Showing posts with label Celestial Dragon Records. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Celestial Dragon Records. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Distant System - Spiral Empire (Original TC Review)

Celestial Dragon Records: 2008

(2015 Update:
Somehow, this album grows more captivating with each playthrough, and believe me, it's been playthroughed a pile. I still can't figure out why though. Yeah, the whole space idea is pure catnip, and Mr. Smith crafted an excellent take on the theme, but it's not a unique concept, cosmic music being around since at least Holst's
The Planets. And yet, I'm hard pressed to hear anything quite like Distant System, and believe me again,it's not for a lack of trying. For all the psy chill and space ambient I've consumed from his peers, none have replicated the evocative sounds and composition found on Spiral Empire. This is a style Mr. Smith has made his own, and by keeping Distant System in relative cryostasis since this album came out, has maintained a mysterious allure over the project.

This review obviously makes some huge assumptions over Distant System's future, and could have done without the introductory paragraph's broad generalizations about electronic music trends. Guess I was justifying why space themes were so critical to the music's development over the decades, even though that honestly wasn't the case. Really, it's little more than reasoning for my clear bias towards the stuff. Take it for what you will.)



IN BRIEF: Space is the place.

When electronic music made the big crossover towards the end of the ‘90s, it abandoned many of the themes that defined it earlier in the decade. Justifiable or not, trying to market the music to the mainstream would undoubtedly be difficult if such concepts like extreme psychedelia, cyberpunk, big gay happy fun, or jungle militias crossed over. Oh, and space exploration too. Granted, the cosmos still generates inspiration for many electronic producers but not the degree it once did. You’d have whole albums and projects built around such themes in the early ‘90s (Biosphere, Pete Namlook, Spicelab... to name just a few classic examples). I can only assume the reason for this is a sociological one: the mainstream's acceptance of electronic music replacing egged-headed themes like futurism and technological possibilities with popular ones like relationships and trendiness. This isn’t a sociology paper, though, so I’ll spare you any further ruminations on the subject.

Still, it is nice to see there remains room for such albums out there, even if they now tend to sit on the fringes. With a little luck, however, Tyler Smith (aka: Distant System) will get more exposure with this album. More known for his psy-dub project Androcell, Ty-

Eh? You haven’t even heard of Androcell? Oh, right... Psy-dub, that eternally neglected genre of music by the media (unless it’s Shpongle). Heh, fringe music seldom gets a break, does it? You never know, though... it could become trendy the way other fringe music like dub techno and nu-disco have... maybe.

Anyhow, Tyler Smith. He’s been making music for a while, though not in any major capacity; it’s only in recent years his output’s gained momentum. And while being on Hong Kong based Celestial Dragon Records may not lift him out of obscurity, perhaps his newfound association with increasingly ace downtempo label Ultimae will give him a little more exposure (more on this pairing in a bit).

This here album titled Spiral Empire provides a strong case for him to deserve such exposure. Conceptually, it isn’t innovative, as spacey music has been around for years. Yet Smith’s production is remarkably captivating, drawing upon the things that make the cosmos so intriguing to begin with. Synths and soundscapes paint vast, lonely vistas, where you can’t help but feel small and alone amongst the emptiness that is the universe. As bleak as it may seem on the surface, though, subtle melodies and gripping rhythms of varying tempos create a sense of wonderment and awe as you bear witness to it all, providing human humbleness in the face of something so inconceivably limitless.

Okay, okay, I’d better reign in the hyperbole, lest this review turn into an unintentional fanboy gush; it honestly isn’t quite as rapturous as I’m describing here. However, Smith’s sonic portrait of the cosmos truly is a lovely listen. The opening half of Spiral Empire wonderfully flows from track to track, with pleasing harmonies and pulsating effects weaving about desolate atmospherics; all the while icy-cool beats and throbbing basslines lazily guide things along like some kind of interstellar space cruiser. Smith doesn’t appear to be in any kind of hurry to get anywhere, quite content to casually take in the sparse scenery as he builds his songs.

Heck, this album practically plays as one long song as it is. Once the track Outer Rim hits, the pace briskly picks up, and even makes use of hooks that are more urgent in delivery (if you can call strangled ominous strings hooks); really, it’s about as close to the kind of old school trance the likes of Oliver Lieb used to produce that I’ve heard in some time, and marks the clear climax of Spiral Empire. Bridging ambient sequence Cloud Nebula and sublime melodically-glitchy closer Astromech Starport are perfect pieces of music for the album’s coda.

About the only track that seems at odds with this album’s running theme is, unsurprisingly, Smith’s remix of Time Circles. This is a track produced by Ultimae regulars H.U.V.A. Network (Magnus Birgersson and Vincent Villuis, or Solar Fields and Aes Dana), and the more earthly ethereal tone of many Ultimae releases stands in clear contrast to the rest of the album. Despite clear production techniques that has defined Distant System thus far, Smith can’t hide the fact this is still an out-of-place song. Oh, it’s fine and all, just comes off as a slight detour from everything else. I have to mention, though, that being buddies with the folks at Ultimae has paid off for Smith, getting a final mastering of Spiral Empire that is, frankly, exquisite to the ears.

Still, if the notion of space music strikes you as unappealing, then this album probably won’t be for you, as its theme does remain singular throughout. For those with insatiable curiosity of the cosmos and an ear for the out-worldly, though, Spiral Empire is a superb sonic treat.

