Music truly is our universal language, and what started off in the 1960’s as a sort of experimental offshoot of English R&B and psychedelic rock has morphed into a worldwide creative phenomenon. No, not many artists sell enough to have a working life in music, as in those halcyon days, but in terms of artistic success, we have never been so rich.

It was, therefore, a pleasure when Argentine artist, Julián Martínez reached out to me via the website to notify me of two works he has released, namely El silencio de las estrellas" (2024) and "La danza de la luna" (2025), inspired by classical music and 70s progressive rock. Today, I am reviewing the latter.

You can find out more about this talented artist by visiting https://julianmartinezeng.blogspot.com/ and you can listen to his music at https://www.youtube.com/JulianMartinez
https://soundcloud.com/julianmartinezmusic

Let’s discuss.

It is comprised of five movements, namely El canto del bosque (The Song of the Forest), Caminos de cristal (Glass Paths), La danza de la luna (The Dance of the Moon), Refugio de sueños (Refuge of Dreams), and finally Viejas sombras (Old Shadows) spread over eighteen and a half minutes.

The first movement is simply baroque rock wrought large, the harpsichord and piano leading the trees and wildlife of the forest in the dead of night, some playful, the birds singing and mating, the guitars interestingly distorted, perhaps signifying the longevity of the trees and fauna.

Movement two has some synth soundscapes above the harpsichord and piano, a flute providing for a more thoughtful mood, this supported by the piano and guitar which are meditative in their mood, perhaps telling us of a walk on those paths where you can look down hundreds and thousands of meters in some parts of the world (an experience which would render me sobbing with vertigo gone mad), when the pace picks up, the commonality of the experience from the tourists, nervously laughing, being brought together by the experience.

The third movement puts across the majesty of the moon perfectly, our closest celestial neighbour, worshipped for millennia by countless humans, still, in these scientific and secular times, dancing its way across the sky, telling us that there are mysteries within it still to be discovered, the synths here tempting us to come back, the baroque feel one of mischief in its secrets.

Movement four has a gorgeous flute guiding us through our slumber accompanied by a piano as the bedrock of our consciousness ready to take us out. With this, I think progressive music lovers could imagine a duet between Gabriel & Banks on an early Genesis album, the synths which introduce the lush overlay perfectly gentle, with the guitar when it enters taking the intensity up another level.

The final movement has some mighty synths creating the shadows as clouds in the sky above flute and piano, a gentle percussion and light touch bass guitar. This track puts me in mind of sitting atop the hills of Wales looking down on the valleys below with the clouds represented by the synths creating rolling shadows over the rivers, animals, and buildings you see below, all the while, the piano insistently urging a love of life and being.

This is a seriously impressive work and absolutely has this reviewer hoping for more delights in the years to come. You know what? We might just have found a successor to the likes of Anthony Phillips and Rick Wakeman in that ability to fuse classics and pastoral rock. Not only that, but the music providing one with the space and time to place a personal interpretation, always the mark of a class instrumental album.

Watch this space.