The Roots - Illadelph Halflife

DGC: 1996

Getting a few Roots records was inevitable for yours truly, but it was nice to get the full smorgasbord of their catalogue before committing dollars to disc. And while it may seem obvious getting this one to start, I'm sure few would disagree with it either. Having gotten it and enjoyed Illadelph Halflife on its own now, however, I'm strangely at a loss for words of what I want to say about it.

There isn't much else I can touch upon the band itself that everyone in North America (and beyond!) doesn't already know (live hip-hop band, etc.), and I haven't given myself ample time to digest this particular release further. It's like, sure, this was the tastiest item in that smorgasbord, but to truly appreciate it, I need more than just a couple servings of it; really let it marinate on my taste buds. Or I just feel 'ill'-equipped to talk this album up as it deserves at this point. See, there I go, already falling back on bad puns.

I guess an adequate start is why Illadelph Halflife, what makes this album the one I wanted to nab first above all others. Beyond having that irresistible mid-'90s Eastcoast hip-hop aesthetic, I mean. Okay, that's a big reason, hands down. Whether it was getting in the grime of it was the Wu or ample raiding of funk, jazz, and soul records from the likes of DJ Premier and Tribe Called Quest (among many others), it's a sound I really vibe on, and kinda' wish I'd jumped on it a lot sooner than just these past few years. Sure, I had a few obligatory records here and there (Gang Starr, Big L, that one Nas everyone must have), but was missing so many more. Just... so many more.

Still, The Roots are Philly, not New York, which may account for how much soulful their style is. Or maybe it is just that live-band approach to their craft. Which is cool and all, but if I wanted to hear strictly that, I could have nabbed their first two albums (or the live one). Naw, what properly got me hooked in was hearing more of their studio production, which I feel really came into its own with Illadelph Halflife. They'd get more polished and bolder in later records, but here everything's given ample oomph over all their funky, jazzy rhythms and, where warranted, soulful backings (What They Do, No Alibi, No Greater Protector).

Lyrical content, then. After all, this is a hip-hop group, where lyrics are paramount. And honestly, I think that's why I like this record so much, Black Thought, Malik B, and all their guests given plenty of prominence. If anything, the 'musicians' part of Roots is put on a back-burner, far less jam sessions and solos indulged than before. I imagine this was done to help sell them to a wider rap audience not so keen on musical ability beyond what a dope, looping sample provides. I'd say the trick worked.

Cypress Hill - III - Temples Of Boom

Columbia: 1995

You're one of the biggest names in hip-hop, but it's almost entirely because of a mega-hit single that's something of a novelty track. Of course, Cypress Hill never intended Insane In The Brain to reach such market penetration that even white-bread suburbia was singing it. Indeed, if anyone actually paid attention to the lyrical content, it's not a terribly positive spin on psychedelic abuse. Have it wrapped in an upbeat rhythm and irresistible earworm of a chorus, however, and no one will know. Or care.

Perhaps Cypress Hill did care though, which would explain why their follow-up to the multi-platinum Black Sunday - III: Temples Of Boom - went in such a drastic, darker turn compared to their prior work. Yeah, there always was an edge to the music DJ Muggs produced, the sort of street-level grit that came with the sampledelic nature to his tunes. Rare would it get outright Gothic and bleak. It's like he took the moody atmosphere of Cock The Hammer and thought: “Yeah, a whole album of that!”

So Temples Of Boom comes with an extra layer of grime and grit, as if south California has never seen a ray of light, everything blanketed with paranoia and... Well, not quite despair, moments for a casual blaze still releasing some of the pressure cooker of existence. Still, better watch your back, because these streets are just as savage as ever, 'hoods getting ever deeper into their primal psychosis. I mean, if the lead singles of Throw Your Set In The Air and Illusions don't portray an existence just barely hanging on by a thread, I don't know what will.

The only comparison I can make of Temples Of Boom - at least in this era of hip-hop - are the harrowing moments as heard in Liquid Swords. Which makes sense, as RZA drops in for some beats and bars on Killa Hill Niggas. I just have to imagine Muggs taking notes down from Bobby Digital, like a young monk studiously listening to the words his master is speechifying.

“But wait,” you say, “aren't Cypress Hill megastars now? How do they get off rapping about gangsta' shit?” Ah, therein lies the secret genius of Temples Of Boom: they're not literally rapping about lived experiences here (though they had), but as more a concept, an urban horror story, focused on mood and atmosphere rather than explicit realism. In fact, the few times they do touch upon Real World things (scene posers in Strictly Hip Hop; outright dissing former friend Ice Cube in No Rest For The Wicked), you're taken out of their grim world. Well, lyrically anyway, Muggs' beats still on point throughout.

I'll just go ahead and say Temples Of Boom is easily Cypress Hill's most underappreciated record. Yes, it was a stark turn at the height of their fame, but having gone through the entirety of their discography, almost nothing comes close to how creatively atmospheric they went here – easily until Elephants On Acid.

K.O.B. - Identity Mash

Suntrip Records: 2017

For as instrumental as Filteria was in establishing Suntrip's early success, I sure haven't had much opportunity to talk about him thus far. I'm halfway through this exhaustive catalogue dive of the goa label and- Eh? You say I'm still not? Let me check that! *checks that* Sonofa... Okay, I'm almost halfway done, and barely scratched the surface of Jannis Tzitkas' output, the Filteria album Daze Of Our Lives the lone record of his I've talked up. And it looks as though I'm still putting off material from his primary alias, as the item currently slotted here is from his alternate alias, Kind Of Behaviour, aka: K.O.B.

