|
 |
|
------Flooting
Grooves - Upsyde Downe |
| STYLE |
|
Downtempo
trippy, chillout with some imaginative organic performances
on flute and other instruments. The album opens with some
beautifully atmospheric flute lines and echoing exotic percussion
- breathy phrases curl and breeze through the air. The album
delivers a well balanced fusion of electronic programming
and organic instrumentation. The drums often have a 'live'
sound to them, embellished with a variety of ethnic and synthetic
layers. There is plenty of repetition employed in the track
structures, brief motifs and arpeggios rolling in hypnotic
revolutions - the emphasis often on rhythm and mood rather
than melody. Abundant use of sharp effects creates a depth
and sense of distance, the occasional spoken voice sample
meandering between tracks, introducing what is to come. Most
tracks interfade creating a fluid listening experience from
start to finish. |
| |
|
| MOOD |
|
Upsyde
Downe delivers a busy series of psychedelic aural environments
where the quality or nature of the sound is of equal importance
with any tunes being unfolded - the lush multilayered tracks
are dripping with detail, surrounding the listener, mesmerising
and beguiling. There is an underlying global thread taken
up by instruments such as the didgeridoo and ethnic percussives
- but also the electronica itself has an exotic nature to
it, unusual voices and tribal patterns thickening the spell.
|
| |
| ARTWORK |
|
The
artwork here is firstly hand drawn, but with some additional
graphic manipulation. Complex figures, delicately patterned
with a style in places not unlike traditional Aboriginal art,
swirling backgrounds and informal fonts combine to form images
of mystical gardens and arcane forests. The CD is presented
in a jewelcase with a two panel foldout sleeve - inside are
credits and a page of thanks acknowledging, among others,
Miles Davis, Ian Anderson and The Grateful Dead. |
| |
|
| OVERALL |
|
Coming
via Switzerland's Peak Records (renowned for quality psychedelic
trance and psychedelic chill releases) Upsyde Downe is Flooting
Grooves debut CD. The man behind the project is actually
Pearce Van Der Merwe, born in Cape Town and having grown
up in South Africa and Italy. Building on an early interest
in seventies psychedelic music Pearce connected with musicians
Dan Symons (a.k.a Dymons) and Ajja Leu (one half of Yab
Yum) who both contribute to Upsyde Downe. He is also a part
of The Peaking Goddess Collective (PGC): the organic chill
and psy trance band formed in 2003 by Ajja, Dymons &
Master Margherita, which combines laptops and synths with
live instruments: Flute, Guitar, percussion, Bass &
Fx. The label describes the music as "ethnic-ambient-groovy-downtempo-psy-progressive-cyber-chill-floaty-flooty"
and this is as good a summary as anything.
|
| |
| WHO
WILL LIKE THIS ALBUM |
|
If
you enjoy downtempo or midtempo psychedelic chill with tribal
atmospheres and organic performance - Flooting Grooves is
a cut above the average for the genre. Deep, colourful music
with emotive flutes - this is an album for headphones or for
flinging your arms up and moving. |
| |
|
 |
|
------V/A
- Hiro |
| STYLE |
|
Quirky
electronic instrumentals from a variety of Japanese experimental
artists. Abstract, digital themes are set here against glitchy,
fragmented beats full of grit and computer generated noise.
For the most part the music is harmonious and delicate - luminous
airy pads and textures floating and fluttering in sonic sunlight.
There are also some more edgy, jittery tracks, the rhythms
disjointed and jagged such as Ent's Hi! Sempai. Many of the
tracks have an underlying ambient nature, the music soft and
fragile flecked with melodic fragments or brief repeating
motifs the beats and rhythms rising to the surface. |
| |
| ARTWORK |
|
Hiro
comes in a sombre package - heavy greys shadowing architectural
imagery, simple white fonts and minimal text. Structural details
loom out of darkness on each panel, the front holding only
a single line of text, the reverse laying out track titles
and times for each. Inside is a single sheet insert - just
the word 'HIRO' picked out in gold with a complementary gold
disc below. |
| |
| OVERALL |
|
Hiro
is SAAG Records second release following the debut compilation
Anchor. SAAG Record is an electronic music label based in
Tokyo, JAPAN, founded by musician Sabi (Taro Peter Little)
and the like-minded Jemapur (Toshiaki Ooi). The label describes
its primary concept as "Pills for Ears". This
particular release delivers fourteen tracks of a common
nature - mostly scratchy beat driven, understated airiness.
|
| |
|
 |
|
------Neodrone
- Extended Horizon |
| STYLE |
|
Twilight, cinematic
electronica and captivating female vocals. Extended Horizon
breaks into two sections - the first part sees gentle downtempo
beats and complementary arpeggiators propelling romantic
piano melodies and attractive ethereal vocals. The latter
tracks step up the pace introducing a driving dance beat
with a steady thumping kick. Singer Johanna E Martell leads
most tracks with her soaring vocal style that comfortably
ranges from operatic drama to a hint of folk nostalgia almost
reminiscent of All About Eve's Julianne Regan. The vocal
performances are sometimes lyrical, sometimes wordless.
