tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634864082514183828.comments2024-01-31T08:46:53.696-08:00Electronic Music CriticSykoneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06327331590042723390noreply@blogger.comBlogger345125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634864082514183828.post-34834421318577991102024-01-31T06:01:48.201-08:002024-01-31T06:01:48.201-08:00Oh man how right you are! Oh man how right you are! Marchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16139345864040319446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634864082514183828.post-62407647598947875282024-01-30T15:27:48.538-08:002024-01-30T15:27:48.538-08:00Bach, as in Johan Sebastian Bach, from his famed T...Bach, as in Johan Sebastian Bach, from his famed Toccata And Fugue In D Minor. Not the more famous intro, which is always associated with Dracula, but after that part (1:11 in this vid):<br /><br />https://youtu.be/ho9rZjlsyYY?si=WOkQka_Bnvfc-NhK&t=71Sykoneehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06327331590042723390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634864082514183828.post-77346402484395695592024-01-30T14:11:20.103-08:002024-01-30T14:11:20.103-08:00When you say The Real Thing is copied of a Batch r...When you say The Real Thing is copied of a Batch riff, what do you mean? <br /><br />For what it's worth, I always thought Rhythm Is A Dancer, Mr Vain, Right In The Night and The Real Thing all had the same riff! I also loved all four so wasn't mad at it! Marchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16139345864040319446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634864082514183828.post-3554966735273027462024-01-30T08:20:30.798-08:002024-01-30T08:20:30.798-08:00Hi Sykonee, just a note I got three albums for you...Hi Sykonee, just a note I got three albums for you coming in hot. Should be arriving for you by end of this week/beginning of next week. And yes, there's a shared "theme" for all albums.<br /><br />-PhiloiAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634864082514183828.post-33717667536237686292024-01-17T06:04:28.899-08:002024-01-17T06:04:28.899-08:00Haha yeah I heard that Turbo B track. It’s not bad...Haha yeah I heard that Turbo B track. It’s not bad. I also like the Penny Ford track with Soul II Soul. Had no idea about Luca Anzilotti and Saafi Brothers. Will head over to Discogs now to check it out. <br /><br />There was also some teenie bopper project that had some connections with Snap! I learned about it via Michael Munzing’s YouTube channel. It is absolutely awful and I wish I never wasted 2 minutes of my time listening to that nonsense! Marchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16139345864040319446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634864082514183828.post-632702575403303082024-01-17T05:48:57.631-08:002024-01-17T05:48:57.631-08:00A funny aside to that story is how Turbo B - who w...A funny aside to that story is how Turbo B - who was critical of their turn to eurodance, remember - made a minor 'diss' track towards Snap! with Centory called 'Point Of No Return' ...and it's the most eurodance sounding track you'll ever hear! I doubt he'd fit in with a song like 'Green Grass Grows', but still!<br /><br />Luca Anzilotti actually joined Saafi Brothers when the group reconvened after 2010. Guess when you're just hanging out in Frankfurt, all the scene vets are on speed dial.<br /><br />PS: thanks, good to know all those hours spent writing them aren't in vain ;)Sykoneehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06327331590042723390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634864082514183828.post-20622080272472134282024-01-16T22:07:56.423-08:002024-01-16T22:07:56.423-08:00Oh yeah, don’t get me wrong, I totally know the 16...Oh yeah, don’t get me wrong, I totally know the 16 Bit thing is very esoteric (incidentally I’ve only become aware of them retrospectively over the past few months. I’m kinda digging them!). Ultimately though, Snap! were destined for failure, weren’t they? Like all acts of that genre and time. But, to my earlier point, Welcome to Tomorrow shows that Snap! were at least being creative - experimenting with new styles, trying to push the genre forward; something I think can’t be said of many other Eurodance acts. I think this is especially surprising considering how much success they had with the well established Eurodance formula (and even more surprising considering they, more than most perhaps, had a hand in creating that formula). <br /><br />What do you mean about the Saafi Brothers? Are you saying Welcome To Tomorrow influenced or inspired it? <br /><br />p.s. loving your blog so much and I’ve spent hours reading your reviews. Marchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16139345864040319446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634864082514183828.post-7415769672332730482024-01-16T17:18:11.466-08:002024-01-16T17:18:11.466-08:00Ah, see, I almost think that's part of the iss...Ah, see, I almost think that's part of the issue. To the American audience who only knew The Power and maybe Rhythm Is A Dancer, 16Bit would be hopelessly obscure. Lord knows I hadn't a clue about that project when this came out. While it may have been a nice little call-back for those who'd been following the duo since the '80s, it really wasn't something that folks who'd jumped on in the '90s would care about.<br /><br />I do agree this album could have had a fighting chance under different circumstances. Say, using a different project alias other than Snap! Maybe it wouldn't have sold as well, but nor would it have deep-sixed the group either.