Written by Sykonee for TranceCritic.com, 2008. © All rights reserved

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Androcell - Entheomythic

Celestial Dragon Records: 2009

Tyler Smith sure doesn’t seem hurried in putting out another Distant System album anytime soon, no matter how much I may wish for it. Guess I should check out his other project, Androcell, in the meantime, despite my hesitations. Hopefully it won’t turn out like other psy dub efforts, many talents squandered on erratic, middling compositions pointlessly copying the Shpongle template with nothing of consequence on offer. Why yes, I’ve been burned by too many of those said producers, making gambles on anyone other than trusted labels a self-defeating chore. Tyler Smith though, he delivered the goods with Spiral Empire. It wasn’t an album that was psy dub in the typical sense, true, but still a comparatively enthralling experience just the same. Surely those captivating sound-craft skills are found within Androcell as well.

I’ll have to answer that as a yes, if Entheomythic’s anything to go by. Okay, Mr. Smith’s only released three Androcell albums to date (with plans for a fourth soon), so it’s not like I have a huge sampling to choose from. I only went with this one to see if there might have been some residual Distant System stylee lurking here, since it came out a couple years after Spiral Empire. Maybe Efflorescence would have been the better option though, as that was about the time Androcell was getting chummy with Aes Dana, and some Ultimae rub-off may have-

Holy COW, am I ever stalling. Get to the bloody point already!

Unfortunately, there’s not much ‘point’ to be made with Entheomythic, and that’s kind of a problem where writing a review’s concerned. This is definitely a psy dub album, with ample indulgences of trippy world-beat and vibey mind-bendery, though thankfully never overstuffed with samples and sounds for psychedelic’s sake (I could do without some of the cornier ‘taking mind-altering drugs is good’ bits of dialog, but that’s personal quibble). Smith knows his way around a catchy groove, and finds quirky ways to make each track stand out just enough from genre tropes: a wobbly didgeridoo bassline in Ganja Baba, some punctual stutter effects at the peak of Desert Nomad, spacey trance pads in Synchromystic, robo-chants in Higher Circuit Experience, extended solos in Night Sorceress and Dub Gardens. Come to think of it, Dub Gardens reminds me a lot of mid-era Banco de Gaia, what with all those dubbed-out ethnic chants and lengthy organ builds. Neat-o!

Another plus is Androcell’s sense of atmosphere and mood, easily transplanting me to an outdoor party in the middle of the woods, sexy belly-dancers on a stage under summer night stars; also, hashish. And if I’m to interpret the track titles literally, he even executes a narrative of sorts: go on a journey, find a mystic woman, go on a mind-journey! Okay, as psy dub albums go, it’s not a unique story, but I appreciate the attempt. Entheomythic doesn’t seem interested in challenging psy dub expectations anyway. Music’s solid though – I gotta’ stop being so cynical with this genre.

Things I've Talked About

...txt 10 Records 16 Bit Lolita's 1963 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2 Play Records 2 Unlimited 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 20xx Update 2562 3 Loop Music 302 Acid 36 3FORCE 3six Recordings 4AD 6 x 6 Records 75 Ark 7L & Esoteric 808 State A Perfect Circle A Positive Life A-Wave a.r.t.less A&M Records A&R Records Abandoned Communities Abasi Above and Beyond abstract Abstrakce Records AC/DC Ace Trace Ace Tracks Playlists Ace Ventura acid acid house acid jazz acid techno acid trance acoustic Acroplane Recordings Adam Beyer Adam Ellis Adam Freeland Adham Shaikh ADNY Adrian Younge adult contemporary Advanced UFO Phantom Aegri Somnia AEI Music Aes Dana Aesthetical Afgin Afrika Bambaataa Afro-house Afterhours Agoria Aidan Casserly Aira Mitsuki Airwaves Ajana Records Ajna AK1200 Akshan album Aldrin Alex Smoke Alex Theory Alice In Chains Alien Community Alien Project Alio Die All Saints Alpha Wave Movement Alphabet Zoo Alphaxone Altar Records Alter Ego alternative rock Alucidnation Ambelion Ambidextrous ambient ambient dub ambient techno Ambient World Ambientium Ametsub Amon Amarth Amon Tobin Amplexus Anabolic Frolic Anatolya Andrea Parker Andrew Heath Androcell Anduin Andy C anecdotes Aniplex Anjunabeats Annibale Records Anodize Another Fine Day Antares Antendex anthem house Anthony Paul Kerby Anthony Rother Anti-Social Network Anzio Green Aoide Aphasia Records Aphex Twin Apócrýphos Apollo Apollo 440 Apple Records April Records Aqua Aquarellist Aquascape Aquasky Aquila Arcade Architects Of Existence Archives Arctic Hospital Arcturus arena rock Arista Armada Armin van Buuren Arpatle Artifact303 Arts & Crafts As If ASC Ashtech Asia Asian Dub Foundation Astral Engineering Astral Projection Astral Waves Astralwerks AstroPilot AstroPilot Music Asura Asylum Records ATB ATCO Records Atlantic Atlantis atmospheric jungle Atom Heart Atomic Hooligan Atomine Elektrine Atrium Carceri Attic Attoya Audiobulb Records Audion AuroraX Autechre Autistici Autumn Of Communion Auxilary Auxiliary Avantgarde Avatar Records Aveparthe Avicii Axiom Axs Axtone Records Aythar B.G. 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