Musically the sound is lush and sweeping, synthetic strings
and layered keyboards underlay the rich themes, constantly
varying programmed percussion creating momentum and neo-classical
structures lending a graceful dignity throughout. |
| |
| MOOD |
|
Sensual
nocturnes tinged with shades of melancholy or hints of nostalgia.
Extended Horizon seems bathed in the lush hues of eventide
- the mood consistently one of enchantment and passion even
throughout the uptempo pieces toward the end of the suite.
Neoclassical influences recur from the onset, most obviously
in the operatic vocal style of a number of pieces and, of
course, the interpretation of the two compositions by Mozart
and Handel. |
| |
| ARTWORK |
|
Artwork
maintains the crepuscular moodiness of the music - a dramatic
photomontage fronting the package titled in a gothic font.
Here dark waters fade ambiguously into trees mists and distant
hills, everything tinted indigo blue. Two birds lift into
the air and a windswept tree seems to lean after them. A darker
version of this image re-appears on the reverse of the jewelcase
track titles tastefully arranged centrally alongside their
respective timings. Inside is a two panel fold-out sleeve
with lyrics printed within opposite a page of credits. |
| |
| OVERALL |
|
Neodrone
presents here their debut album, released on Sweden's Mambus
Records label. The band consists of composer/keyboardist Magnus
Tak and classically trained singer Johanna E. Martell with
lyrics written by Brent Swarthout. As well as their own original
material the album also features adaptations of two classic
arias "Lascia Ch'io Pianga", from the opera "Rinaldo"
by G.F. Händel and "Vengeance Aria" based on
excerpts from the "Queen of the Night" aria by W.A.
Mozart. |
| |
| WHO
WILL LIKE THIS ALBUM |
|
This
is a strong album that will likely appeal to listeners that
lean toward the 'enigmatic' genre. Neodrone works territory
similar to Amethstium and Achillea -check out the Myspace
page if you'd like to hear some samples. |
| |
|
 |
|
------Khooman
- Is AFlexible Liquid |
| STYLE |
|
Serious downtempo
synthesiser chill with an air of cosmic mystery. Is A Flexible
Liquid is an album of almost pure electronica - additional
material blending seamlessly into the overall digital architecture.
Brooding, squelching basses or blunt sub frequencies lumber
and prowl at the low end, a rich and varied selection of
lustrous synthetic voices delivering the melodic substance.
Khooman makes full use of repeating phrases that alternate
and cycle round and around gradually permeating the consciousness,
inevitably building into powerful familiarity. There are
some moody introductions - the melodies arising slowly out
of ambient mists and shades to dramatic impact. There are
some evocative airy effects spread across the sequential
materials that have a slightly ghostly feel at times - moaning
sheets of tone, heavily effected chants or pitch-shifted
murmurings. |
| |
| MOOD |
|
Most
of the album has a somewhat shady, sombre tone - drawn out
introductions establishing this mysterious gloom, order forming
little by little from dark, amorphous sound clouds. There
is a spacey sci-fi side to much of the music too - programmed
sequences and arpeggios burbling and revolving in engineered
regularity, hints of circuitry and glowing control panels
- but the gutsy beats maintain a connection with earth, a
tribal drive anchoring everything to the ground. |
| |
| ARTWORK |
|
A
very attractive package designed by Anna Ignatieva features
a series of beautifully enigmatic images. The front cover
shows peculiar floating figures with lithe blue limbs and
smooth, blank faces set against a black void. Luminous yellow
eyes suggest alien visions and patterned skins decorate
elegant body forms that vaporise at the extremities. These
creatures and their accompanying blue auras appear throughout
- sometimes alongside the subdued text as with the rear
cover tracklist, sometimes as a backdrop. Inside is a two
panel insert filled with generous thanks and some brief
credits. If you'd like to see more of the artist's work
- there is a website here.