It isn't a terribly robust alias, mostly appearing here and there on compilations where Jannis wanted to stretch a little further into the realms of proper psy, not just goa-leaning psy (or neo-goa psy-goa goa). It'd been a few years since the last Filteria album, and Suntrip seemed to be on something of a downswing in ye' olde year of 2017, so maybe the time was right to explore this other aspect of Mr. Tzitkas' muse, while the chance was there.

And what is the K.O.B. stylee? Ah, I just said, more psychedelic trance than his other stuff. Which means less emphasis on obvious melodies, more emphasis on wild sounds, and more gradual builds to whatever climax each track has going for it. So, a bunch of random wibble, then.

I kid, but its undeniable Identity Mash may take a bit more effort to get into than Jannis' usual fare. Which is fine if you're down for that – its a vibe that works at certain times, particularly later in the night, preferably surrounded by a forest. I'm sure there was only so far Filteria could go treading into headier, trippier waters before it started sounding like something completely different. Mind, it's not a huge departure in sound. The acid may sound a little squawkier, the sci-fi noises may have more prominence over synth leads, and the basslines may have a little more grit in them, but it's still mostly the same songcraft as heard in other Filteria productions. Rhythms continue being the driving force for these tracks, as they should be, clearly peak-time tunes for when the psychedelic substances start doing their fun little tricks on your brain matter.

Still, the old 'Suntrip Critique' does pop up, Identity Mash being yet another record that doesn't vary much throughout its playtime. At least, that was gonna' be my final assessment until Cousin It (2017 Mix) crops up near the end. Oh man, this is the sort of twisted, deep psy I would have liked to hear more from Jannis' supposed 'darker' alias. Just an unnerving sinewy pad, escalating rhythms, and subtly building acid. Very much at odds with Suntrip's typical neo-goa, at least until the label started dabbling more in dark trance after the turn of the decade. Shame there wasn't more like it on this album.

Jeannine Schulz - Humble

Polar Seas Recordings: 2022

Now there's a word that's kept me down all my life. Why couldn't I have been born with total narcissistic tendencies, throwing myself out there without a care in the world of how others think of me, deluding myself into believing everyone needs me in their lives? No, I had to be born a humble person, appreciating the positive reinforcement I receive for my creative efforts, but never actively seeking them. Humbleness may sound good for the soul, but is damn near disastrous for marketing. Unless... you can parlay that into its own form of marketing! Certainly worked for a couple famous philosophical folk, but could it in this day and age, where sociopathic influencers rule the world? Heck, I'd accept that challenge, but y'know, humble to a fault and all.

Anyhow, Jeannine Schulz. Can't find much info surrounding this German artist, but she managed herself a fairly steady musical output this past half-decade, a Bandcamp catalogue consisting of some fifty items to date. Granted, many of them are two-to-four track releases of minimalist, abstract ambient music seldom breaching twenty-minute lengths, but there are a few scattered albums about her discography too. Three of those have appeared on Polar Seas Recordings, this here Humble being her second effort for the Toronto label. That's... about all the background I have on this release. Talk about your humbleness.

As said, this is some very minimalist music from Ms. Schulz, though not without its intuitive charms. Opener Home mostly offers what you'll hear from her quite succinctly. Lots of analog churning and fuzz, a gentle tone echoing and flowing through the layers of dubby static. Eventually soft acoustic guitar strums take the lead while resonate pad drone wraps everything together. It'd almost make for the perfect closer on most albums, but we're only seven minutes deep into this forty-five minute long album.

Variety, then. Does Jeannine toy with this formula some? Ichi, The Wind Blows Over The Earth, Resting Place, and the titular track let the more melodic side of this sound carry forward. A Certain Mood And Moment and Presence go more for abstract drone. gm and I toy around with analog effects. Everything's spaced out enough so it doesn't feel like we're spinning wheels with any particular approach to her songcraft. We're still dealing with very subtle sounds though, so differences between pieces will boil down to just how much attention you're paying to it. Which sometimes defeats the purpose of the 'abstract sonic wallpaper' music ambient music of this sort intends to be.

That Home could have closed Humble wasn't just a one-time thing either - every piece was like that. Like, upon my initial playthrough, I kept thinking the album was already wrapping up after each track. Some of that may have to do with how disarming they are, putting you in a sense of ease such that you're content with your listening session. Great for sleepy-time, then.

Triquetra - Human Control

Suntrip Records: 2020

Can't go through another letter block without also stumbling into another Suntrip CD. And hoo, because this seems to be the lone one among my 'H' albums, it had to make up the lack of representation by dishing out a double-LP! Far as I know, this is the only two-disc album in the label's catalogue. Yeah, there's a couple multi-CD compilations scattered about, but I'm talking original musical material from a singular artist (or duo, in this case).

Come to think of it, double-LPs are generally rare in the psy trance scene, and for good reason: it's just too singular a style of music to warrant it. Whenever they're done, it's usually with a second CD of downtempo or experimental-leaning sounds. Eat Static's Dead Planet or 00.db's Heaven & Hell, as examples within my own collection, though Infected Mushroom's Converting Vegetarians is probably the most well-known one. In more recent years, we've seen a near-glut of multi-disc re-issues of older albums, overstuffed with rarities and b-sides. So which version do we get with Triquetra's Human Control: a chill CD2, or a 'b-side' session?

