"For this 39-minute release from 1995, Dwane's focus shifts to comparisons between ancient themes and mysterious tomorrows. Contrasting Eastern sensibilities with modern riffs, Dwane generates a comfortable fusion, resulting in a tasty electronic flow injected with drama and surging waves of soft tempo. The bell-tones and wheezing keyboard rolls (all done on a MIDI guitar, remember) swim with similarly ethereal tones. These relaxing sonic waters are stirred by the luxurious percussions (all produced on Roland keyboards) that charge the tuneage with a soft and inspirational vigor. There are even a few passages that possess a recognizable guitar sound. Dwane's music walks a fine line between new age and ambient auralscapes. His music is often too grandiose to be new age, while possessing too much overt melody to remain unintrusive. Not unlike an evening thunderstorm, this music seems to fill the sky, refreshing the air with cleansing pulsations. Discharges of an electrical nature are subdued, transforming a distant rumble into satiny textures of closer proximity." -- Matt Howarth / Space.com ----- "...On his fourth solo album, Mark Dwane continues the expansive synthesizer orchestrations that have gained him a strong cult following. Using a MIDI-guitar, rather than a keyboard, the Ohio- based composer's music has a spontaneous drive while maintaining the symphonic sensibilities of Vangelis. Dwane is creating truly modern music, born of technology and draped around imagery of possible futures and past mythologies. Unlike many of his contemporaries who are moving into texture music, Dwane maintains a strong melodic and rhythmic sensibility with detailed arrangements and original timbral designs." -- John Diliberto, Billboard ----- "...Conjuring up very melodic, symphonic sounding, beat driven synth-scapes, composer, Mark Dwane has produced perhaps his greatest recording yet. Comparable in scope and depth to some of the early '80's futuristic music from Patrick O'Hearn and Group 87, Dwane's appealing fourth solo album consists of dynamic, keyboard-like New Age soundscapes produced entirely on MIDI- Guitar. The metaphysical cover art gives an appropriate indication about the sonic wonders inside. For fans of synth masters like Jarre or Vangelis, PARADIGM SHIFT will surely be one of their most rewarding spins of 1996. All of Dwane's out-of- sight instrumental albums have garnered much critical acclaim for their state of the art and cosmic listening experiences." -- Robert Silverstein, Time And A Word ----- "...Arguably his finest album to date. As with so many new releases recently the opening title track grabs your attention immediately, an astonishing mass of power and sound achieved only through the use of MIDI-Guitar. The music simply sweeps and soars until we reach track 4, "The Pleiadian Paradigm", with its cold, glassy effects - mysterious and ethereal. The final two tracks are rich and luscious-sounding with some great guitar chords on "Paragons Of Light". It is truly wonderful to hear a musician get such a variation of sound. In a recent interview Mark Dwane said that he considers that this release is his most sophisticated body of work to date and it is difficult to argue with him - highly recommended." -- Bill Forbes, Midas Music-U.K. ----- "...Mark Dwane has a real touch for romantic space music with killer backbeats. His previous release, THE ATLANTIS FACTOR, was a mainstay on my carousel for I don't know how long. PARADIGM SHIFT delivers more of the same relaxed, cool space music that drifts out of the hi-fi with all the assurance of a finely tuned sports car." -- David Spalding, Korova Multimedia