Utada - Exodus

Island Records: 2004

I covered the two Japanese albums that bookend Utada's first foray into American markets, so why not the actual project as well? Even if I don't have the greatest familiarity with her general work, the story behind Exodus is worth at least a couple paragraphs of discourse, right? Sure, which I honestly kinda' covered in those previous reviews of Deep River and Ultra Blue. What else is there left for me to say? Well, what kind of music is actually on the record, so there's that.

Still, a little refresher is in order. Sensing an international starlet on his roster, Island Records CEO Lyon Cohen signed Hikaru to his label for an American-made album. Two problems though: one, J-pop never had any appeal in America, so Hikaru would have to change her style some to accommodate a different audience. Okay, that's not a huge deal, Deep River showing some Western R&B influences anyway, so the transition could be easy. Just assign some top-tier producers to the project to guide her on her way and what do you mean she's gonna' do all the music herself? That's not how things are done in America, yo'! Okay, if you have a ton of industry clout, sure, but someone making their debut in a new land? What do you think you are, big in Japan?

Even more so, I sense that, in having a fresh audience, Hikaru saw it as an opportunity to break free of conventional pop song-writing her first run of albums had. Push boundaries, get a little experimental, explore other facets of genres. This isn't just speculation, some songs on Exodus explicitly detailing how she wants to crossover styles of music, creating a melting pot and all that. Or those lyrics are just clumsy metaphors for sex, mixing 'gene pools' and all. Considering some of the other lyrics on here, maybe so.

I've mentioned in the past my primary hurdle in getting into all these Japanese artists remains the language barrier, but as this is a totally English record, that shouldn't be the case. Thing is, I can't help but get a twinge of cringe over lines like “You're easy breezy / And I'm Japaneezy”, or constantly referring to American guys she hooks up with in clubs as cowboys (this is the last kind of music you'll hear rancher dudes listening to, much less hanging out at urban clubs). Being a sultry seductress hunting on the town really isn't a lane Utada meshes comfortably with, and no amount of Timbaland production can hide that.

Okay, he really only produces a couple tunes, Exodus '04 and Let Me Give Your Love, and they're honestly some of the better cuts on here. Tracks like Tippy Toe and The Workout show some influence from him, if not direct input. There's a fair bit of interesting production on here, even if it doesn't all land. Which it apparently didn't, at least enough to get much attention in America. Still did gang-busters in Japan, because of course it would.

Chris Liebing & Speedy J - Collabs 300 & 301

NovaMute: 2004/2021

I initially thought maybe, just maybe, I wouldn't have to do these, the Chris Liebing collaborations well and sorted on the Metalism album concurrently released with the singles. A brief glance at the LPs' track list reveals three out of the four tunes making their way on, so nothing more I can say about them, right? Just move onto the next item and- oh, wait, that one on there is called Triflon, whereas this one's called Treflon. And having already gone through Jochem's penchant of making differing tracks with remarkably similar titles save a single vowel, these two will be different as well, right? Right. And whereas the single featured a Trezcore, the album has Acid Trezcore, while the Tricko on Metalism is a live version. Throw in a totally unique cut among the two Collabs with Liebing called Drippelzimmer, and yep, I do believe we have completely original material distinct from the album. Guess I gotta' get on that proper-like, then.

Or heck, I'll 'cheat' a little, wrap the two into one single review. Better for all, I wager.

Collabs 300 kicks off with the aforementioned Tricko, in its original incarnation. It's structurally the same track as heard on Metalism, a steady, pummelling piece of techno business gradually adding rhythmic layers before doing a little 'bring it down, then all back' in the back-half. An effective tool, then, but man, hearing all that extra club resonance and crowd hollering in the live cut... just can't be beat. Just goes to show how much more effective this stuff sounds live than sitting at home with headphones on. So much more energy. Just... so much more. Meanwhile, Treflon is a far superior version of the basic premise of Triflon. I wasn't much impressed by the bouncy, tech-house nature of its Metalism counterpart, but then I wasn't much impressed by anything among that album's opening salvo. Treflon may still over-use the crunchy-squishy percussion and distorted minimal vocals, but dammit, at least this version has a proper techno pulse to it. Still didn't need got'dang twelve-plus minutes of it, no matter how much fun I'm sure Chris and Jochem had jamming away making it.

Collabs 301 is kinda' the same, in that there's one better version of a track than as found on Metalism, and one lesser version. Okay, that's cheating, since I can't confirm nor deny there's a Metalism counterpart to Drippelzimmer. Really, any of the 4am warehouse bosh cuts could be one, since this is more of that. Quite minimal in its production too, in that there isn't a whole lot going on beyond the usual assortment of percussive fills and pull-backs. Again, standard fare for Liebing and Paap techno of the time, which I'm sure worked quite well in their sets. Trezcore, on the other hand, can't help but sound inferior to Acid Trezcore because, well, there's no acid. Yeah, it pummels just fine and all but where's the acid? Wh'ar th' ACID!? Nowhere she be, but on Metalism.

Literon & Speedy J - Collabs 200

NovaMute: 2004/2021

Sometimes I'm thrown for a loop in how many gaps remain in my electronic music knowledge. Granted, no one can know everything - even Lord Discogs, the Lord That Knows All, doesn't know all there is know. I'd like to think I know more than most, but even then, my expertise will always be filtered through what I am exposed to, and what I can make the time to expose myself to. When it comes to localized scenes that didn't get much shine beyond their regions, I likely remain rather ignorant of the who's who in the what's what.

Which is just a roundabout way of me saying I know nothing about Gert-Jan Bijl, the man behind Literon. He's apparently had quite a fruitful career in the lands of Dutch, making techno and other assorted sounds across multiple aliases and collaborative project since the early '90s to this day. He even got into the label business in the '00s, 4 Lux Recordings, still going... well, still going. Gerd is probably his most recognizable handle (Arkest's Blaze a groovy techno classic), though ol' schoolers may also know him as part of Sensurreal. And here's me, only having heard two tracks of his in all that time. One is Time And Space off Marcel Fengler's Berghain 05, the other hopelessly obscure. 'Tis a single cut on the compilation Excursions In Ambience, Afterglow, as part of the trio It's Thinking, including Mark Ripmeester and Dirk-Jan Hanegraaff. Hell, that's not even the trio's most successful alias, that honour going to Sunshower.

Anyhow, even if the fruitful career of Mr. Bijl came as a surprise to me, that he would collab' with one of the Netherlands' most famous techno sons in Speedy J is not. Far as I can tell, Literon was Gert's alias used whenever he wanted to go a little more Detroit than Euro in his techno, but was rather flexible overall – I even get a hint of trance in the track Villar Kone! Since bangin' 4am business was where techno was going at the turn of the century, so did Literon, and what better time to mesh musical ideas with Jochem than then?

Track one Snacker is a serious thumper, but aside from rattling percussion and abrassive, noisy fills, doesn't do much beyond standard techno tools stuff for its eight minute duration. Still, wonderful space between all these sounds, much more so compared to the bricked nature of the Adam Beyer collab'. Knicker on the flip is definitely the more interesting of the pair, more of a tech-house stomper with a seriously twitchy, almost glitchy rhythm. If anything was going to give off the Detroit vibes you might have expected going into this (a long stretch, I'll grant), then this track gets there reasonably well. And at keeping its length under six minutes, its loopy nature doesn't overstay its welcome.

