’un écho mystique de ce vaste univers. Butterfly Effect est tout simplement un appel pour s’arrêter un moment, arrêter la roue du temps, fermer les yeux et écouter la musique intérieure, la nôtre, et sa monologue avec la musique des sphères (effect03/05/06/09).

Coup de chapeau pour ce chef d’œuvre cher ami.

Sezar Yamulky
Journaliste dans La Source, Vancouver

I remember reading a review of Tim's first album, Being to Being, in which the reviewer stated it seemed like the album was content to ask questions without seeking the answers.

If it's true that Being to Being was about asking questions (a questionable tenet, at best) then Tim's second independant album, The Butterfly Effect is into even subtler aspects of life, namely: listening. It seems to me that overall, this album is about the prayerful, and the waiting for the universe to unfold its secrets. I don't feel that in this album Tim is providing any answers in the sense of "here's what you need to know", but neither is he asking further questions. The longer I listen the more I get the sense that Tim is showing us the next step.

First you pray. Then you listen intently. Only then will the universe reveal itself.

I have listened to this album a number of times now, and every time I listen, something new presents itself to my awareness. It would be easy to say that Tim is a very talented 'ambient' musician and leave it at that, but to me his music does much much more than just provide a wallpaper of sound with which to decorate your mental mindspace. There is a consciousness to Tim's music that I find lacking in most other 'ambient' styles of music. His music challenges us to pay attention, and in doing so pay attention to ourselves.

As with most things worthwhile, Tim Gerwing's latest album, The Butterfly Effect, takes work. It takes listening intently.

Listening to this album gives me an even greater appreciation for Tim Gerwing's considerable talent and dedication to his craft. This album is a worthy and worthwhile follow up to Being to Being, and expands the themes inherent in that first offering, taking us deeper into the atmospheric and, I'll say it again, prayerful side of life.

jean paul thuot - taiwan

More reviews are coming soon.
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