|
| |
| OVERALL |
|
Khooman
is Moscow based musician Edward Trunov who has apparently
been creating music since around 2000. As Khooman he has
been performing live on stage since 2005 and here presents
for us his full length debut CD. Focussing on chill out,
ambient and psychedelic trance this release fits right into
the sound that we have come to expect from the fascinating
Ajana Records label. Promotional material describes the
music as a story of eight tracks that "connects to
your emotional state easily, exploring the depth of the
mind ....a unique world for exploring the sounds of the
soul. |
| |
| WHO
WILL LIKE THIS ALBUM |
|
Khooman
will appeal to lovers of psychedelic trance looking for something
downbeat and moody. Perhaps fans of Phutureprimitive, Psyfactor
or Androcell will be drawn to the shadows and twilight sparkle
here. |
| |
|
 |
|
------Deborah
Martin / J. Arif Verner - Anno Domini |
| STYLE |
|
Ambient
electronics and associative hallowed voices combine in dignified,
restful harmony. Sonic winds and tonal sheets drift across
soundscapes of tranquil expanses and sacred spaces. Bell
trees and chimes tinkle jewel-like in the air, the weighty
metal clang of a tolling bell and the boom of an enormous
gong - sounds well chosen to enhance the tone of sacrosanct
luminosity. Choral voices and the clarity of a single singer
chanting Latin lyrics are interwoven with the music, sometimes
overlaid, sometimes picked out in stark isolation, always
with cloistered tones and celestial light. There are gentle,
meditative passages breezed through with atonal turbulence,
for the most part beatless and without rhythm, but there
are a few tracks such as Illuminata where a low pulsing
pattern is joined by hand drumming and Dona Nobis Pacem
with a more traditional drum line and hi hats. The album
concludes on a more overtly melodic note where brassy synths
and thin electronic strains interplay with fingered guitar
lines and bright cymbal splashes. |
| |
| ARTWORK |
|
Fronted
by an image of a heavy wooden door opening within a sweeping
arch - Anno Domini immediately defines its musical intentions
as a glowing yellow effulgence bathes one half of the cover
and deep shadow bedarkens the other. On the reverse and within
religious images are montaged against strong textures and
architectural details. The back of the jewel case lists the
seven tracks along with times for each. Inside are credits
indicating the musical contributions from the writers and
supporting performers - Rev. Chester Head on vocals and Jon
Jenkins with digital editing and drum track work. |
| |
| OVERALL |
|
Both
Deborah Martin and J. Arif Verner are established artists
in their own right, each with a string of releases to their
credit. Multi-instrumentalist, J. Arif Verner has worked
as a professional musician and composer for more than 20
years and Deborah Martin is currently one of Spotted Peccary
Music's highly acclaimed top selling artists. Here the two
come together (as promotional material explains "to
create a haunting work that blurs the line lying somewhere
between darkness and light; between apprehension and calm".
The combination of synthesisers, guitars, evocative vocals
and percussive elements ranges here from heavenly bliss
and weightless gliding to mysterious shade and esoteric
exploration. |
| |
|
 |
|
------Kukan
Dub Lagan - Step Ina Rasta Step |
| STYLE |
|
Reggae influenced
psychedelic chillout. Kukan Dub Lagan's downtempo electronica
is built primarily around a dense dub reggae framework littered
with all the trademark sounds of the genre - echoing keyboard
stabs hit the off beats, rubbery basses loll along at the
low end, sampled voices and effects dripping with delay
embellishing the surface. Voices of Afro-Caribbean origin
broadcast philosophies and beliefs - both male and female
- fervent phrases periodically punctuating the synthetic
backdrop. There are a couple of tracks that stand aside
from the bulk of the album - the almost new age wobbly melody
of Feel Life the CD opener complete with what sound like
electronic geese and the one minute forty five second tribal
beat and reverberating spoken voice of It's All About Her
complete with night time cricket/bird ambience. |
| |
| MOOD |
|
This
CD has a positive, uplifting vibe, the strong reggae elements
introducing an exotic, tropical feel suggestive of smooth
beaches and pleasant sunshine, a mood that is enhanced by
the brightness, cleanness and warmth of the primary electronic
structures. The laziness of the dub beats and swaying basses
create an easy going pace, an attitude of indolent calm coupled
with an urge to move that inevitably comes from such powerful
rhythms. |
| |
| ARTWORK |
|
The
front cover image is of a lone walker on a beach seemingly
unaware of a huge wave towering above and about to crash
onto the shore. Itay says that the big wave symbolises nature
"that we don't treat it nice - so step ina rasta step
in hope of keeping the atmosphere and vibe alive".
The jewelcase reverse uses a similar tropical scene bordered
by palm trees as a backdrop for the album tracklist - here
we notice more easily that all the imagery is tinted with
a red, gold, green cast - the same colours more vibrantly
featured on the Kukan Dub Lagan logo - proclaiming the obvious
musical affiliations. The inner booklet contains an expanded
tracklist, various thanks and contact details along with
a paragraph presenting the artist's positive outlook.
|
| |
| OVERALL |
|
This
is Kukan Dub Lagan's second album, following the 2004 release
on Candyflip - Life Is Nice. This time the label is Jerusalem
based MikelaBella Records set up around the beginning of
2007. This is actually Itay Berger's own project established
with the idea of releasing original music in the dub and
electronic genres, supporting existing artists as well creating
opportunities for new talent. Promotional material for Step
Ina Rasta Step explains that "the listener will get
into a dub journey, that will start with soft melodies,
continue to a unique electronic sound that is surrounded
by the dub rhythms". That pretty much describes the
album - twelve well produced tracks of laid back sunshine
all tinted red, green and gold. |
| |
| WHO
WILL LIKE THIS ALBUM |
|
Step Ina
Rasta Step will suit listeners into dub and chillout that
want something warm and Caribbean woven into their music.
Since it follows naturally in the footsteps of Kukan Dub Lagan's
debut - fans of the previous album will surely enjoy this
further instalment. |
| |
|
