(Funprox) Aidan Baker is active in several projects, and lately his output has been strong. On this release Baker uses guitar as his main sound source so it seems, building slow drone pieces with a lot of depths. Baker deconstructs his sound source to recreate it into something new. Although it´s clear the soundsources have been decomposed, the overall sound of his songs is organic. Baker never looses touch with his source material.

(Ampersand Etcetera) While it is described as being guitar-based, Aidan baker's 'Cicatrice' doesn't give much of that away. Building ringing voicey drones open 'Cypher', a bass in soft and resonant. Tones flow in, rolling, and a plinging, waves and spirals creating a very subterranean sound. The final buzz segues into 'Cicadas' which adds a wavering sci-fi tone, puttering and deeper tones. Very resonant, there are high whistles and tones, puttering into 'Circuitry'. A high sine pulse-tone bounces from ear-to-ear through the sound world as the background from the previous track fades. An added buzz and deep tone melody woork with the pulses, building and swelling to a musical propulsion before a deep drumble rolls into. 'Cicatrice' where a wiry music develops in the drone, which is churning and the most prominent aspect. A swirling wind and cragged percussive scrape eruptions lead to tonalities that seem vocal. The final minutes have an almost religious-choral mood as it rolls into a final brief swooping guitar. An entrancing set.

(Cyclic Defrost) Aidan Baker is a deconstructive Canadian guitarist creating soft gorgeous ambient spectres of sound, formless drones that seem to hover in space, encompassing the room and tugging surreptitiously at the unconscious. In its subtlety and formlessness there is certain resemblance to some of the Touch work of Sydney based guitar improviser Oren Ambarchi, though Baker’s work is either much more slight and dreamy on some occasions or highly structured or busy on others...Baker populates Cicatrice with some amazing drones echoes and guitar work. Retaining an ethereal tone throughout, Cicatrice’s four breathless instrumental cuts manage to fit in perfectly with the appropriately named Dreamland records roster. Again this feels like something special, a cute 3inch disc of mesmerising drones and abstract tones. This is music to drift by.

(Taped Crusaders) Very thin and warbling sounds, like light breaking through mist. Attractive and remote. It ranges from deep to high as it goes through its paces but remains behind the mist, very laid back and suggestive. Although divided into four tracks it plays as a whole and would be somewhat lessened if heard seperately. That being said, I greatly enjoyed the final two movements, "Circuity" and the title track, both of which blend sounds marvelously and flow almost majestically. Images evoked of wide rivers, surreal boats and passengers, shores that keep changing in the shimmering golden mist. A bizzare and unearthly peace, allowing the listener to dream. As a whole this grows in enjoyment gradually, like reading a book that makes itself more resolved in the last chapters. Making re-listening to it more enjoyable

(Eldrich Palmer) Aidan Baker seems to be very active these days. I have an opportunity to listen to his music for the third time over a very short period of time. And you know what? I like his work, be it soft but dark electronica from 'I Fall Into You' (Public Eyesore), or spatial guitar floating 'Eye of Day" (Foreign Lands). I feel he's clever enough at doing good music in various ways. "Cicatrice" is much in the mood of 'Eye of Day', it sounds like a lost (and found) part of this record - 3D sound effect made by floating bands of sounds that could be compared to a sort of el-music on keyboards. An impression of a lack of hurry - each element must reverb out before next will replace it. Freedom in flying. Done by use of guitar and delayed effects. What else can be said? Just get it!

(Shedivine) Certainly in "Cicatrice" I can only find dark ambient music, very static, the sound is always nocturnal, slightly hypnotic and in the limit of intensity; very precise at times, almost surgical, and full of minuscule and timid twinkling elements that progressively give more and more nuances to the music, which in the two last tracks (third and fourth) is more opened to all the styles mentioned before, with a sound that turns space and enigmatic sometimes and finally presents more atmospheric drones and new textures and emotions, replacing the initial "ambient" absence of matter with a more definite musical geometry of unknown musical dimensions in rotation.

(Touching Extremes) A 20 minute release, maybe the absolute top of Dreamland's "mini" series. You can't go wrong with Aidan's looping; the Canadian hypnotizer had me literally sleeping when listening to this great piece of work the very first time, such is the intensity of the nerve massage I received from Baker's guitar/bass frequencies. With "Cicatrice", you'll have to deal with the diminishing intensity of body functions; meanwhile, hovering dark clouds and strangely flying menacing vultures will appear, while you're trying to recapture your consciousness without losing grip on the sensation of dreaming with your eyes half-open.

DR005 AIDAN BAKER: CICATRICE (Vital Weekly) Another release from the growing catalog of Toronto-based guitarist, writer, and drone meister Aidan Baker. Four tracks of ever shifting drones, skillfully layered. The guitar-based drones are processed almost beyond recognition while still retaining a hint of the metal buzzing of the strings. Think of a softer version of Organum as a reference point. The last track hints at melodicism, as the drones come together and reach a tonal focus.