To be honest though, I'm far more interested in digging into Gerd's extended discography than replaying these tracks anytime soon.

Etic - Touch Ups

Trancelucent Productions: 2004

It was that fateful re-connection with the Trancelucent Productions compilation Buckle Up Vol. 2 that led me here, and what fortuitous timing it was. Had I not done that re-update of the CD when I did, I would have missed out on buying a few items off of PsyShop for the final time, the long-lasting psychedelic trance webstore shuttering its doors mere months after. Of course, if I really wanted to nab Etic's debut album, I could probably find a copy for a fiver on the Discog Marketplace, but it just seems more appropriate I got this when I did as I did. Makes for a better anecdote, y'know?

As for why Etic, his contribution to said compilation was an intriguing one, a rather deep prog-psy outing surrounded by a bunch of standard Israeli full-on psy trance of the day (plus one super-dope cut from The Misted Muppet!). I didn't know if that was just a one-off, or if the rest of his discography was like that, but since I couldn't find his music on streaming services (note: this is before I started using Deezer), I figured it best doing it the ol' fashioned way: blind buying the CD.

And what I got was... pretty much what I was expecting. Like, if 1 Day was anything to go by, he wasn't going to tear things out the same way his Trancelucent brothers had, but I was hoping for a little more than retreads of the same basic idea. If anything, Touch Ups is even deeper than I could have imagined, the sort of minimalist prog-psy that you might find on Spiral Trax or Iboga Records. Considering this came out in 2004, does that put Mr. Harari ahead of the curve? Well, not quite, this sound floating about corners of the psy scene since the turn of the millennium. It's just surprising to hear it on a label not really known for it. Definitely helps it stand out though.

The good news is this is still an era when this brand of deeper-than-thou prog-psy had some groove behind it, and Etic offers that quite nicely. While the sounds and effects used remain subtle and flowing, I never felt bored or impatient with whatever wibble he uses, the steadying rhythm keeping my reptile brain entertained. It also helps that Etay makes it abundantly clear he isn't in any hurry or need of dropping some big, mind-melting tear-out hook, perfectly content providing the warm-up vibe such tracks rely on for maximum impact. Even when something resembling a proper melody shows up, its always with considered restraint.

Touch Ups won't win the hearts of folks burnt out on prog-psy's turn towards minimalism, but it holds its own nearly two decades on. Frankly, if you switched the psy trance rolling bassline with a rhythm more rooftop appropriate, this stuff wouldn't be much removed from early Minilogue. Hey, Etic had a label with tech-house releases, so it's not as far-fetched as you'd think.

Various - Disco Kandi 05.04

Hed Kandi: 2004

Right, don't need to get deep into this one. I've talked plenty about Hed Kandi, its various compilation series, the rise, the buy-out, the fall, the continued existence. Heck, I've already dabbled in their disco series twice now, so no need to get more detailed about something as self-explanatory as this.

Eh, before I talk the music, you want to know where Disco Kandi 05.04 falls on the grand timescale of Hed Kandi's lifespan? Oh, somewhere in the middle. I think this was one of the last before Ministry Of Sound came along, doing away with the numerical titles after. Disco Kandi became just another yearly DJ mix series, the first track of this new direction a remix of Fedde Le Grand's Put Your Hands Up For Detroit. As if you needed a more perfect example of Hed Kandi's brand losing the plot under the Ministry's 'guidance'.

Not that everything was flying high while still under Mark Doyle's supervision. Even here, one can sense a bit of struggle in filling out two CDs worth of up-front disco leaning house music. Change was unavoidable by the year 2004, most producers chasing that lucrative 'electro' craze, leaving things like 'funk' and 'soul' behind. There were hold-outs, of course, with many regular Kandi contributors featured across these two CDs. The days of finding hot up-and-comers were long gone though, few future hits makers found on Disco Kandi 05.04.

As always, disc one gives us the mid-tempo garage, exuberant Latin, and soulful side of house, with names like StoneBridge, Basement Jaxx, Funkstar De Luxe, and Joey Negro (as The Sunburst Band here) keeping things in familiar Hed Kandi territory. There's also that Axwell kid doing a remix on Mambana's Felicidad, but is more of a standard, loopy French house rub and anything 'Swedish'. The only track I recognize from elsewhere is Seamus Haji's go with Belezamusica's Running Away, though I can't help but think this is a remix of a cover? There's a fair bit of that going on between these two discs.

Oh yes, we get a couple of such tracks on CD2 (the late-night option), including Mr. Haji having his own go with Last Night A DJ Saved My Life. There's also Soul Central doing rather generic cover of Strings Of Life, a tune that I'll never understand the appeal of (those 'strings' always sound like ass). King Britt is here with a decent little acid boogie number in I Can't Wait (Milk & Sugar on the rub). Armand van Helden is still trying to ride that French house thing with My My My. And gosh, is that a touch of the space disco in opener Solaris from DJ Gregory? Sure sounds like it to me.

Overall, Disco Kandi 05.04 doesn't offer much that you wouldn't have heard before. It's just more of the same from the Hed Kandi brand, but as a slice of fluffy, funky house on a rainy day, it'll do the trick.

Wintersun - Wintersun

Nuclear Blast: 2004

You wouldn't think the Viking metal scene was large enough to allow for splintering. Maybe occassion personnel rotations, but if a band struck it hot with success, you'd be best served sticking things out together. That's not what happened with Ensiferum though, the lead vocalist and guitarist, Jari Mäenpää, striking out on his own after just two albums with the band. Okay, that's not quite accurate.

Seems Jari had been writing his own material before joining the Finnish folk metal band, and though having success with Ensiferum, continued stockpiling songs for future side-project consideration. Why not produce them with his current band? These just weren't compatible with the type of themes Ensiferum was exploring, Jari having visions of grand, majestic, and even melancholic in mind. Less pure folkish influence, more “spacy”, as he put it. So committed to the project he was, that Mr. Mäenpää decided he'd do all the music himself. Then he realized he couldn't do the blast-beat drums he'd wanted, so got Rotten Sound drummer Kai Hahto to join in. Everything else though, from vocals, guitars, synths, and miscellaneous, he'd produce.

So sounds good, and after a while, Jari managed to compile enough songs to see his 'Wintersun' project to fruition. Only, he'd booked studio time that would conflict with an Ensiferum tour. He requested a break to meet his studio schedule, but the band apparently fired him instead. Cold, man, like a Nordic winter.

If I thought the Ensiferum stuff was at a blistering pace, it's got nothing on Wintersun. In fact, it sometimes sounds too fast, like the guitars are pitched up and the drums can't quite keep up, though Kai is doing it absolute best to try. Or are the drums too fast? Is there any need to be ultra blast-beating during the operatic bridges? Plus, the overall mixdown seems rather tinny to my ears. As I've said, I don't know enough about Nordic death-folk-speed metal to know what the scene's bassline of production standards are, but surely it's beefier than this? Mind, as it is Jari doing almost everything here, having to record each part separately across many studios, so it's remarkable this debut album came together as well as it did. And while even Jari admits Wintersun can sound a bit 'demo-ish' compared to his later efforts, it certainly wasn't lacking in songwriting ambition.

