I haven't seen Hommage à Noir, a silent film about African peoples for which this is the soundtrack, so I can't assess how well the music supports the visual medium. However, on its own, the disc is exceptional. The title track mixes African chants with ambient techno music -- scarcely a new concept, though it's nicely done. An entire disc of that sort of thing, however, would get old very quickly. Luckily, the rest of Hommage à Noir is a lush array of atmospheric soundscapes, blending keyboards, piano and guitar with a variety of animal and human sounds, creating musical environments filled with emotion. Close your eyes and let your imagination take over as "The Fantasia Riders" builds to its thundering, percussive peak; you'll see what I mean, as the music transports you to another place and fills your heart and mind with urgent exhilaration. A lot of Hommage à Noir features the sort of ringing, bell-like keyboard tones common to New Age music, but even on new-agey tracks like "Stiltdance" nothing sounds cheesy or forced. African musical traditions are neither placed at center stage nor ignored, but worked gently into the music as stylistic references -- so much so that the disc's pair of bonus club remixes of the title track, though done respectfully, seem almost like an affront by comparison. Hommage à Noir is a wonderful, emotionally charged listen, whether you've seen the movie or not -- though after you've heard it, you may share my desire to see the images that go with the music.
Ralf Hildenbeutel Hommage à Noir Zero Hour CD
			Review by George Zahora

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