<br /><br />(then again, if this hadn't derailed Snap! so badly, then we might not have gotten Saafi Brothers afterwards, so lose-win?)Sykoneehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06327331590042723390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634864082514183828.post-53689790023476010902024-01-16T07:01:35.399-08:002024-01-16T07:01:35.399-08:00I see! I just looked at his tweet of Welcome To To...I see! I just looked at his tweet of Welcome To Tomorrow. Pretty scathing! Consider this - if you take the five ‘Summer’ aka Paula Brown tracks away, you’re left with five pretty solid tracks. ‘Dream On The Moon’ is very 16 Bit (their pre-Snap! 1980s project). Marchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16139345864040319446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634864082514183828.post-59642658324706254672024-01-15T16:14:11.891-08:002024-01-15T16:14:11.891-08:00I remember Todd In The Shadows posting some inquir...I remember Todd In The Shadows posting some inquiring tweets about this album a while back, and I couldn't help but think, "Oh boy, he's gonna' do a Trainwrecords episode about it!" Still haven't seen anything materialize, so I assume there wasn't enough interesting content to warrant an episode.Sykoneehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06327331590042723390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634864082514183828.post-69389734328277715282024-01-06T04:16:16.376-08:002024-01-06T04:16:16.376-08:00I was really surprised to learn, about 18 years la...I was really surprised to learn, about 18 years later, that Green Grass Grows as actually just lyrics over the early trance track 'Superstring' by Cygnus X. I think generally, the album is interesting as it shows the Snap producers searching around in order to move Eurodance in the next direction (in the way that they had previously with their epochal singles The Power & Rhythm is a Dancer). Luca Anzillotti conceded to Billboard in 1995 that trends of electronic music during that era were transient, he was almost lamenting this. I think in this respect Welcome To Tomorrow is indicative of Snap! trying to be ahead of the curve, incorporate new sounds and develop things further. They also made an album after this which was scrapped, but two singles off it are available Gimme A Thrill and Angel (Rays Of Love). On both of these tracks, the more base-heavy production is back, as is Turbo B and new vocalist (whose name escapes me, but it's a return to the strong, more soulful 'diva' vocals). Neither of these tracks are anything amazing, but it does make me mournful of the fact that the album was scrapped, it would have been great to hear the album is a whole to see if there were any gems on it (let's not forget Colour Of Love was the first single from Madman's Return with included Do You See The Light and Rhythm is a Dancer so perhaps they're not great at identifying the best lead singles). They also released the odd song here and there over the subsequent years, again, nothing amazing, but I thought Beauty Queen was pretty good, and demonstrated again that they were never welded to the Eurodance female vocalist, male rapper formula that they helped create. Marchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16139345864040319446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634864082514183828.post-86061005807224944802024-01-02T11:17:35.245-08:002024-01-02T11:17:35.245-08:00Have a good month off. Maybe you can absorb all t...Have a good month off. Maybe you can absorb all the Kagami Smile releases from the past 5 years in the downtime. :-)Bradhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09914061494258529603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634864082514183828.post-85072819404829113642023-11-23T04:44:58.918-08:002023-11-23T04:44:58.918-08:00Ah, thanks for the fact-check, meant "for Sun...Ah, thanks for the fact-check, meant "for Suntrip", not overall. Made an amendment. <br /><br />Gosh, I really do hope this isn't *the* apex of the label. I've so many more CDs from them to go through. Sykoneehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06327331590042723390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634864082514183828.post-3629553963642599052023-11-23T04:16:41.201-08:002023-11-23T04:16:41.201-08:00Errr... you might want to check Discogs again, old...Errr... you might want to check Discogs again, old boy. His 2021 follow-up album From The Stars is present and correct on there, and there's A Trip Down Memory Lane from 2023, although that's listed as compilation and appears to be a remastered collection of his early works. <br /><br />I remember this album was pretty big at the time, or about as big as a psy album can get. John 00 Fleming got hold of it and was playing these tracks at the sharp end of his sets, which led to him commissioning an Artifact303 remix of his track The 10th Life in 2012. A rather monstrous remix it was, too. I'd argue this was one of - if not THE - key release that made people wake up to the "neo-goa" movement that Suntrip was a key part of. Sad that none of the follow-up music riding that hype could match this album though.Jackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02419135006374226030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634864082514183828.post-39927467181308315142023-10-04T15:43:24.384-07:002023-10-04T15:43:24.384-07:00I wouldn't mind the overheated second-hand mar...I wouldn't mind the overheated second-hand market so much if there was at least a secondary option for such CDs. Like, those old Fax+ albums deserve their Collector's Item price, since they <i>are</i> collector's items at this point, and I'd say the original run of Ultimae CDs are in similar category now too. Just give us 'late to the party' folks their own reissued copy as well, eh?