Oh yes, despite all this, Wintersun does kick a lot of ass, in an epic, over-the-top sort of way. I can't take much of it seriously, but when that chorus in Battle Against Time erupts, holy Hell, do I ever want to fist pump along with. Plus, each successive song is longer than that last, showing some thought and care in the album presentation as a proper journey. Which is a fancy way of saying it does drag by the end, but I'll allow it. Given all the struggles Jari had in seeing this album to completion, Wintersun deserves a little indulgence.

Jupiter 8000 - Twisted Bliss

Avatar Records: 2004

The whole reason I ended up at Avatar Records' Bandcamp page was for a particular album from Electric Universe, Blue Planet. I got it, then figured I may as well splurge on some more psy-trance items while there. It didn't quite turn out that way, Ocelot's One a different beast than I expected, but this one, I felt pretty confident it was psy-trance. I didn't know what kind I was getting, but there's just something about the name 'Jupiter 8000' that screams vintage goa. Vibrant cover art too.

So I'm feelin' good that I'd stumbled upon some unheralded psy-trance project, when soon after I learned that Jupiter 8000 is another alias of Boris Blenn. You might know him mostly for his work as Electric Universe. The same Electric Universe I had already nabbed something from, after which I'd grabbed this because I wanted something else other than more Electric Universe. So it goes.

Actually, I shouldn't be quick to judge. Mr. Blenn started the Jupiter 8000 project as a means of exploring other sounds away from the goa that defined his earlier career. The self-titled debut certainly was a break from that, for more interested in what the realms of techno could offer the domains of psy. Some of it was interesting, but to my ears, it was travelling the same roads that Tristan's Audiotour had already ventured, and would lead to the monotonous psytekk sounds that plagued that Alien Dust compilation. I wonder if Boris realized it was a dead-end, because aside from one track, that stuff is jettisoned for his second (and thus far last) Jupiter 8000 album, Twisted Bliss. Well, I guess it was 2004, the original 'minimal techno-psy' movement already in the rear view in favour of the new hotness, 'minimal prog-psy that techno people can enjoy'. That Israeli full-on thing too.

So is that what Twisted Bliss is, a bandwagon jump on either or that wouldn't fit on an Electric Universe LP? Nah, in a surprising twist that is rather blissed, Mr. Blenn went old-school psy! Okay, about as 'old-school' as you could conceivably get away with in the mid-'00s, but close enough that there were points I thought I was listening to something from 1994 rather than 2004.

Oh yes, there be goa here, captain. For sure that full-on bassline is present in many of the tracks, but it isn't so dominate as most of psy-trance heard it then, and even shows some diversity throughout. Twisted Bliss is mostly dominated by its leads though, running from squiggly acid sounds (101 And Still Alive, Atem (Remix), Break The Law) to spaced out prog-psy trancers (Dust To Dawn, Break The Law, The Memory, New Moon). Throw in nods to other styles ('buttrock' psytekk in Bit Fire, psy-dub in Rubber Dub), and you've a well-rounded album of goa-psy. Not groundbreaking by any means, but enjoyable on its own merits. Throw in the context it was released in, and it suddenly sounds even better!

Ensiferum - Iron

Spinefarm Records/Icarus Music: 2004/2012

Not that it matters to readers of a blog supposedly dedicated to electronic music, but I should probably clarify a couple things regarding Viking metal band Ensiferum. For one, this band isn't strictly a Viking metal band. Yeah, they use Viking iconography and all, but they tend to fall more in the Folk metal branch of things.

And you may wonder, what's the difference, aren't we splitting braided hairs here? Hey, glass houses and all, fellow electronic music lovers. Especially psy-trance lovers (I'm looking at you, Goblin Psy). But okay, the fact that Ensiferum are Finnish does raise an eyebrow over the band finding inspiration in themes supposedly originated by the peoples of classic Scandinavia. Isn't that like Scots doing Celtic metal? Not that geographical neighbours aren't allowed to crib things from one another – cultural exchange and all that. It would properly make Ensiferum more Folk than Viking metal though, so if the nagging pedantic is bothering you about it, there's the necessary trivia.

After a successful debut and tour, the band struck again while the iron was hot, hence the title of this album. Heh, no, it's in reference to Ensiferum itself (know your Latin, kids). While I haven't done enough research to know exactly how stuffed the Viking/Folk metal scene had gotten by the mid-'00s, I can't imagine a complete retread of Ensiferum would do. No, this band went full-in with the Folkish traits. Instead of brief interludes where acoustic guitars or kantele would play a traditional ditty before erupting back into the blast-beats and heavy riffage, you now have full songs dedicated to it, complete with backing orchestra! Okay, synthesized orchestra, but the intent is still there. Honestly, if you found this CD sitting in some ye' olde Renaissance fair merch booth (just ignore the anachronistic nature of it), opener Ferrum Aeternum and closer Tears wouldn't seem out of place in the slightest. Heck, they even got Kaisa Saari to do vocals in the latter, and if you look at the Discogs page of her folk rock band Tarujen Saari, you'll be astounded by how un-metal they be.

But metal is what Ensiferum are, and by golly, metal is what they give. With added synthesizers. And more folkish interludes. Plus much crisper production, such that I can actually hear and understand Jari's vocals now. Well, when he doesn't go full-throated growl, though he's added the classic falsetto wail to the Ensiferum repertoire. And I can't get enough of good ol' group choruses and chants. LAI LAI HEI indeed!

Iron is also a much shorter album than Ensiferum, and not so relentless as the debut either, plenty of pause between its pummelling portions. When the band does go off though, it's as full-tilt as anything from before. And gosh, is it just me, but do some of these songs sound like Metallica's Battery? I must not be the only one, because the 2009 re-issue included a bonus cover of that very song. Inspiration not only regional, but timeless!

Various - In Trance We Trust 010 - Collector's Edition 1

In Trance We Trust: 2004

I might as well complete the collection, right? Like, I'm only missing a handful of these compilations now. It'll be nice to say that I've a complete set of at least one long-running, on-going series should I show off all my CDs to someone. They'll say, “Boy, that's a lot of CDs, any complete collections?” And I'll say, “Yeah, one.” And they'll ask, “Is it Fabric? Balance? DJ-Kicks?” And I'll say, “No, nothing so prestigious.” And they'll say, “Ah, something more trancey then: Distance To Goa.” And I'll say, “No, not that either.” To which they'll ask, “Well, which one?” From which I'll reply, “In Trance We Trust.” After they'll inquiry, “But.. you dislike Dutch eurotrance. Why that series?” Forthwith I'll respond, “Because it was there.”

The tenth volume of In Trance We Trust's showcase mix series is unlike any other volume in its two-decade history, in that it's a 'best of' double-disc extravaganza! Look, it was the mid-'00s, when two CDs worth of music could still be considered a hefty amount to take in. The Black Hole Recordings off-shoot had been in operation for six years by the time it hit number 010, so I'm sure they felt the time was right for a little summation on their catalogue. Good thing too, considering the first creeps of trend-chasing decline would rear its head in the follow-up volume two years later (thanks, 'electro' house!). Say what you will about this early era of eurotrance, it at least knew what it was and made no apologies for it.