Kinda' the latter, apparently, disc two a collection of live recordings. They're original tracks, true, but that's not saying much, Misters Elric and Jurian having only released one (1) album and one (1) EP to that point. Besides, as an act that was making their rep on live analog shows, its natural they'd have a stockpile of unreleased material sometimes created in the moment, on the fly, as the party happens. Real free tekno vibes, yo'!

So I was surprised that the 'live' disc is rather... mellow? Like, I don't want to say 'under-produced', but there's no denying it lacks the same amount of beef behind the beats as the studio album. The acid doesn't have quite as much bite, and everything just sounds comparably flat. Not to mention its unmixed, which makes sense since these tracks are from disparate gigs, but doesn't really help sell the notion of this being 'live' and all. On the other hand, there's more didgeridoo, so that's a plus. I dunno', guess it's a nice bonus, but lacking the kinetic energy that comes with live recordings, so that's all it is.

The main disc, then, is that any good? It's more dynamic, that's for sure, though like Triquetra's first album Ecstatic Planet, highly reverential to '90s goa and acid trance. They even go so far as to include that one (1) track (Rotary Reality) with the really goofy drum kick that every psy album had back in the day. The heavier into the acid they dip (Forget About The Earth, Eternal Crusader, Future.exe), the better the track develops, but I'm glad they didn't rely on it as their only crutch. Human Control is just diverse enough for at least one play-through. Whether you'll come back to it often though will boil down to just how much you dig on way-retro goa and psy. The typical Suntrip refrain, amirite?

Res - How I Do

MCA Records: 2001

Another 'out of my element' donation. I've a few of these in the pipeline but that's alright. Some of these artists, I sense they deserve whatever extra shine my little backwater blog can offer. Res wasn't an utter unknown, mind you, something of a staple in the Philly scene since the late '90s, even if she never quite got the same attention as oh-so many others from the region. She actually got her first break providing the chorus on the titular track on GZA's Beneath The Surface, which was enough to at least get the attention of another up-and-comer, producer Martin McKinney.

You've definitely heard his stuff, working with the likes of Drake, John Legend, and The Weeknd, including Starboy, in case you care. Yes, that track, with Daft Punk. Oh, the 'electronic music' connection goes even deeper. Well, maybe not that deep, but I do find it interesting that the lead single for Res' album featured a bunch of clubby remixes from Robbie Rivera, Guiseppe D, Bastone & Burnz, and DJ Encore. Ah, hm, Hed Kandi house and proggy anthems, for a Philly soul singer? Methinks something got twisted in the marketing of this album, which may explain why it did only marginal business for itself.

Honestly though, it could just be the dumb luck of timing, How I Do released when the urban scene was stacked for options. Hell, she was basically going against Destiny's Child's Survivor, Missy Elliot's Miss E... and Alicia Keys' Songs In A Minor. Good luck with that, yo'. No, this album was practically per-ordained to be a slow burner, one rediscovered after the fact, unearthed by connoisseurs of neo-soul a decade or two down the line. Maybe even get enough ground support for a vinyl reissue within our current year. Again, dumb luck of timing.

To my ears, Ms. Ballard has a similar street-soul swagger to her sound reminiscent of Lauren Hill, though as usual, I'm more interested in the musical side of these releases than the actual singing. Opener Golden Boys features grand string sections with a brisk breaks rhythm, while They Say Vision (the original!) goes more loopy with its backing instrumentation, which I guess makes sense why it got all those house remixes. 700 Mile Situation, The Hustler, and I've Known The Garden get real deep in the funky vibes. Ice King gets forlorn. Sittin' Back wouldn't sound out of place cranked from the subs of a lowrider. Let Love almost treads near trip-hop's domain with out-of-tune backing synths – must be that Cure influence. And secret song Say It Anyway (yes, it has one of those) 'rawks' out.

A decent amount of variety, then, though never really pushing any boundaries either. If anything, How I Do sounds like an offshoot of that really famous conglomerate out of Philly, The Roots. Mostly traditionalist, but has enough spunk to stick out for the time it plays. Jeez, Roots and Hill as my obligatory namedrops? What more do you need?

Natural Life Essence - Hidrogenesis / Hidrogenesis 2020

CYAN/Liquid Frog Records: 2014/2018

Took a little longer than usual to find an N:L:E release in the 'H' block, eh? Or not, the Headspace box-set from Urban Meditation artificially inflating how many actual albums I have this go-around. There's just not that many 'H' titled records in my music collection compared to some other letters. Heck, on my initial run eleven years ago (holy cow!), I had just twenty-eight items. That number hasn't even doubled since, and believe me when I say that's hardly the case for other letter blocks ('X' has tripled!).

So Hidrogenesis is the first Natural Life Essence record. The first on his Bandcamp, the first entry on his Discogs page, the first of all-everything. A decade old now too, which means a ten year anniversary version is nigh? Wouldn't surprise me – he did do a '2020' variant, after all – but doesn't look like he's put one out yet. There's a couple [Color] Dots, an Uncharted Land 3, a Random Environments II, a Dune II, and a... Glowing Forest 3? Dang, I didn't even get a Glowing Forest one or two when I bulk-bought his entire catalogue. Relentless, that work rate of his.

Anyway, Hidrogeneis first came out on CYAN, the label Juan Pablo had made his home before they shuttered doors in 2020. It's kind of funny going this far back into his musical development, half expecting his style to not be as fully formed as later works. For sure it's not quite as developed or daring as Bioluminescent Forest or Ecovillage (two totally random examples!), much less the albums that got him that Neotantra bump (Organic Adventures and Dune, for the record). Having so thoroughly digested at least half his catalogue now though, I'm impressed at how solid for a debut this album is.

