Showing posts with label Kriztal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kriztal. Show all posts

Friday, January 25, 2013

Various - Elemental Chill Vol. 4: Water

Kriztal Entertainment: 2002

The fourth and last of this series, for what it’s worth. Poor Water, getting the shaft. Okay, so it’s technically due to astrological order, but what did the liquid element do to deserve that status? Plus, why stop there? What about the fifth element, heart and love? Kriztal could have kept the series going for another volume, and when it came time to release the box set of Elemental Chill, it could come in a spiffy Captain Kriztal package, saving the planet from ultimate evil! Wait, is that how this works? Damn you, ‘90s!

Anyhow, we’ve come to the end of this series, all the loose ends neatly tied up. What about those covers? The title band keeps moving, you say? Ah, that’s due to the unique packaging these CDs come in. Graphic designer Karlsson Wilker was responsible for them, lending a simplistic digital style to the covers and digipak interiors. Included with the elemental illustration on the front were animal ones inside, though I think the Fire ‘animal’ is a devil. The CDs also come with a cardboard band which you can slip on and off; or, if you’re stupid like I was, throw away because you figure they’re nothing but needless packaging. Still, I haven’t seen anything quite like it before, and was fortunate enough to find enough images that showcase this packaging feature.

Right, back to music. I've had these Elemental Chill discs for nearly a decade now, and while the themes for the first three volumes were easy to figure out, I'm still at a loss on how the tunes on Vol. 4 are aquatic. The overriding tone is of mild funk, but when I think funk, I think Earth. There's liquid funk, I guess, but even if the chill out camps tried to co-opt the term for them, it's still not a good descriptor for the music here. Nothing here reminds me of water.

Correction: nothing specifically reminds me of water, but how it effects the other elements does. It’s like it puts a damper (hurr, hurr) on the Latin vibes of Fire, weighs down the light bliss of Air, and softens the solid funk of Earth. As a result, the music on Water isn't as interesting as the prior volumes. Even assuming one didn't listen to these in numerical order, it lacks the spark to draw you in. There's little DJing occurring, almost no flow between tracks, and a tepid vibe permeates everything. Even the track list is shorter than the other volumes. I can only recall two tracks off this, and The Funky Lowlifes’ Nota Bossa doesn’t count as I’d already heard it lead off a Quango compilation called Cosmic Funk (say, why did I pass that one anyway?).

Thus, a whimper of an end to the Elemental Chill series. Seems a shame, as the others had enough class to warrant a look if you’re curious. Like the band Earth, Wind & Fire, though, you won’t miss much by the lack of Water.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Various - Elemental Chill Vol. 3: Air

Kriztal Entertainment: 2002

My two favorite tracks of the whole series are here, for what it’s worth. Allow me to detail what makes them so great.

The first track is by Quantic, titled Time Is The Enemy. The man behind this tune is William Holland, a producer kicking out jams to this day, though this was from his first album. As a result, there's a degree of simplicity going on here, and it's brilliant - rugged trip-hop beats coupled with light, dreamy piano work (samples?), making me sway to the vibe as I hold a lighter in the air. Following that is Röyksopp’s So Easy, which I’m sure anyone familiar with the duo should know of. Of course, Eple and Poor Leno went on to be the bigger hits from Melody A.M, but this was the one they released as a single before signing to Wall Of Sound. With its irresistible bouncy rhythm and ear-worm of a vocal hook, it’s small wonder the label snatched these guys up, and rather remarkable Kriztal got the rights to such a big name for Volume 3 of their Elemental Chill series.

Funny enough, they're the (almost) last tracks, as though DJ DRM realized the best offerings couldn't come earlier lest the rest of the CD get skipped. Nah, just kidding, there's good stuff here, moving on from the dirt as we set adrift in the clouds. Air being our theme, the music is much lighter in tone, spacious and calm like a cool breeze. Vol. 3 is about as Balearic as this series gets.

Had I not bought all four volumes, this would likely have been the blind purchase, in part because I did recognize Röyksopp, plus Fila Brazillia and another chap by the name of Sven van Hees. I got into him quite by accident during my AudioGalaxy days, so seeing his Breakfast With Abductees on Air assured me I was in good hands. It may not be his best tune, but in definitely fits the tone of this CD (he also appeared on Earth, I should note).

As with the other volumes, Air’s track selection remains about as diverse as one can get within the thematic constraints. Spooky Monkey’s Dream Of A Place edges quite close to the realms of ambient dub. Fila Brazillia’s remix of Euphoria’s Delirium finds its footing in light space-funk. E.D. Swankz’s Slapping Detectives is all over the place, at times sounding like a David Lynch series theme, other times borrowing aesthetics from IDM’s banks. And of course the usual acid jazz, lounge, and chill tunes as well.

How’s the mixing on this one, then? It doesn’t flow quite as smoothly as Earth did, but this set’s more about individual tunes anyway, so abrupt transitions aren’t as big a deal. There’s still the odd key clash and forced mix, but very little in the way of whiplash. It is about the first time I can call one of these Elemental Chill CDs proper chill.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Various - Elemental Chill Vol. 2: Earth

Kriztal Entertainment

My favourite edition of the Elemental Chill series, for what it's worth. Whereas Fire's rhythms had hip-shaking goodness going for it, Earth gets lower in the groove, encouraging a little funky footwork should you be so inclined (or a little shoulder shuffle if you're currently inert). Of course, it will always boil down to personal preference, but this white boy enjoys the funk more than the calypso.