Like, I know I'm gonna' be in for breakdowns – oh lordy, are there ever breakdowns – but I don't hate these so much. I think I've just trained my brain to tune the naff bits out, and enjoy the elements that I do enjoy. The pumping rhythms, the spacey pads, the plucky riffs, the energetic leads, and, yes, even the occasional overwrought supersaw anthem, if tastefully done. Things still feel like in a state of flux in this period of eurotrance, the subtler, classy tunes still rubbing shoulders with outright cheese. And heck, even the cheese sometimes hits on those guilty pleasure endorphins the best of eurodance nails every time. Plus, the production isn't all unbearably bricked, which is nice. Ooh, I can hear the air between the beats!

As this is a 'collector's edition', there's no big spotlight on a guest DJ handling the mix, but Cor Fijneman does handle the CD2 set. CD1, meanwhile, isn't even mixed at all, making this the only disc in In Trance We Trust history to offer full, uncut tracks. I'm assuming these are the tunes that didn't fit in Cor's set, but still deserved highlighting of the label's history.

So lots of familiar names throughout, but one glaring omission stands out to my eyes: Fictivision's Ringworld. That's, like, my favouritest track from this label ever! No, I'm not just saying that because of the single's super-unique cover-art. It's a good trance tune, I swear!

Way Out West - Don't Look Now

Distinct'ive Records: 2004

(a Patreon Request from Philoi)

Like Hybrid, I never thought I'd dig into the discography of Way Out West. I liked the odd track I'd hear from them, but the general discourse of “each album is less interesting than the last” didn't inspire much curiosity from yours truly. Still, I took a chance on Intensity, quite enjoyed it, and will get around to their self-titled debut in due time. Meanwhile, I'm here reviewing by request Don't Look Now. Hey, that was, like, one of TranceCritic's first ever reviews! Let us never speak of it again.

Way Out West were often fancied prog-house taste-makers, helping usher in a young prog-breaks scene while Nick Warren handled a pile of Global Underground sets. There's very little taste-making going on with this album though, the duo clearly hearing the winds of change, hitching their wagon to the emergent McProg sound of the mid-'00s. They even went out and got their own vocalist, billed here as Omi (Lord Discogs tells me she performed as Emma Hall with Starecase prior).

This could have been a great album, easily on par with their older works – Nick and Jody remain talented producers no matter how 'basic' their songcraft gets. However, it feels like the sequencing of Don't Look Now is totally borked. It starts as you'd expect of a group trying to get on that Hybrid-prestige, Anything But You a decent prog-breaks outing while letting Omi do her thing. All momentum of the album is sucked out, however, with a watery trip-hop follow-up. Plus, if you came in already feeling suspect about Omi turning into a major focal point (centre-spot on the cover art doesn't help), this wouldn't have allayed your worries. Never mind she doesn't appear much after (only three more songs out of twelve total), the front-loaded impression is difficult to shake.

The middle run of tracks are all serviceable stabs at various forms of prog (house/breaks/slowbeat?) but I cannot deny my attention often drifting as they play. Chasing Rainbows' languid pace and dreamy guitars are quite nice, while Fear triggers all the right McProg-enjoying endorphins lurking somewhere in the recesses of my brain.

Still, I feel stupid for not really getting into this album until Killa, just because it's such a simple, dumb-fun tune (those chants! D'at thunderous beat!), your reptile brain can't help but take notice. From there, more intuitive breaks action comes care of Northern Lights (the sort of science some undoubtedly expected from the start), while Melt is a pleasant little ditty for Omi to take us out on. Oh, wait, they got Ulrich Schnauss with them for the actual closer, Absinthe Dreams a weirdo trip-hop session that certainly fits the title.

Regardless of how folks reacted to Don't Look Now, it ended up being a one-time outing. Omi would never return, while Nick and Jody split off for solo pursuits for half a decade. It does hold up better than most commercial prog of the day, but that's not a terribly high bar to pass.

L.S.G. - The Best Of L.S.G. (The Singles Reworked)

Superstition: 2004

I can't recall if folks thought it at the time, but it did seem the L.S.G. era of Oliver Lieb's career was over. You usually don't do a 'Best Of' collection if you figure there's still more in the tank for a project. By the year 2004, however, the signs were aplenty that times were a'changein'. Chief among them, L.S.G. was soon to be homeless, the label Superstition unable to adapt with the ever-shifting trends in clubland. They tried getting in on that digital download thing with a run of L.S.G. singles re-issues, but it wasn't enough. Thus a finished album following The Hive went unreleased, and Lieb moved onto other things. Say, that minimal techno thing is catching on, how about that? Ah well, at least Superstition lived long enough to let Lieb do a 'remix album' of all the tunes that helped make the label one of trance's taste-makers of the '90s.

And honestly, I don't think an L.S.G. 'best of' could have worked as anything other than a 'reworking' of all his singles. The easy, lazy thing to do would be to just slap them all on a disc, maybe force a continuous mix out of it, and call it a day, but ol' Oliver had taken the project through many different paths over the decade of its existence. How could one's muse be satisfied with how the original works sounded after gaining so much experience in the studio since? I'm sure ideas and re-imaginings had been sloshing in his brain for a while (especially during the Into Deep sessions, if the final result is any indication), forming sonic links and chains among his various tracks. True, there's always been signature markers that let you know you're dealing with a Lieb production (the gated synths, the impeccable drum programming, those claps), but why not sum it all up in one uber-album retrospective?

Folly for me, I didn't 'get it' when I first threw on The Singles Reworked. Maybe I was more enamoured by the second disc holding all those non-album L.S.G. tunes, in my clutches for the first time and all (Hearts! Transmutation! Blueprint! Fragile (Gravity Fools The Magician Remix By Vapourspace)...?). Or maybe I was just so unfamiliar with all the reworked tunes that I couldn't appreciate the changes. Aside from My Time Is Yours, The Train Of Thought and Netherworld, none had appeared on an L.S.G. album. For a while, I thought it all cool and neat sounding, but cribbing just a bit too much from Into Deep's aesthetic to stand out as its own unique thing. As I said, folly for me.

But yes, time and repeated plays has provided enough perspective such that I hear The Singles Reworked as more than just a 'best of' remix record. It truly is an album unto itself, just with familiar melodies in a different context from their original conception. Think of it like an 'unplugged' session, except still very much plugged in.

Bent - Ariels

Open: 2004

Definitely not the first Bent album you're supposed to get, if you're just figuring out whether you'll like their music or not. This isn't the first for yours truly, as I got it with Programmed To Love, the one I'm pretty sure is the one you're supposed to have, even if you're not a fan of Bent. I figured though, if I'm getting one Bent album, I might as well get another, and this one, it was nice and affordable on the Amazons for an artist mini-splurge. Would I have been better served doing a little research into this before purchasing so comparatively blind? Absolutely, but that's no fun, no fun at all. Music hunting need not be dull, dutiful collecting when one can feel the thrill of exploring uncharted sonic domains. What would you rather do in your survival MMO, stay at a base and horde resources, or see what's beyond that next hilltop? Sorry, marathoning twenty-two hours of Neebs Gaming's 7 Days To Die series has wormed its way into my metaphors.