Right from the jump, Mr. Giacovino shows his hand in fascination for all things micro-organism, titling his opener Moss and all. It's a fairly meditative piece with harmonic bell tones and field recordings, a gentle melody soon sliding in while soft dub rhythms burble in support. Like, if that isn't the N:L:E stylee in a nutshell, then what have I been listening to this past year?

Things also play out in similar fashion as most of his albums, slowly building upon earlier elements such that it feels like you're listening to one long, transitional compostition. Well, if it weren't for all the fades between tracks. Seriously, m'man, just make a 'single mix' version available too!

Maybe he realized this was an issue as well, releasing a twenty-minute, twenty-second long version of Hidrogenesis, in 2018. Well, mostly just the first four tracks in a condensed, restructured form, and sans the low, rumbly bass dubs as heard in Underwater Caravan. A nifty addition if you wanted to hear Moss, Acid Fog and Swamp uninterrupted. As for the back-half of Hidrogenesis, it's even more ambient than the first, harmonies even subtler. Ooh, this could use that 10th Anniversary rejiggering treatment, I wager.

Urban Meditation - Headspace V

Carpe Sonum Records: 2022

Here's a tiny morsel of information I haven't touched upon yet, in that I only just discovered it. Apparently the whole Headspace collection wasn't released as a one-shot within a big ol' box-set. Initially, it trickled out over the course of a few months as digital items on Urban Meditation's own Bandcamp. Once all five were out, they were consolidated into a single release, finally culminating in the physical medium made available through Carpe Sonum Records.

See, if I'd been following Charles' music from the start, I would have known this, likely subscribed to his Bandcamp or whatever. But no, I follow Carpe Sonum, so didn't learn of Headspace's existence until they put the box-set together, which is where you'll find everything now anyway. So redundant info all around, which is par for the course whenever I get deep into covering Every. Single. CD. of a box-set.

Thus we come to the end of the Headspace saga, and what a journey it's- Wait a minute! It's already over? Feels like I just started! Oh, right, it's that whole 'actually writing a review every single day' thing I did there, speeding up the process. Kinda' forgot how brisk the process could be when I just focus on something rather than let a zillion ADHD distractions dominate my brain matter. Like what's happening right now!

Anyhow, Headspace V, the finale, the coda, the answer to all your lingering questions. Or, y'know, just a charming collection of ambient techno vibes. Mostly that, not really going anywhere this series hasn't gone before. There's a few more collaborations, a returning Rayspark Industries, and an added Sven Kössler, though it's Michael-Turner Craig who gets the most shine here. No, seriously, at twenty-five minutes long, Space & Time easily takes the crown for longest Headspace piece – only Mr. Urban's solo session of Cranial Atmosphere comes close, lagging a good ten minutes behind. As for the track itself, well, it's definitely got that vintage Fax+ thing going for it, in that it really meanders about in a jam session sort of way. The liner notes claim Si Matthews and Dan Armstrong hopped in as well, but they don't get a Bandcamp credit. Odd.

Oh, the track itself? Yeah, it's spacey, floaty, timey-wimey, spritely, kinda' split into two-halves. Sorry, I know a centrepiece composition like Space & Time should be the main talking point, but I just prefer the gentle ambience of In Dreams or Forever Adrift, the peppier Ocean Of Consciousness (with Sven ...and acid!), and closer Embrace's piano touches and synthy arps. Not to mention their shorter runtimes.

So that's a wrap on Headspace V, and Headspace overall. A cool collection of tunes, if at times overindulgent, though never tastelessly so. Could this have been pruned down to at least a double-LP? Sure, but we live in an age of absolute creative freedom with the outlets to present it. As Pete Namlook would say, “Just release whatever you make, bro'. Someone will like it.” [citation needed]

Urban Meditation - Headspace IV

Carpe Sonum Records: 2022

Ah, here's where I thought things were headed. Honestly though, having the 'peak time' CD be the fourth one out of five does make the most sense. All the build-up leading to the climax, with a nice coda following, its a classic five-act structure, even spread out across five-plus hours of music. I guess you could treat Headspace like a streaming mini-series then, including that one episode in the middle that seems to lose the arc of the meta-plot for a time, the unnecessary bit of padding to reach an episode quota.

So if the radio telescope on the cover art wasn't a clue, technology is the theme of Headspace IV. And to make sure you know that's where we're going, the CD opens with a musique concrete ditty of various digital noises and effects, including that classic internet dial-up noise. Fair enough, but was four minutes of this really necessary? Whatever, Cranial Atmosphere properly kicks things off, and mostly follows upon similar neo-trance vibes as the Si Matthews collab's from Headspace II do. Percolating synth leads, steady techno rhythm, consistent escalation of mood and tone, and dang near sixteen minutes of it too. Again, there's some vintage Jarre songcraft going on, but this feels more modern than those seminal '70s works.

Now for this CD's guest artist, this time being Ambidextrous. Okay, second, Futuregrapher having a credit on that experimental opener, but I'm talking 'real' tracks here. I haven't kept tabs on Nick Zavriev since my mini-splurge on his music a couple years back, finding his sound at times a bit too clinical for repeated plays. He's remained active though, and Simulacrum finds him and Charles working a nice spacey electro vibe, while Thought Network towards the end gets more opulent with the synth work. Dang near overtly happy, come to think of it. Really selling that 'Utopian future' sentiment, eh? Maybe to serve as a contrast to the harsher electro between those two tracks.

