MORPHEUS MUSIC REVIEWS

This is a remix album on the chilled side of drum and bass with a strong Indian flavour. Rohan's original tracks are restructured in arrangements that range from the gentle, blissed-out Vanilla Sky RMX of Awake to the once serene Siren's Song here remixed into an uptempo break-driven offering by Sharaab. This ethno-techno collection is enriched by soaring and dreamy female vocals, heavenly pianos and variety of Indian loops, flutes and drones. There are plenty of trippy, quirky atmospheric interludes with breathy spoken voices, some dub oriented moments and mellow sections interspersed among the more dominant phat basses and pumping junglist tracks.

One reviewer used the term ethno-hypnotic to describe Rohan's sound and that fits well - this CD is full of dreamy atmospheres, resonant Asian ambience and gorgeous mellow breaks brimming with barely restrained energy. Rohan has not simply handed over his originals to the masters of the drum and bass genre, in a couple of cases he remixes his own tracks with intriguing results. With regard to this project Rohan said - "The goal of the remix record was to give the original songs from Roots a chance to be reinvented by other artists and to take on a life of their own in the hands of others. It ended up being quite an international affair, by having remixers from all over, like Japan and even from India, revisit these tunes. I think this ended up giving the project a broader sense of musicality".

MORPHEUS MUSIC REVIEWS

Three wandering tracks of evolving drones and percussive scatterings. The artists suggest a ritualistic approach to music creation making creative use of such diverse sonic sources as flutes, tubes, various objects, rattles, shells and bells along with ambient drones, loops and effects. An accordion is played but not for melody, more as if exploring the instrument as an unfamiliar sound object, producing long droning strands.

This CD feels almost like the soundtrack to a piece of outdoor performance art, as manipulated natural sounds unfurl among flutish breaths, metallic jangles and whirling tubes. At times the impression is one of lonely winds blowing through derelicts, at other times the loose structure produces an almost carefree feeling - all the while the titles draw us downward into nature with all of its urgent serenity. Dissonant layers, water effects and thick rolling textures work to bind everything into a focussed poetry of montaged sound.

Three haunting explorations of unearthly sound built around a very earthly concept. Many of the elements sound improvised to such an extent that they're almost too random to be of human origin - thick breathing and rumbles, water noises and bestial snorting. By contrast the introduction of a gently plucked zither produces a warming melodic tenor. Stefano tells us regarding his approach to recording "sometimes the quality of the sounds, I mean special tunings and kind of vibrations, can help a lot to go into a new layer of sensibility. In the studio process this discovery opens possibilities to enter into the special taste of the specific sound combinations. Then finding the best approach for the occasion, it becomes transparent that the music form starts to shine itself".

Ambient fans who enjoy an experimental sound. The Sleep Of Seeds will appeal to those who like a 'natural' atmosphere and improvisational approach.

MORPHEUS MUSIC REVIEWS

The dominant mood is one of trippy brightness with heavy basslines that suggest a huge, looming presence accompanying us somewhere under the surface. Juicy, effected synth tones and contorted ethnic samples introduce an exotic aspect, whilst the silky production and generous application of modern technology establish a contemporary perspective. The feeling is primarily positive and expansive rather than moody or sorrowful - the approach of cycling and evolving repetition of the melody lines works to absorb the listener into contented nodding submission as we're swept willingly along way out into Androcell's deeply chilled world.