Let's be real though. The whole reason I'm finally giving Bent a proper go is because I've long enjoyed the scattered classics of their early catalogue (Spotify Discovery reminding me of them hasn't hurt), and hope to hear more of that. How was I to know that just three years from their debut and three albums deep, Misters Tolliday and Mills would feel the itch to move on from that and do something different, evolved from their sample-heavy songcraft? Like, kudos and all for doing so, but it sure threw me for a loop hearing Ariels before any other of Bent's long players.

So this is the album the Bent boys decided to get a whole bunch of real instruments and non-sampled singers into the studio to craft their own brand of contemporary easy-listening music. You got cellos, flutes, harps, glockenspiels, violins, violas, brass, bass, and double-bass. Ooh, some pedal steel guitar action too, in On The Lake. Such a dreamy sounding instrument, fitting for a dreamy sounding song, almost treading into New Age territory, or what The Gentle People would have sounded like if they'd played their music more straight.

Anyhow, Ariels is as pure a dream-pop album you can probably find for the Cafe del Mar set, which has always been Bent's charm. In utilizing mostly real instruments over samples though, it comes off rather detached from the post-clubbing scene, music actually intended for Nuclear Family moms rather than their burnt-out grandkids. There's still some groove to be found, while the huskier voice of Kosheens' Sian Evans lends tracks like I Can't Believe It's Over more to trip-hop's domain. Still, I cannot deny this album tends to phase through me like so much light-weight, fluffy muzak-pop. Feels like in their attempt to be as authentic to the easy listening music of yesteryear, Bent hit it a little too on the nose in the process. It does make for a nice counter to the winter doldrums though.

Spielerei & Mantacoup - Wichman And Other Pieces

Databloem: 2004

I started this current, nigh-endless alphabetical backlog on a Spielerei & Mantacoup release. Seems appropriate that, as I come to its end, I finish with a Spielerei & Mantacoup release. Not quite the end, mind, still a couple more items below here, but man, what a journey it's been, eh? I reviewed Cold War all the way back in, gosh, March? And here we are, around one hundred reviews later, not to mention multiple weeks of vacation thrown in (plus, um, other 'stuff'). All acceptable factors in taking as long as I have in getting through it, but man, it sure felt a slog at some points. Just a tad too much of the noodly, droning ambient, methinks.

What's even funnier about (nearly) ending this run on this particular album is its place in the Spielerei & Mantacoup discography, as this was the first one they released together. Keep in mind that Cold War was their last collaborative work, and was the first CD I reviewed in this stretch. Never would I have thought the sequencing in this project of mine would contain an actual ouroboros; at least, not until I reach Model 500's Classics again.

Wichman And Other Pieces may be the first album these two released together, though they each had some work out on dataObscura in that time too. So the two crossed paths, vibed on the synergy, and made some music – not an uncommon occurrence in the going-ons of musicians. What makes this particular CD so funny-weird is the fact it's mostly a live album. Yes, their 'debut' release mostly includes recordings taken from The Wichman Concert, which is a rather ballsy move on Databloem's part. The young label hadn't even reached it's tenth release yet, but hey, here's a live session from a couple artists making their debut on our print. I joke, but truthfully, Databloem had been releasing a few of these 'Databloem In Concert' CDs already, including one from Saul Stokes, plus another due from The Circular Ruins (because of course).

For the purposes of this CD, The Wichman Concert is divided up into seven parts, though it is a continuous long-play with various movements and sections throughout. So lots of segments of synth drone, pad washes, burbly electronics, and soft, dubby ambient techno rhythms. Part 4 gets surprisingly aggressive, its chugging, groovy beats sounding like they're being dragged through dub-mud, while Part 7 provides the requisite uptempo closure to a live set (paging Dr. Jarre on that one), though nothing that'll have folks rioting in their zoot suits.

As the album title implies, there wasn't enough material in the concert for a full-fledged album, so four additional pieces are added. These mostly follow upon the same moody, dubby ambient techno vibes as the live stuff, while Sfunato treads startlingly close to the domain of psy-dub. It's all quite good and all, though really mostly just confirms Databloem a class label throughout its lifespan than anything on the artists' part.

Various - Hed Kandi The Mix: Summer 2004

Hed Kandi: 2004

As I continue my curiosity-sating plunge into Hed Kandi's prime years (cheap used CDs help), one issue I've had with them is their unmixed nature. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for having full tracks for my own music collection, but when you're dealing with double-disc compilations of very similar music throughout, it grows monotonous hearing all those obligatory DJ-friendly intros and outros over and over and over. And honestly, this is only an issue on collections like Disco Heaven or Beach House, where the selections are about as homogeneous as this genre can get. It all works well enough in mix sets, but the stop-start nature of unmixed tracks calls for variety, capitalizing on the freedom of breathing space between tunes. The more I listened to Hed Kandi compilations, the more I wondered why they didn't offer them in the form of DJ mixes.

Well lo', they did! ...after a time. There were occasional single-disc 'samplers' released, but by 2003, the demand was high enough that Hed Kandi officially dove into the overstuffed multi-CD DJ mix market. Only they kept things in-house, curator Mark Doyle doing the business, no major spotlight on some superstar mercenary jock stealing the shine from the real heroes of a DJ mix: the artists that make the tunes!

The Mix: Summer 2004 was one of the label's earliest forays into the DJ mix medium, and let me tell you, all those nitpicks about Hed Kandi I highlighted above, instantly solved here! Sure, there's no technical wizardry out of these sets, but who'd ever buy something from this label expecting that? You're first and foremost buying from Hed Kandi because the catchy cover art lured you in. Then, maybe distant second, the music selection intrigued you further. So long as there aren't any horrid transitions or tonal clashes, you're gonna' have a good time.

The two main mixes of this 3CD set remains consistent with Hed Kandi's breaded butter, CD1 featuring the garage and disco house, and CD2 getting in on those clubby anthems and *shudder* trendy 'electro' schlock. Yeah, Ferry Corsten's Rock Your Body Rock is here, and sounding way out of place even in track list consisting of Junior Jack's Stupidisco, Armand Van Helden's “I cans Daft Punk too!” Hear My Name, and Cicada's “Stadium Remix” of Deepest Blue's Is It A Sin. Can you tell I prefer CD1?

Of course, CD3 gives me the most endorphin tingles, an almost obligatory 'classics' collection of tunes. Well, 'back in the day' compared to the year 2004 – the upfront tunes of this release are now older than some of the classics were then! And while some may roll their eyes at seeing tracks like Ce Ce Peniston's Finally, Robin S.' Show Me Love, and Aftershock's Slave To The Vibe trotted out again, I bet you haven't heard them arranged in this order! Oh, you have. Well, I just have a soft spot for oldies from Morales, Humphries, and Knuckles, so there.