Well, 'harsh' is doing some heavy lifting there. Nothing I've heard Urban Meditation would ever suggest negative or pessimistic outlooks, and the only criticism of Data Age is being somewhat aimless as techno. Information Super Highway though, ain't nothing but chipper, happy vibes with a bell melody as a lead and bouncy rhythm like that. Man, the '90s were so optimistic about our technological marvels and possibilities, weren't they.

Or maybe not, closer Searching For Connection a little more sombre and reflective as an ambient piece. That no matter our achievements in the digital realm, we'll always yearn for intimacy in meat-space. Relations not defined by scrolling and follower counts, but those all-too brief moments of soulful meaning. Gosh, when did Headspace IV turn into a Vector Lovers album?

Anyhow, this is probably my favourite of the five, though it's not without its minor issues either. Like, how does it feel shorter than the actual shortest Headspace III? One too many experimental interstitials? Weird how that works.

Urban Meditation - Headspace III

Carpe Sonum Records: 2022

Well, I thought things were gonna' ramp up with each CD in this multi-disc album, and the start of Headspace III certainly portends as such. Another two-part track, the first At Home features more soft electro rhythms while bright and bold synths weave a charming melody. Actually, some of these synths are almost too garish, in the same way some early Berlin-School sounds weren't quite refined yet. Not really a deal breaker for the track overall, but I cannot deny being relieved you don't hear them as much in Part 2. And as for this track, if it doesn't get your ol' school Jarre triggers flaring, then you have some homework to do, son.

So a solid set of openers for this CD, but then Mr. Urban scales things right back with Inner Circles, a minimalist piece of ambient music with gentle piano and field recordings. Hey, it's like an urban meditation! Feels kinda' funny it took this long into Headspace to feature a track that lives up the project's name. I kid, but it is a surprising downswing in tempo from the opener, and when I spotted Canopy Of Stars as a guest feature for follow-up Lost In Thought, I started wondering if we were remaining in ambient's domain after all. Don't get me wrong, I quite enjoy hearing more of Mr. Wheeldon's sense of cosmic grandeur, even as subtly tempered as they are here.

Yet after that, we're treated to another beatless piece leaning into modern classical's domain. Well, okay then, if this is how we're doing Headspace III, so be it. Just thought it'd be better to keep the momentum going after Headspace II. Like, if the whole of Headspace was to be taken as one, singular listening session, having this much downtime in the middle could lose folks. Perhaps that's the intent, offering a gentle respite where you can maybe catch a quick cat nap in this marathon of music without missing much. Or maybe one should just listen these individually as the appropriate mood arises. Which variant of Headspace ambience do you prefer this evening: the spacier I, or the more grounded III?

So you can imagine my whiplash in hearing Myriad Things going even more opulent with the synth work than At Home. Who'd think the groovy acid featured in follow-up Reflected Within would be the comedown I needed after (thanks, Si Matthews, I wager). A weird diversion from the tone thus far established in III, especially when closer Nightfall brings things right back down to piano doodling again.

There is something of a naturalistic theme going for Headspace III, whenever it goes there. Other times though, it feels like the CD that has the 'leftovers' of this whole project lumped into, the tracks that simply wouldn't fit elsewhere. Something as ambitious as this was bound to have pieces like that, especially when including collaborations with others. Does this hold true for the remaining two? Stay tuned...!

Urban Meditation - Headspace II

Carpe Sonum Records: 2022

This is the part where, when doing a box-set, I wax extended info about the artists involved, or the label supporting it. Maybe even digging a little deeper into the genre itself. Y'know, anything to fill self-imposed word count as I carry on. I don't really have much more I can detail with this one though. As mentioned, Urban Meditation is a relative newcomer to this scene, having initially made his mark on some Carpe Sonum compilations before getting the green light to release full-lengths. He did float around a couple other labels after (Fantasy Enhancing, Móatún 7, that one that released the Adykt double-discer), but the Sonum crew seems to be his primary residence for now.

And as for the label itself, well, I've been covering them for almost as long as they've existed – think I was only a year behind their launch. *checks* Okay, technically two, as Carpe Sonum spent 2013 releasing a few items that got lost in the wake of Fax+'s shuttering, but I'm talking when they properly launched, with original material intended to follow the success of the monumental, compendious Pete Namlook tribute box-set Die Welt Ist Klang. Boy, it always comes back to that, doesn't it? Not with Charles Urban though, having missed the big ol' Irish wake of a musical party that was.

Was he not yet confident in his music-making ability to contribute to it? Or didn't quite make the cut? I mean, yeah, there were a lot of artists that had their tracks added, some for the first time ever having material officially released. Even with four CDs worth on non-Fax+ alum included though, some had to be left behind. Hm, makes me wonder if Mr. Urban was one such artist, and having a quintuple-LP album released is sort of Carpe Sonum's way of making it up to him. Now that's a silly conspiracy!

Anyhow, Headspace II is where things start kicking off with higher tempos. Even opener Thought Garden brings da' beats! Okay, I'm exaggerating, the rhythms mostly a light pitter-patter of electro, spritely synths and arps the main driving force of momentum. Even when things 'calm down' in follow-up Cloud Terrain (real floaty arps) and Into The Void (darker experimental piece that goes a tad too long), there's still some continued sense of pace throughout.