Wait, isn't this supposed to be a chill out series? What’s with all this talk of dancing and body movement? Oh, there are calmer moments for sure, but for the time being Kriztal’s showcasing the, erm, uptempo side of downtempo.

In Earth’s case, it’s the meeting point between acid jazz and deep house - livelier than the former, but a decided lack of typical 4/4 beats in the latter. In fact, only a couple tracks on this compilation aren’t of a broken beat origin. First is Pleb’s Shadow Of A Bee, and it makes ample use of dub effects that keep it well outside the boundaries of what folks would think constitutes deep house (so too would the calm flamenco guitar work). Following that is Sunday Brunch’s Honhung, offering jazzy tones found in a lot of traditional deep house, but it still makes more sense heard on an Ibizan terrace than a Chicago lounge.

And that right there is why Vol. 2 remains in the chill out camps: laid back Mediterranean melodies and Balearic atmosphere. Still, as with the previous volume, there are occasional tracks that keep the tone from growing stale. Desmond Williams’ Cadence is incredibly dub-funky, sounding like a Ninja Tune transplant. Saxophonist Praful uses sweeping string samples in Sigh, making his cut seem more appropriate in a French film (an even funnier thought considering he’s German). Enjoy a little Indian funk? Here’s Nicola Conte’s Missione a Bombay for ya’, with more sitars, tablas, and trumpets than you can handle. And for a little trip-hop flavour, there’s The Big Knife’s Mrs. Castle.

Uh oh. Variety. That means clashing styles again, doesn’t it. And that means another wonky DJ mix, doesn’t it. Well, yeah, it does. Fortunately, things aren’t as bad as they were in Fire. Even during some of the rougher transitions, flow is mostly maintained for significant stretches. Instead of awkwardly forcing tracks together, DJ DRM allows them to play out into a quick crossfade, where momentum isn’t lost even if the tempo suddenly slows.

All these factors help Earth stand tall amongst the other Elemental Chill editions. If you do happen across all four but only want one, this is my recommendation. You may not be so fortunate as to get a bulk discount on them as I was.

Huh, if that’s that, what else is there left to say about this series? No, I can do this. After all, I got through that electro collection intact ...I think.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Various - Elemental Chill Vol. 1: Fire

Kriztal Entertainment: 2002

I feel fortunate I haven’t covered a lengthy DJ Mix/compilation series yet. It grows tiresome finding fresh things to talk about when there isn’t much difference from CD to CD, the most popular ones typically sticking to successful formulas (note: DJ-Kicks is an exception because, hot damn, is it ever all over the place!). Imagine if I’d kept all those euro dance discs from the 90s: Dance Mix, Club Cutz, DJ Line… we might still be stuck in the ‘D’s. Fortunately, most of those found new homes in used shops or met their demise in microwaves (always a fun party trick).

There are a few series I’ve collected many, if not all, editions of, this here Elemental Chill being one such. I actually hadn’t planned on it, figuring to buy just one when I saw them sitting in a CD Universe mall outlet but unsure which one to go for. The shop gal suggested getting them all, as she’d then give me a bulk discount on the package (like HMV’s old ‘buy ten, get one free’ deal). Sure, why not, these look decent enough that I can splurge on the whole set.

All four editions of Elemental Chill were released at the same time, which isn’t a bad idea when you’re launching a label as Kriztal was here. Chill music was quite popular at the turn of the century, so there were plenty of established labels already cornering the market, but these had enough of a gimmick to grab attention - jazzy, Latin-flavored, downtempo tunes, each CD centered on an elemental theme.

First in the series is Fire. As far as I can tell, this means jazzy, Latin-flavored, downtempo tunes that tend to urge a bit of hip shaking action. Not that chill, come to think of it, but whatever; a series needs some diversity throughout. Examples: Mikael Delta brings a little deep Balearic house vibe with Diving; something that could loosely be described as ‘salsa d’n’b’ comes care of Brazilian trio DJ Marky, DJ Patife & ESOM; Herbaliser does his smokey acid jazz thing in a remix of Jaffa’s Elevator.

So some nice tunes all around, but there’s a glaring problem here, and it’s unfortunately one throughout the series: they’re presented as DJ mixes that are horribly wonky. DJ DRM (Aaron Schultz) was given the duty, and whether he was forced into using tracks that simply didn’t work together or didn’t have the time to make the mixes better, I don’t know. Occasionally a string of tunes hint at proper set momentum, but most transitions are abrupt, styles clashing as flow is flung out the window over and over. If you can’t get all your selected tunes to mix smoothy, don’t bloody force it. How can I expect to get my chill on if I’m constantly turning heads and raising eyebrows over the DJing? Oh well, maybe it was just a flub in the first inning. Will it get better in later editions? (spoiler: eh…)

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 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 AC/DC Ace Trace Ace Tracks Playlists Ace Ventura acid acid house acid jazz acid techno 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 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 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 Arcturus arena rock Arista Armada Armin van Buuren Arpatle Artifact303 Arts & Crafts 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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