Various - fabric 14: Stacey Pullen

Fabric: 2004

*cover art care of fabric's “chimeras are kewl” period*

Time trudges on, and fabric CDs continue their ever-gradual descent into super-affordable second-hand market territory. Why, I can actually be picky-choosy over which ones I pick up on the cheap now! No longer must I subject myself to dry, sandpaper minimal-tech mixes, when even the good stuff can be had for less than a fiver (while the bad stuff is pennies!). Thus I was giddy over seeing this Stacey Pullen set hit the Amazons. Sure, it's no Andrew Weatherall or John Peel or Carl Craig, but it ain't no Jon Marsh or Akufen or DJ Spinbad either. Just kidding, I don't know whether any of those are held in super high-esteem either. I mean, it's not like I've seen them as super cheap as other fabric CDs, including very recent ones.

I haven't had much opportunity to talk up Stacey Pullen, in that he hasn't dabbled in the producer's chair too often. A smattering of singles across a half-dozen aliases throughout the '90s, as any good Detroit native is obligated to do, but the DJing circuit is where he made his name, hitting up a few of the Very Important series in doing so: DJ-Kicks, RA, 2020 Vision, Balance. Wait, Balance? Isn't that a prog and tech-house series? What's a Detroit techno guy doing there?

Therein lies one of Mr. Pullen's claims to fame, a willingness to pull (herrr...) from genres not typically seen as Detroit Pure. Not to any radical sense, mind you, but enough such that he can play to many a fussy audience while still dropping that Motor City knowledge on their unsuspecting earholes. Just kidding, I'm almost certain folks going to see a touring Stacey fully expect it. Thus, it should come as no surprise that Fabric 14 sounds very much of the club it's promoting. A quick run through some bouncy 'ethnic' house to start, some deeper cuts with the obligatory soliloquy thrown in, then a jaunt through dubby tech-house that could be called prog if played by a prog DJ, but isn't because Mr. Pullen could never be a prog DJ, even on a Balance mix. There's a Peace Division track in this set, is what I'm getting at.

Stacey will forever be a Detroit guy though, and after spending half the CD hooking you in with the deep, dark, dub tech-prog, he abruptly changes gears into Moodyman's festive disco funk Music People. Then it's off to an older cut of Men With Sticks' proto tech-house cut 3rd Eye. They, um, aren't from Detroit. Neither is DiY (UK), Oscar (French), Dave Angel or Solid Groove (both UK). Ah, gotta' play the local heroes, I guess. Lots of deep tech in this final stretch too, but with some powa' in d'em beats. Overall, a fun CD highlighting much of what folks dig Pullen's eclectic style, and a worthy addition to the fabric tech-house legacy. Now, about that Balance set...

Various - Audioworks Various Artists V1 (Original TC Review)

C.I.A.: 2004

(2019 Update:
Well, is this ever an eyesore. I know there's still a few track-by-track reviews lurking in my archives, but the older they get, the harder they are to read. Not that they were well-written in the first place, but my eyes can't help but glaze over once the supposed meat is getting detailed. Looks like a bunch of fat and gristle now. Some folks out there like fat and gristle, but not me. I likes my steak lean an' mean.

Of course, the biggest oversight in this review is the total absence of any Pendulum name-drops. True, this compilation came out before the Down-Southerns changed the d'n'b game forever after, but I was writing this at peak Pendulum-mania. Frankly, though I knew they existed, and Jack Moss had reviewed them for TranceCritic, they never registered on my radar until much later. Just goes to show how out of the loop I really was from jungle at the time, so take whatever I had to say here with a boulder of sodium carbonate.)


IN BRIEF: Rough’n’ready jungle for all.

Got’dang’it, but do I ever have a hard time starting these jungle reviews. I only dip into that scene whenever I feel the urge to bust out some frantic dancing or be absorbed by sub-whoofer assaults. The cultural nuances hardline junglists cling to with life-or-death intensity fly over my head, just because I’ve never been subservient to any one small niche of music-dom. Yes, I do my research for the necessary background info on the subject, but the personal insight a highly anticipated release on the jungle ‘mah-siive’ isn’t something I feel. I am, for all intent and purpose, a passive fan of the music, and that’s about it.

Perhaps that’s why we don’t cover as much jungle as some of the other genres. We know we can’t bullshit our way through some of the more underground acts, as junglists would see right through us. Alternatively, just dryly covering a release’s details is awfully boring, and can probably be read anywhere anyways.

Take this release for instance. I’m sure a hardline junglist could go into great depth about Total Science, their impact on the ‘deebee’ scene, and the particulars about their C.I.A. label. Of course, I could do the same, but the nuances junglists have come to know from fellow scensters would undoubtedly be missing from my interpretation of this info. While events are just historical dates to me, to the junglist they are defining moments in their lives.

Does this make me qualified to review jungle? As a review of jungle for junglists, maybe not. However, as a general music fan writing for other general music fans, why certainly.

That convoluted disclaimer out of the way, let’s dive ourselves into some breakneck drum’n’bass, yes?

So yeah, Audioworks is basically a showcase of the C.I.A. family (the C.I.A. stands for Computer Integrated Audio, your fun-fact of the day). Everyone has a moment to flex their muse here, and while the tempos are fairly consistent at their rapid pace, there are still plenty of flavors to be had.

Hive & Echo get the party started with some easy going street funk and synthy strings. Of course, the rhythms are as frenetic as ever, but never feel as though they’ll derail at any moment. As for the bassline, it doesn’t try to bludgeon you with its presence, simply bobbing along at sub-frequencies that’ll rumble in your gut when played on adequate sound-systems.

However, if you prefer your jungle with the basslines dominating, then Baron’s Meet The Creeper will be right up your alley. After a bit of a tease in the intro, the beats come in slammin’ with a grimy bass riff. Nothing pretty about this track; it knows its role and performs it admirably. DJ Friction’s follow-up Shockwave indulges with the formula a little more though, making use of a bleepy hook to play off the main bass hook. Additional sound effects complete the package, making Shockwave a well-rounded slice of niceness.

Wisely, Audioworks doesn’t overindulge in these tracks for long, and takes us into more soulful territory with Total Science’s own offering of Picture Perfect. The bassline still has drive, but the additional synth hooks and vocal samples help carry the song to mellower pastures. The next couple of tracks follow Picture Perfect’s lead quite nicely, although Booty Conspiracy began to wear a bit thin with its repetitiveness.

Invaderz aim to change the mood of this compilation once again, giving us a taste of the paranoid sci-fi soundscapes of Control. With more attention payed to the atmosphere rather than the rhythms here (the beats tend to be quite repetitive, and are arranged in such a manner that isn’t the easiest to dance to), this track may not be up your alley if you prefer your jungle soulful or energetic. Still, as a diversion form what we’ve heard so far on Audioworks, Control is a welcome bit of moody music.

The Spirit’s Midnight Run retains a similar atmosphere to Control, but the beats are more ‘bang-on’, making it easier to groove to. It also marks a return of the dominating basslines as heard earlier in this compilation, although intermittently. It makes for a nice segue though.

Why? Because follow-up Friday is absolutely killer, that’s why! The intro beats to this track are already some of the most intense heard on Audioworks, but when Friday briefly breaks down to introduce the main bassline hook in a nice build, the energy it creates is off the fucking chart! This is head-banging, balls-to-the-wallz, pummel you senseless jungle business here. And like crafty producers, Drumsound and Smith only makes use of it sparingly, making you hungry for it to drop back in but never for so long you get sick of it. Fucking wicked, this track is.