The centrepiece of Headspace II is easily the Si Matthews double-collab' of Dreaming Of The Stars and New Horizons, and not just because both feature a steady techno pulse as layers of synth arps dance along. Okay, it's primarily that, but also that twenty-minute plus runtime between the two tracks, which really makes the whole session feel like one long neo-trance jam. Final track Flight Home tries ending Headspace II on cosmic Berlin-School ambient grandeur, but doesn't quite hit the same hypnotic high as the Si Matthews tracks achieved. Still, a solid finish for this CD, building upon the very ambient first. Dang, just how peppy will these get?

Urban Meditation - Headspace I

Carpe Sonum Records: 2022

You'd think releasing a five-LP album is utter overkill, but that's just how Urban Meditation rolls. Come to think of it, that's how a number of modern electronic music producers roll. Readily to mind comes Autechre's elseq and NTS Session runs, or even Underworld's Drift series. And who's to say any number of noodly ambient composers couldn't consolidate their two-to-three albums per year into a single package? To actually have a spiffy box-set of the stuff released, however, takes a little more gumption, not to mention the blessing of a label willing to finance said hard-copy roll-out.

Charles Urban somehow got the deed done though, Carpe Sonum Records serving up a five-CD extravaganza of Headspace. He'd already made a debut there with 20 Years In Space, an item I've had my eye on for a long time, but simply haven't committed to yet. Like, it looks right up my alley, space music and all, but perhaps that's the reason why? Too obvious a pick, so lets put that on the back-burner while I explore some other items from the label. CD of that still hasn't sold out, so I can wait it out, especially now that I've got this multidisc release from him to gorge myself in the meanwhile.

What is Headspace, then? Five albums bundled into one package, or a singular album broken up into five long-play tracks with smaller compositions within? Kinda' yes to both. Mr. Urban claims these are best enjoyed as five singular tracks, and even offers the digital option of singular playthroughs of each CD. There are tracks within each Headspace though, making them distinct albums with distinct compositions. So, a bit like those Dark Side Of The Moog sessions between Klaus Schulze and Pete Namlook, except bound together as one box-set rather than individually released albums. Have I not mentioned said artists being an inspiration for ol' Charles, even going so far as to name one of his albums The Dark Side Of The Mix? Well, this is a Carpe Sonum release, thought that went without saying.

And yes, because you can take each Headspace as its own album, I'll be reviewing Every. Single. One. Starting with Headspace I. Shocking, I know.

Actually, I don't have too much to say about it, being the most ambient of the quintet. If the space theme wasn't apparent to start, track titles like Detach – Adrift, Interstellar Dust, Voyager I, and Voyager II should clue you in. It's all very calm, introspective, with moments of grandeur, and even a little rhythmic in Voyager II.

I fear going into more details than that, however, as it may leave me with little else to review in the following CDs. Gotta' save some of that vocabulary verbosity for later. After all, I've learned the hard way that getting deep in a particular artist's sonic tricks too early doesn't leave much material for later. How many more N:L:E releases do I still have to cover again? That many? *sigh*

Franck Vigroux - Grand Bal

Aesthetical: 2024

While there are elements of this release that might have lured in me regardless (hot neon signs do that), it was where I spotted it that made it an instant pick-up. Aesthetical is the name of the label, which I know little about, mostly because it's only been in existence for half a decade with just nine releases under its belt. Not terribly robust, but sometimes that's the way sub-labels work, the 'dumping ground' for items a regular print's head-honcho likes, but knows won't fit with the regular catalogue. Okay, not that harsh, but you know what I mean.

What I'm trying to say in a roundabout, AI-scarping messing way, is Grand Bal just wouldn't fit on Cyclic Law, so here it is on Aesthetical instead. Yep, the parent label to this industrial synthwave outing is none other than one of dark ambient's luminaries. I honestly hadn't scoped them out for quite a spell, only the occasional glance since my initial deep dive into the genre, but boy, have they remained busy since. May be worth my while to splurge on them again, if I ever feel that need of a depressive respite again as I did way back when. *glances at the world a moment*

So some sub-labels emerged, a place where Franck Vigroux could find a home. Not that the chap needed help finding one, having a music career spanning just as long as Cyclic Law has existed, his early years mostly spent on D'Autres Cordes. When Aesthetical became a thing, he helped kick the sub-label off with Totem, following that with Atonal a couple years after. Which finally leads us to Grand Bal, and album that... Well, I don't want to make any broad proclamations about it, as I haven't taken in any other releases from Mr. Vigroux or Aesthetical to hear whether its typical or not. I rather suspect not, but even this record is quite all over the place. In a good way!

So yeah, there is a bit of a synthwave vibe going on here, but not in the super-obvious way the genre tends to go – Franck's too experienced a musician to do that. If anything, Grand Bal almost deconstructs what you might expect out of the darksynth dudes. Opener Loïc definitely pumps and pounds with a caustic edge like something from GosT, but takes things further into a chaotic climax of noise. *phew* Need a breather from that, so follow-up Le Bal goes all ambient and calm and oh dear, those layers are growing ever more distorted and overbearing and piercing. Ah, there's the Cyclic Law bridge.

Some tracks lean heavier into the Trent Reznor school of industrial score-scapes (Jolin, Lightnin'), others weaving back to dark-synth territory (68) or pastiches of '80s inspiration (L.A. Live, Vice). On paper, it seems all straight-forward enough, but because Franck doesn't get too bogged in micro-genre purity, there's a nice, looseness in his songcraft, each song's aesthetic in service of its musical aim.