The packaging of this CD is of a high quality - a glowing digipack that lets the viewer know exactly what to expect from the musical content. The front cover features a bizarre montage of a tropical octopus headed, hue shifted human face and a massive graven stone disc - tendrils reach out across the back cover veining a soft orange sunset over water. Andocell, AKA Tyler "Quasaga" Smith creates his own artwork and here provides a sharp eight-page booklet of digital imaginings along with the CD to deepen our immersion into Emotivision. Regarding the artwork Tyler says: "A little insight about the cover art from Emotivision: An octopus has chromatophores in it's skin which visually communicate it's mood, through a series of highly complex texture and color pattern shifts. It ranks up high as one of the most psychedelic biological occurances I've seen and I often think about how communication between humans could be much simpler if we had these biological adaptations in place with our own species. So the octopus body fused atop the human head is symbolic of emotional psychedelic communication and illumination. A human being able to communicate their thoughts and feelings instantly by a visual display of emotionally triggered color patterns and textures on their skin would be a great gift to humanity indeed. If we could "see" how each other "feels", and "show" others how we "feel" ,without the apprehension or confusion that verbal language can often invoke, we truly all would have "Emotivision". Despite my lack of chromatophores, I'm compelled to display how or what I feel, visually, through the creation of visual art and hopefully showing each individuals mind's eye an emotionally visual experience through sound."

Androcell approaches his chillout music from the psychedelic trance school of thought, he clearly enjoys thick dub-induced bass and flights of musical fancy. If you like downtempo with an exotic edge or chilled electronica with a strong beat - have a listen to this CD.

MORPHEUS MUSIC REVIEWS

Melodic, electronic pop carried along by lush, inventive female vocals. Viia's sound is largely built around uncomplicated arrangements of guitar, bass and drums - having said that, pianos and synths take their part in what is a pleasingly contemporary sound. Jody Quine's voice soars, lingers and glides with an emotional intensity that lifts her way above the crowd. Viia's tracks are primarily moving songs of 'ethereal love' with traditional verse and chorus, yet the structures feel as close to the electronica of Balligomingo as to most guitar music. With this powerful blend of infectious beats, impassioned vocals and driving instrumentation, Viia is crying out to be heard live.

Since the CD I currently have is a demo - there is no artwork as yet. However, the aesthetic appeal of the present website leaves me hopeful ...... http://www.viia-music.com

MORPHEUS MUSIC REVIEWS

A collection of 'chill-out' electronic pop that draws together elements of downtempo, lounge and worldbeat all coated with a sugary French frosting. Bright mid/downtempo grooves with uplifting keyboard, piano and synth arrangements work as foundations for some fresh melodies and whispery female vocals.

Initially as light and airy as an early summer's day, French Kiss becomes increasingly sensual as the CD progresses into warm evening atmospheres. Sultry French vocals woven among unhurried beats, soft organ-vibes and echoing chords suggest a European cafe ambience, an intimate romantic flavour, a late night urban winding down.

MORPHEUS MUSIC REVIEWS

World beat music on the new age end of the spectrum. Sleepwalker tends toward Native American global sounds with a live Native American walnut flute player and various voice and drum samples. The main musical structure is one of pianos, synths and guitars laid against programmed easy breakbeats and atmospheric interludes. Some of the most striking sounds on the album are a pair of operatic voices that are credited to guests Aglika Petrova and Svilen Nikolov. A smooth violin is at times reminiscent of Sacred Spirit and is again played live for the album.

The mood here is mainly warm and friendly with some pleasantly contrasting moody corners between tracks. Drum loops and keyboard patterns are generally comfortable and although the arrangements hint occasionally at mystery - even becoming slightly bombastic with the operatic vocals and heavier guitar work - still Sleepwalker most frequently inhabits a restful new age territory where Dimo Vantchev's flute amicably fills in the melodies.

With clean guitars and cheerful synth work, Sleepwalker presents an optimistic, melodic sound with a sprinkling of owls, crickets, bells, thunder and the odd birdsong. The project is primarily the concept of Bulgarian musician Lyubomir Yordanov who composed and arranged all of the songs on Flower Of Life. In relation to the CD title the band is quoted as saying, "We believe that music is the language of the human soul and the love it gives us; it helps the flower of life in each of us bloom and grow. With this music you can relax, rest, meditate, reflect, think, build other worlds, change your spirits - to be sad, joyful, dreamy and inspired".