After that burst of nitro, we’re taken into a blissy bit of drum’n’bass with Digital’s 3 Point, hinting at an easy-going outro for this compilation. Follow-up Divine Intervention seems to support this idea for a bit, but takes a 180 by unleashing a growling, abrasive bassline with terrifying results. Heh, nothing like a little ‘bait’n’switch’ action to snap you out of your stupor. Q Project does come correct though, offering us a dubby slice of ragga jungle to take us out.

In all, I quite enjoyed listening to Audioworks. While individually these tracks may not be breaking any new ground, their arrangement here is very good. At no point did I feel the flow lagged or came to an abrupt halt, and each track managed to sound different enough from the last to keep me interested. In fact, even after listening to this constantly for the last few days to write this review, I’ve never grown bored of it, and will probably still have it on my current rotation.

Audioworks is a solid compilation of jungle. Even if you’re only a passive fan of the genre, do check it out.

Written by Sykonee for TranceCritic.com, 2006. © All rights reserved.

Various - Fade Records Presents: Audiotour - Chris Fortier

Benz Street US: 2004

It's amazing how Chris Fortier repeatedly kept the 'trance' faith alive for me. I've already gone on a tonne over the hopelessly obscure Trance America mix from him, and wouldn't you know it, he did it again with an almost equally obscure mix CD, this little Audiotour item. Right, this isn't trance, but progressive house, or prog, whichever you prefer in the year 2004, though even then there were a number of notions of what prog-house was anymore. Was it the deep, dark, dubby tribal stuff Digweed had been championing for a while? Or was it the slighter, poppier stuff as heard from Gabriel & Dresden's various works? Was it some mutant hybrid with twinkly melodies and chugging rhythms? No one knew for sure, thus the scene was set to fracture in such a fashion that it still hasn't found common ground again. All I knew at the time was most of the mixes I was sampling weren't doing it for me, leaving me wondering whether I'd ever buy another prog-house CD.

And honestly, I wasn't expecting a revival or something from Chris Fortier – I was surprised enough seeing this release sitting idly in an A&B Sound that browsing day. I knew he'd done a mix for Digweed's Bedrock series, but had heard little else from him since Trance America. For all I knew, he had jumped on the McProg bandwagon too, or maybe pulled a Steve Porter and gone funky house! And hoo, did I fear the worst with the opening track A.B.E. from Motive, a short-lived project from Tom Anderson and Mark Hunt, featuring the vocals of Abegale Fishcer, and among the cheesiest prog-breaks tunes I've ever heard. Just... eugh. I'm flabbergasted that the label behind Fade would release such a track. Then again, they also were the first to remix Delerium's Silence.

Forget the first track. It has nothing to do with the rest of the mix, a total misdirection of where Audiotour takes you. Yes, this is basically a Fade Records showcase, and wouldn't you know it, Fortier had kept his label on the straight and narrow, releasing tunes like it's still the year 1999. Or 2001. Whenever you figure 'peak dark prog' was. Point is you get those tasty vintage deep dubby chuggers like Blackwatch's rub on Luigi's Creation, The Ally Qats' Talk To Me Goose (that breakdown!), and Chris Micali's L' Èvasion (complete with creepy sample of Dr. Loomis describing Michael Myers in the insane asylum).

The moody groovers out of the way, Fortier unleashes a few fun anthems for the close-out, including a cheeky collaborative remix with Steve Porter on D'Shake's old-timey Yaaaah! (that's four 'a's, yo'). Chris's own cut Wateveritis works the classic prog-house vibes as wonderfully as any tune from the '90s, while the final run of Fade tunes are fine, though strangely sound a tad dated compared to the tracks that came prior. Still, when it comes to '90's sounding mid-'00s prog-house, I'll take dated any day!

Pitch Black - Ape To Angel (Original TC Review)

Kog Transmissions/Waveform Records: 2004/2005

(2019 Update:
I fear I overplayed this when I first got it. I wouldn't say it was a revelation or something so daft, but man, did it ever hit the sweet spot in releasing those fussy pleasure endorphins, music that I needed at a most opportune time in my life. I sadly haven't gone back to it much this past decade though, so much of it now burned in my brain that I just have to think of it and the whole thing plays out in a rapid flash within my mind. I don't like that. I yearn for the lost anticipation of hearing it fresh and new again, but such a time is gone, gone, gone. Maybe I can take a spoon and scoop out wherever the Ape To Angel memories are stored.

Or perhaps it'd be better if I just scope out some more of Pitch Black's music. They've certainly kept active to this day, and apparently even resisted the temptation to jump on the dubstep bandwagon like a lot of unique, groovy psy-dub festival mainstays did. Guess that's more Bandcamping in store for me...)


IN BRIEF: This release coulda been 'electronica'.

“Oh great,” you say. “Here go these TranceCritic writers again, willfully reviewing obscure material and giving it high scores just because it’s underground.”

With that, I’m sure I’ve put a chunk of our readers on the defensive. Don’t play coy. I know there’s a good deal of you out there who figure because we don’t shower certain DJs and producers with unconditional praise, we’re nothing more than elitist music snobs. Of course, such folk rarely see the nice things we have said about said DJs and producers, as it tends to only be the negative that sticks in their mind.

However, it is true we sometimes dig deep into uncharted music territory, where more often than not we come across electronic gold to share with our readers. Such is the allure of the hunt for dedicated music collectors, spending countless hours and funds in the pursuit of those unheralded artifacts.

Our excursions have now taken us to a land most don’t regularly associate electronic music with: New Zealand. The island nation is more known for its Maori heritage, kiwi fruits, and, more recently, the spiritual home of Middle Earth. But an EDM scene? It hardly registers - the lack of any globally recognized names doesn’t help. Fortunately, this lack of worldwide notice hasn’t stopped Zealanders from pursing their interests into the realm of digital dance music.

Production duo Paddy Free and Michael Hodgson have quietly built up a name for themselves over the years, and the dedication to their craft has begun to yield some notice in other corners of the world. Reason is their music has reached a stage where they’re at one with their sound - dubby psychedelia - and aren’t afraid to export it to other styles. There’s a cool confidence in their work, a trait that was quite common in the big ‘electronica’ acts of the 90s like Underworld and Leftfield.

Hmn. Suddenly I have the suspicion this room just got a lot emptier. Was it perhaps that ‘psychedelic dub’ tag that caused the less adventurous to flee? If so, it’s their loss, as Pitch Black’s sound encompasses far more: psy dub is merely a starting reference. Free and Hodgson show an affinity for the cavernous sounds echo, delay and reverb effects can create, but they don’t get caught up in the novelty of it like some dub producers do; providing texture is their main goal with the sound. As for the psychedelic part, it too doesn’t get bogged down with over-indulgence. There’s some loose arrangements and some squiggly sounds, but none of which are a track’s focus.

Still, when Pitch Black does indulge in psy dub, they fire on all cylinders. The titular opener, Flex, the jazzier Freefall, and the ambientish Empty Spaces lazily groove along with dubby effects tingling at your mind. And in case rhythms and effects aren’t enough for your head to chew on, your attention will easily be drawn to the warm melodies bubbling just beneath the surface.