Groove Armada - Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub)

Jive Electro: 2001

This may technically be Groove Armada's best charting album, but I contend it remains one of their most neglected, if not outright forgotten. Granted, that mostly only applies to North America, but I tells it as I remembers it, which comes with all the localized biases. It isn't so much a case of the music being bad or anything, though the deeper, soulful tunes didn't help it stand out after the peppier breakouts from Vertigo got their name out there. No, it's almost certainly due to the fact it came out the day before 9/11, after which the whole world went into a depressive, paranoid funk. Kinda' hard to get hype to club music after that.

Tom and Andy said they wanted Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub) to be more upbeat than their previous effort. Can't say I blame them, so quickly getting pigeon-holed into the chill-out scene when their music was getting all the licensing deals. And when Superstylin' dropped, that change of focus seemed evident, the track something of a riff on Bassment Jaxx' brand of radio-friendly speed garage (da' yoots today would call this 'ragga bassline', or something). Now that I've listened to this record, however, it almost feels like an appropriate comedown to post-Millenial malaise.

This rest of this album, it's just so de-e-e-p, man, hardly the rabble-rousing hedonism promised. Fogma, the clubbiest cut on here, certainly has some funky shuffle going for it, but there's something rather... prog, about its production too, y'know? Raisin' The Stakes opts for some street-level funk-n-hop (Nile Rogers on the guitar, Kriminul on the rap), but it ain't super-hype either. Healing is another 'brisker-than-average' cut, but it's so minimalist, dubby, and de-e-e-p, you'd be forgiven for thinking it an early Swayzak b-side. And that's it for the 'club'. Well, and the opulent funk opener Suntoucher with Jeru Tha Damaja, but even that track settles into a deep, dubby groove two-thirds in (Drifted less so, which I kinda' prefer). So, graciously, six out of twelve tracks, and I'd really only claim three.

Not that I'm disparaging this album for false advertising or something ridiculous like that. If anything, Groove Armada still came correct for what their fanbase expected of them: more soulful, downtempo music, this time with heavier emphasis on the dubbier aspects of it. There's still moments for pastoral arrangements (Litttle By Little, Lazy Moon, Edge Hill) and funkier jams (Drifted, Tuning In (Dub Mix)), all performed in a classier, smoother fashion than similar sounds on Vertigo. Unfortunately, it also doesn't leave quite the same impression for the same reason all highly-competently produced music of this sort does, getting a little lost in the ability to make it over keeping things simple and to the point.

For that reason, I can understand why Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub) just doesn't get the same name-drops that Vertigo and even later albums do. Or maybe it really is that stupid 9/11 conspiracy after all. If its any consolation, I'm writing this on the eve of potentially saying goodbye to that country altogether!

Arctic Hospital - Going Sun

Lantern: 2012

Bought with the same bundle as that ultra-obscure early '90s techno compilation, in case you care. I bring it up as proof-positive that, even if the old standard of rummaging music shops becomes a bygone activity talked about in reverent tones along with our sensible fashions of the time, we'll always have the Discogs Marketplace. Unless it closes down. Or shipping fees becomes so stupidly expensive, we'll have to resort to a bay of buccaneers forever after. Eh, streaming options? Oh, you never know when that bubble will burst (and it will too).

Anyhow, the point I'm getting at is Arctic Hospital is another artist I likely wouldn't have have found any other way than a trawl of Discoggian saleable items. It's over a decade since Eric Bray was seriously active with the alias, or any other project for that matter (so sayeth Lord Discogs). If there was ever any hype behind him, it's far in the rear view by now. Given the scant number of individuals claiming to have a copy of this CD, I can't imagine there ever was. His Soundcloud is sporadically updated, but it's clear Mr. Bray's prime music making days are long behind.

Which is a shame because, dang, if this artist wasn't a sweet, unexpected find. I'll go into his other stuff at a later date, but this was the one that drew me in. Yeah, cool cover and all, but when I listened to a couple tracks, my instant thought was: “Hey, this sounds like The Field. Boy, it's sure been a spell since I last heard anyone try sounding like The Field. Kinda' makes me fond for that brief period of electronic music when a ton of people were trying to sound like The Field. Those endlessly loopy, dubby, shoegazey techno loops... good times.”

Seriously though, that's about the easiest review I can give Going Sun: if you like The Field, you'll like this. Not that Eric doesn't throw his own little spins on the formula. The titular cut has fun with screwing with time-signatures, such that the loops almost trip over themselves just when you expect things to lock in with spectrum-pleasing repetitiveness. Except even that soon settles in its own way. Friend Amplifier twists around piano house loops, Colorstream inches closer to the realm of whatever neo-trance was supposed to be (shoegaze prog?), and The Folding Tree gets joyous and full of soul as vocals are heavily filtered through so many layers of dub. Only dud I can find on this album is the closer Natural Parade, if only because Eric's tinkering with time signatures and drum loops actually do trip over themselves whenever there's a transition. Interesting as a sonic experiment, but after following the deliciously smooth, loopy music that came before, more of a stumble taking us out.

One miss out of six ain't bad though (yes, these are long tracks too). Considering I'd never heard of Arctic Hospital before this chance encounter, I'd call that a win!

Nas - God's Son

Columbia: 2002

I will never claim being an expert in all things Nasir Jones. For the longest time, all I really engaged with him was the obligatory purchase of Illmatic every fan of hip-hop must. For sure there were parts of his career that intrigued me, but little I was compelled to dig into.