<br /><br />Of course, I may be somewhat forgiving of it because, should I ever 'cash out' my own CD collection, there's a few items I potentially stand to make a tidy dollar over. Sykoneehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06327331590042723390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634864082514183828.post-72056817819915467042023-10-03T19:01:51.483-07:002023-10-03T19:01:51.483-07:00I'd like to say AES Dana hasn't forgotten ...I'd like to say AES Dana hasn't forgotten (seeing as he physically performed as HUVA Network with Solar Fields just a few weeks ago) but HUVA Network reissues have been described as "coming soon" since 2018 while the far more recent Pollen and Connect.Ohm's 9980 got the deluxe CD & vinyl treatment just 5 years after their original release.<br />My theory is that Villuis is embarrassed about his label's earlier "psychedelic" releases. Just this once I wish he'd listen to the wads of money in the hands of collectors unwilling to kneel to the scalpers on Discogs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634864082514183828.post-68535033531847080702023-08-28T04:16:20.279-07:002023-08-28T04:16:20.279-07:00It's still the same, yes.It's still the same, yes.Sykoneehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06327331590042723390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634864082514183828.post-18157549355855751052023-08-27T22:57:13.356-07:002023-08-27T22:57:13.356-07:00Long time no chat Sykonee. Say, is your physical m...Long time no chat Sykonee. Say, is your physical mailing address still the same as way back in 2017 to 2019? Have a couple albums that I've been heavily considering sending to you, for you know, your considered and educated opinion. <br /><br />Best,<br />PhiloiAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634864082514183828.post-58799956709211010272023-07-05T18:48:41.353-07:002023-07-05T18:48:41.353-07:00Haha, funny incentive to comment, that, but thanks...Haha, funny incentive to comment, that, but thanks in any event.<br /><br />Wish I could say the BB-war was won, but they made a mini-comeback before I could properly lay out suitable traps for them. It may be an ongoing issue, just because I've no idea how vigilant my apartment neighbors are in monitoring them (if they're even aware of their presence for that matter). Thank goodness I still have plenty o' peppermint oil spray!Sykoneehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06327331590042723390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634864082514183828.post-70490741854554715092023-07-05T11:15:12.915-07:002023-07-05T11:15:12.915-07:00Your BB infestation prompted me to leave a comment...Your BB infestation prompted me to leave a comment ~~ sorry to hear about it! But I've been meaning to leave a note just to say how much I've enjoyed reading your blog since I discovered it 5-6 months ago. Well done!Zombylobsterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01757684796230735759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634864082514183828.post-54103461074141412382023-07-05T04:34:55.871-07:002023-07-05T04:34:55.871-07:00You've explained the information very clearly ...You've explained the information very clearly in this blog. If you want to know more about <a href="https://croxxings.com/bios/artists/canadian-artists/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Canadian Rappers</strong></a> so you can visit us.Croxxingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02877546597545934956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634864082514183828.post-16641871984125921362023-05-01T17:01:45.564-07:002023-05-01T17:01:45.564-07:00Definitely one of my all time favorites album. I c...Definitely one of my all time favorites album. I can't get enough of it, even when so much time has happened and the music has changed in such way. I discovered this compilation on 2009, when I was at school. <br /><br />All tracks are well produced, some of them are staples, like Morning Star, that incredibly dark remix of Satellite and Fusing Love (fusion?) that I think is my most played track ever.<br /><br />Dream victimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12821676708019779555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634864082514183828.post-86760033511451880692023-03-04T10:31:34.995-08:002023-03-04T10:31:34.995-08:00Then, as a fellow white northern English bloke, I ...Then, as a fellow white northern English bloke, I thank you for your service in plumbing the depths of the genre and listening to this stuff so that we don't have to.Lyman_Zerganoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634864082514183828.post-13149220237470511112023-03-04T07:41:46.251-08:002023-03-04T07:41:46.251-08:00You've got it all back to front, Mr Zerga. As ...You've got it all back to front, Mr Zerga. As a white northern English bloke, an affinity for interminable 12 minute long progressive house cuts is genetically encoded into me. It was actually my ceaseless desire to hear yet more of the stuff that made me dredge up these CDs from the bottom of the barrel in the first place. Jackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02419135006374226030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2634864082514183828.post-39700928032974833712023-03-03T16:29:49.244-08:002023-03-03T16:29:49.244-08:00Compared to some of the other 'DJ Mix Review S...Compared to some of the other 'DJ Mix Review Series' I've done (Fabric On A Budget, In Trance We Trust: Super Champion Review Project Turbo, etc.), it's not entirely the daftest idea that's graced this blog.Sykoneehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06327331590042723390noreply@blogger.com