Elsewhere on Ape To Angel, the duo have fun fusing reggae harmonies, techno soundscapes, and brisk breakbeats into their dubbed-out delights. Melt is a little more traditional for this kind of sound, but Lost In Translation’s funky freewheeling and chip-choppy vocal sampling will definitely get your body movin’. And if that’s not enough for you, the gradual build of easy-going grooves to near d’n’b speeds of The Random Smiler should satisfy even the most suspicious of this reviewer’s praise. But wait, there’s more!

Far from content to stick to these styles, Pitch Black tackle techno head-on in Big Trouble Upstairs. This is the kind of track you wouldn’t find too out of place in a WipEout soundtrack, using subtly layered rhythms, burbling acid, and moody future soundscapes to bring the energy up in ever gradual increments. It’s definitely a different kind of track on this album, especially considering the generally psychedelic chill vibe that permeates the proceedings. Yet, it maintains the duo’s style, and shows how adept they are at this electronic music thing.

But wait, there’s still more!

Forget all that talk about psy and dub and techno and breakbeats. Pitch Black throw in a spacey bit of acid jazz with the track Elements Turn, including full lyrics provided by Sandy Mill (her voice is also used in Freefall, but only for a few repeated words). Were it not for some of this duo’s dubby sound lightly lurking in the background, Elements Turn could easily fit snugly in a Kruder & Dorfmeister-styled set. Hell, it still could, should such DJs feel a little adventurous in their track selection.

A diverse album? Ape To Angel certainly is that. Even if the general mood tends to remain consistent, Pitch Black have no trouble flirting with other styles, keeping the variety on this full-length fresh as it plays through. Many acts often attempt this, but all too often sound like they are merely checking off a list of types of tracks they should have - even more often for the sole reason of trying to distribute their material to other genre scenes they don’t normally associate with. However, because Free and Hodgson aren’t really a part of any predetermined scene, they don’t feel inhibited by what is expected of them, which allows them to produce the music they desire. As a result, the songs on here are strong and fearless, and shouldn’t be missed by anyone who fancies themselves a fan of electronic music.

Written by Sykonee for TranceCritic.com, 2007. All rights reserved.

Various - Zentertainment 2004

Ninja Tune: 2004

My early years in the The Big City was tough, financial frugality forcing me to be ultra-picky in what new music I'd buy for myself. After Shadow Records folded though, where could I find a quick fix of jazzy, downtempo urban vibes on a poor student's income? Hello, Ninja Tune, what have you here? A low-budget sampler called Zentertainment 2004. I'd kinda' forgotten about the Ninja folk at that point (despite the 3CD box set Xen Cuts sitting on every store shelf, always), so this looked as handy a reintroduction to their tunes as any.

And the CD opens with exactly the right stuff I was expecting, Skalpel's 1958 the sort of broken-beat, jazzdance, cut'n'paste track one can't help but associate with the label that Coldcut built. Yeah, there were other prominent prints that dabbled in the sound, but they had no Cinematic Orchestra or Hexstatic on their roster. Speaking of, Hexstatic's super-funky Chase Me comes next, about as vintage of Ninja Tune funk as you can get. In fact, at the time I heard it, I couldn't help but get a nagging sense of the label not evolving much since the '90s. I didn't mind it, but surely there'd been a few new sounds they could be promoting in the year 2004 too. What even was going down in London undergrounds around that time anyway?

Ah, here's a new cat, some dude by the name of Diplo. His Don't Fall is kinda' different from what I normally expected of Ninja Tune, a broken-beat that's got a prominent half-step shuffle going for it. All those cut-up funk and jazz samples though, doesn't sound too different from Amon Tobin's efforts. Maybe if he focuses more on his rhythms, and doesn't rely so much on emulating what Ninja Tune alum have done, this Diplo chap might find himself a healthy career.

Like that Sixtoo guy, at the end of the CD. Holy cow, his Boxcutter Emporium is over ten minutes of various vibes, an utterly epic outing of trip-hop, illbient, and the sort of instrumentals RZA would get weak in the knees over. And what's with that weird mid-section, with the half-step rhythms and skitchy bassline that's like a buzzing sawblade cutting through the beats? Pretty dope, is what, definitely what I envisioned getting hyped in the London underground. And the dude's Canadian too? Mark my words, us Canucks will be defining this weird sound in the future years, believe you me!

A few familiar Ninja Tune names round out Zentertainment 2004 (Jaga Jazzist, Wagon Christ, Blockhead, cLOUDDEAD), plus the dancehall/grime scene gets a look-in too (Lotek HiFi's Ram Dancehall, Infinite Livez' Worcestershire Sauce). Yep, that's about as tidy a sum-up of Ninja Tune in the year 2004 as you're gonna' get. Still, none of this is exclusive to this CD, so unless you find it dirt cheap in the pawn shops or you're a Ninja completist, there isn't much reason to get Zentertainment 2004 fourteen years on.

Banco de Gaia - You Are Here

Six Degrees Records: 2004

You Are Here is Banco de Gaia's worst album.

I was tempted to just leave it there, move on, and eat up self-imposed word count with discussions of puppies, or kittens, or puptens, or kitpies (surely merging all that adorableness will result in something uber-adorable!). Besides, while it's fun to tear into utter crap EDM or banal trance bollocks now and then, it's lame getting hyper-critical like some edgelord YouTuber at my age, especially if it's with regard to an artist I actually like. But then I got wondering, why do I dislike You Are Here so much? While I enjoy most of Toby Marks' music, even I cannot deny he's thrown up a few dud tracks along the way, stuff that doesn't move my mojo in favour of his mint material. This album though, so much of it just feels regrettably off to my ears, such that I need to unpack this, understand why I rank it so low in Banco's discography.

Where to begin? How about the thing that's immediately noticeable and casts a shiny, slick, sucky sheen on everything: the mixdown. You know how there's a difference between a rock album from the '70s, and one from the '80s, in that the latter often sounds flatter and stripped of analogue warmth? That's what it's like listening to You Are Here compared to every other Banco album. Dear Lord, but does it ever sound digitally flat to me, as though the soul of Marks' music is completely absent. So many bass textures are DOA (glaringly so on Waking Up In Waco and Not In My Name), that it makes sitting through them a cringing chore. This, from a musician who can have you hanging on every second in a half-hour-plus excursion through Kincajou! Even Marks must have realized this digital mastering wasn't working for him, as he went back to an analogue mixdown in his follow-up Farewell Ferengistan, with much improved results.

That leads me to my second point: I can never remember how the back-end of this album goes. After the radical tonal shifts between the twelve-minutes long, slow blues-jazz croon of Gray Over Gray, into the cheeky pop-house romp of Tongue In Chic, the remaining three tracks of You Are Here always and utterly evaporate from memory, sometimes even right after they've played. This is the only Banco album where that happens to me! No matter their quality, every tune on every other album sticks in my brain meat, but Not In My Name, We Are Here, and Still Life? Fifteen years on, and still nada despite many attempts.

Then there's the heavy-handed political sloganeering (even for a Banco album), the genre dalliances that never led to future explorations, and that initial nagging dread that, after 10 Years, Banco de Gaia might have nothing left in the creative tank. Thankfully, You Are Here proved more an aberration than a trend, so I'll end on a positive note: Zeus No Like Techno remains good stupid fun.