Electronic Artist ROB ASTOR Weaves A Neo-Classical Fantasy On His New Double CD XENOPHOBIA

Jackson, Michigan – Drawing on his love of mythology and natural history, Rob Astor turned his musical direction backward into the past to create his newest musical masterpiece XENOPHOBIA. He wasn’t content to simply rest after the success of 2005’s MARSTROPOLIS. Shortly after recording the futuristic double disc collection, another musical story began germinating.

Expanding his horizons to the limits of creativity, Rob Astor took on the daunting task of composing Classical Orchestration. “I wanted to construct a Semi-Symphonic album very much in the spirit of David Arkenstone’s ATLANTIS. After visiting dreams on QUADRANGULAR OSCILLATIONS and taking a trip to the future with MARSTROPOLIS, this time I wanted to focus on mythology. I had a story idea I wanted to put to music. I set out to compose a movie soundtrack.”

XENOPHOBIA is a soundtrack, in every sense of the word. Ten months went into the album’s creation. “I heard a lot of music in my head I needed to bring into this world. Classical arrangements are much trickier to compose. This project became more than just a labor of love. XENOPHOBIA was an experience of intimacy with music I have never felt before.”

Growth as an artist is very important to Rob Astor. The differences between the music heard on XENOPHOBIA and MARSTROPOLIS underscores his willingness to continue exploring and developing musical ideas. “The majority of big label musicians don’t get a chance to develop as artists. There’s no opportunity for improvement.”

Although Rob Astor’s development is vastly improved, there’s a feel of familiarity to his newest music. XENOPHOBIA opens with the beautifully dreamy “Tropic Of Antarctica”. Gorgeous 12-String Guitar lends the feel of floating over a pristine glacier as a deep backbeat reminds listeners of Rob’s video game-like style captured on MARSTROPOLIS. In the next instant, Rob Astor places himself up against the likes of John Williams with dazzling Neo-Classical arrangements. His orchestrations often weave complimentary atmospheric keyboard layers through their tapestries, breathing fresh life into a genre most musicians fail to appreciate.

However, branching out into orchestra music isn’t the only new territory Rob Astor indulges in and perfects with a signature sound of his own. Fusing Electronica, Neo-Classical, and Progressive Rock has yielded one of the finest tracks Rob has ever recorded in “Forest Of The Black Moon”. Rob says the incredibly poetic Stevie Nicks inspired the title. Fans are treated to two alternate versions of this track included as bonus material.

XENOPHOBIA also harkens back to Rob Astor’s previous albums where Techno Electronica and New Age dominated his work. The evidence for up-beat dance music is best showcased in “Biohazard” and “Kutulu”. They retain Rob’s semblance as an electronic identity. “If there was a nightclub scene in the story of XENOPHOBIA, ‘Kutulu’ would be playing in the background.”

Much like Rob Astor’s electronic efforts, up-beat music can also be found in his Classical compositions. The track “Zero Hour” really moves, lending a sense of hurry and urgency. New Age takes center stage on several tracks, adding a degree of darkness to XENOPHOBIA’s story. From the chilling “The Poison In The Apple” to the spacey “Neptune Rising”, Rob Astor remains true to his roots.

A modern day Renaissance man, Rob Astor crafted a medieval sounding track in “Atana Potnia”, using instruments such as wind dulcimers, concert harps, flutes, and tribal percussion to synthesize the feeling of a young maiden strolling through a green forest. XENOPHOBIA’s haunting title track opens on a very low note, blending Far Eastern vocal lines and cellos, giving the word xenophobia what Rob calls “a musical definition”.

XENOPHOBIA is packed with historical and mythological titles, cementing Rob Astor’s musical fairy tale to things sometimes easily recognized and those far less familiar. A slew names and phrases breathes new life. Musical meanings transpose from obscure to familiar. The Latin phrase “Quod Erat Demonstrandum”, meaning “as was shown”, closes the album’s story with a feeling of watching the credits scroll across a movie screen. “Omphalos” to the ancient Greeks was the “center of the world”. On XENOPHOBIA, it is the center of an ancient and mythical civilization. “In La’kesh” in Mayan means, “I am your other self”. How this track fits into the framework of XENOPHOBIA is where Rob takes liberties as a master story teller.

Mythical figures play prominent roles in XENOPHOBIA. “Kronos” and “Ouranos” were ancient Greek Gods, often violent, while “Enyo” was the Goddess of Destruction. “Yucatan Cataclysm” is historically connected to this title. Enyo was the name of the asteroid that struck the Yucatan Peninsula sixty-five million years ago, bringing an end to the age of the dinosaurs.

Using alternate spellings or older names for some of the characters in his play, Rob Astor defines them as his own. Mentioned in a set of ancient linear tablets found at Knossos, “Atana Potnia” later evolved into the Greek Goddess of Wisdom, Athena. “Kutulu” is a nod to the many fictional influences Rob Astor attributes his creativity to. This title is an alternate spelling of an H. P. Lovecraft character based in part on the Biblical Leviathan, the Babylonian Pazuzu, and the Sumerian Tiamat.

Packed with a myriad of styles and influences, Rob Astor’s XENOPHOBIA melds the sounds of artists like Tangerine Dream, Spencer Nilsen, Cusco, James Horner, David Arkenstone, Ken Davis, John Williams, Biosphere, Liquid Mind, Wendy Carlos, Zach Davids, Vangelis, Norm Orenstein, and Spyro Gyra. The end result is a sound that defines Rob Astor as a musician. Quality and sophistication is what you come to expect. Rob Astor’s music is something you can listen to over and over again, and continue to find something new to explore. Just like in any good movie.

Rob Astor’s new double disc set XENOPHOBIA is now available at CDBaby.com, Mindawn.com, SoundClick.com, and TuneFlow.com. Look for it soon at Apple’s iTunes, Rhapsody, AOL’s Music Net, and Yahoo! Music, to name just a few digital outlets. Visit Rob Astor on the Internet at:

http://www.myspace.com/soloartistrobastor

Also available:
SHINE A LITTLE LIGHT CHRISTMAS COLLECTION
MARSTROPOLIS
QUADRANGULAR OSCILLATIONS