Fundamental: Cat. # FUN 521
Released July 4, 2005
Track List:
A: Days Like These (7:38)
B: ICO (7:45)
(2010 Update:
Holy anecdote, Batman, but hey, it's a breezy read, right? While the group seemed to disappear shortly after this, we definitely would be hearing more about that 'minimal click house' stuff I quipped about in the review.)
IN BRIEF: Days often forgotten.
So, I'm just relaxing in my palatial Marpole apartment (can't beat the sound of heavy traffic right out your patio!) on a fine Vancouver summer afternoon when something occurs to me. This fine Vancouver summer afternoon really isn't all that fine at all.
You see, us here in the North American northwest have been spoiled rotten these last couple years by unusually great weather. Sure, we've had to deal with forest fires in some areas and drought warnings, almost unheard-of events in a rainforest climate such as ours, but we took it in stride in favor of the sun.
It couldn't last, though, as it seems our typical weather has returned at the most inappropriate time. We've had spurts of sunshine and heat but for the most part, us poor Vancouverites have had to deal with drizzly rain, overcast skies, and muggy temperatures - or, as we've come to call it, "a typical Vancouver day."
Those of us who've lived on the Canadian west coast for long periods of time are quite aware of having sunny days, and we can even recall enjoying having those intense rays of sunlight beating down on us while we lounge around on a beachfront or outdoor park. Yet, once that good weather retreats and we are back into our typical climate, and the exact notion of it fades from our memory.
It's a strange feeling, to say the least, but not unlike listening to Days Like These.
Electrovoya seem to be quite new on the block, combining the talents of Greg Murray and Andy Hagerty. I've never heard any of their works prior to this one but they definitely know how to make a good trance record. Days Like These is a pleasant little ditty of bliss, as it really isn't too concerned about slamming you about with over-the-top theatrics. Instead, a simple melody loops throughout, subtly manipulated with effects to gently raise the atmosphere without ever peaking into absurdity. Synth washes complement the track to give it that added feeling of ecstasy washing over you (no, not the drug... well, maybe).
Damned if I can remember how it sounds seconds after the song ends, though. Days Like These is one of those odd-ball tunes that you enjoy listening to, you remember you enjoyed listening to it, and you know if you ever hear it again, you'll enjoy it just as much, but how did that melody go again?
Part of this problem probably has to do with Electrovoya's subtle production. Despite being played throughout without much interruption for breakdowns, builds, bridges, and other bric-a-brac (aside from your standard DJ-friendly intro and outro), the main melody doesn't really leap out at you in any significant way. Of course, this isn't really a bad thing, as it serves as a nice little interlude from whatever ails you during the day. However, unless Days Like These is placed in a minimal click house set (or something similarly unmelodic), chances are the song isn't going to light trance sets on fire anytime soon.
ICO on the flip has some of the same problems but has an easier time sticking in my mind for one big reason: it surprised me.
More old school in sound, this b-side makes good use of acid squelches, galloping string synths, and tough rhythms. The use of a more modern sounding synth for the main hook should appeal to the newer fans of trance, and it fits nicely with all the older sounds, but it doesn't really stick in the mind all that well either.
Also, there's a halting breakdown used to introduce it but to be honest, this breakdown isn't all that bad.
It sounds quite characteristic of most builds at first with layering synths and percussion, but Electrovoya pull a nifty little trick with the big kick build. While it may start as you'd expect, just when you figure it'll peak out, the kick begins to fade instead along with the rest of the building layers, lulling you into a false sense of security before everything, all at once, blasts forth with renewed intensity. I've listened to this a number of times and it still catches me off guard, probably because it so effectively plays against the conventional trance build template I've grown accustomed to.
So in the end, I enjoyed both these cuts, probably ICO a little more since it appeals to those classic trance sounds I fell in love with early on, but there isn't anything amazingly remarkable about them either. Functional is the best way to describe them, which is what it seems Electrovoya set out to do anyways. Best enjoyed on a typical Vancouver summer day.
Score: 7/10
Written by Sykonee. Originally published 2005 for TranceCritic.com.© All rights reserved.
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