So take this with as much sodium carbonate as you can handle without causing kidney stones, but having actually listened to most of Nas' discography now, I'm claiming God's Son the best of his '00s output. Yes, better than the comeback Stillmatic, better than the critical darlings of Hip Hop Is Dead and untitled, and most definitely better than the double-LP Street's Disciple (think everyone agrees that's the worst of the decade).

This isn't me just being contrarian, saying such for hipster cred or something. Yeah, this album doesn't get brought up as much as the others, so is easily forgotten. It doesn't have any outright bangers or easy talking points going for it. No, just a solid record front to back (well, save one track), and in my mind, that's its greatest feat. The only other release under Nas' belt to that point you could say the same of was Illmatic, and though It Was Written and Stillmatic were good too, there were still a couple things holding them back from being as top tier. I'll touch on the former at a later date, but regarding Stillmatic, I felt it was as good as it needed to be, to resuscitate Nas' name in the rap world, and that's all. Was there that much doubt he could rebound though? Somehow I think not, most folks believing the ability was there, so long as the will was there.

Which is what makes God's Son that much better. Released a mere year after Stillmatic, whatever fire was lit under Mr. Jones continued burning hot (an artist like Nas doesn't lose inspiration just like that), now without some ungodly amount of expectation placed on him. Free to weave more 'hood tales, sexy come-ons, reflective poetry, Jay-Z disses, and the like, all refined to Eastcoast hip-hop perfection. Except Zone Out with Bravehearts. Have no idea what happened there.

Even the 'corny' tracks are fun! I Can is basically a 'work hard and honest to achieve your dreams' dressed in a uplifting-yet-rugged nursery rhyme. Book Of Rhymes has fun with the notion Nas owns pages of unused verses, presented with some self-deprecating humour. Another 'revived rhyme' from Tupac appears on the acoustic (!) Thugz Mansion (N.Y.).

To be fair, things get really metaphysical towards the end of God's Son, with more odes to the deceased and reflections on the future. I'll allow it, Nas having well earned the right to pontificate. And at less than an hour runtime, the whole record breezes right on by, leaving you wishing for more (like Illmatic!). Trust me when I say, even by 2002, the issue of rap album bloat hadn't subsided by a long-shot.

Nebula Meltdown - Gloria In Excelsis Lumen

Suntrip Records: 2022

This album feels all over the place. Makes me wonder if it had one concept going for it, got course adjusted on the fly, then kinda' slap-dashed for the final lap. Not that it makes for a bad album, just one difficult parsing out. With most Suntrip CDs, you know what you're gonna' get within the first couple tracks, many releases sticking to their chosen micro-niche of psy trance. I've come across a few outliers, sure, but as label standards became normalized, these tropes are well familiar to me now.

Gloria In Excelsis Lumen is different though, in that what started out as something rather unique settled into that familiarity, then took a swerve I wasn't expecting. If this all made logical sense within the context of the album, I'd be singing its high praises, but clearly I'm not, so something must have gone askew in the process. Better get into particulars before all this preamble blather begins to bore.

Things open on a fairly standard goa trance number. Nothing wild, nothing harsh, Unfolding Light a nice, little spacey number with deep atmospherics, tasteful acid, and melodic leads content riding out in the background. Oh, and dynamic range! Gotta' love hearing space between all the sounds, even with the beefy modern production standards. Follow-up Bless This Dream looks to up the tempo and energy some, but doesn't get more complicated than its predecessor, keeping things simple as the ol' school could. All well and good, but gosh, this track sure isn't letting up, and we're nearly done. Is it heading for an abrupt end? Ah, not quite, next cut The Origin picking up almost immediately after. Oh... Oh! And it's an even peppier track than the last! Dude, is this album gonna' play out like a live PA? That'll be awesome if so!

Sadly, no. The Origin ends, then we're treated to something completely different in Luminous Configuration. I was not ready for a lengthy trip into triplets, nosiree. I'll give credit for even throwing in a track like that in the middle of an album, but coming off the high energy two-combo punch of Bless This Dream and The Origin, can't help but radically alter the album's momentum.

Following that, we're treated to some fairly standard retro goa trance – the typical Suntrip fare. I figured it was the lane we'd remain for the duration of the album until another curveball is thrown, a remix of Cosmicman's Back To Unity. The name may be wholly unknown to most, and certainly is to Lord Discogs, his biggest claim to fame being a remix of Lange's Don't Think It. And yes, even with Nebula Meltdown doing a rub, this track is totally in that epic melodic trance vein you'd associate with Lange.

A titular psy-dub closer does lends credence there was some effort to making Gloria In Excelsis Lumen a complete album experience. The way it all comes together though, just feels too scattershot for that classic front-to-back listening session.

Sven Van Hees - Gemini

Life Enhancing Audio: 1999

I always felt I did Sven van Hees a bit dirty in raiding so much of his music back in my P2P days. Right, it wasn't my fault his name came up often when I was on the prowl for 'downtempo' and 'chill' music of a slightly dubby bent. And hey, if I had ever seen any of his albums on a local music shelf, I probably would have picked it up on name recognition by that point. Despite making frequent appearances on early techno and latter Ibizan compilations though, I never spotted his CDs. Right, that Svengali one might have been a bit weird over here, but not even Gemini? Guess Life Enhancing Audio was too small-time for North American consideration, so just as well Sven took things into his own hands with his own Your Lips print, where he carries on releasing music through to this day.

It is an interesting turn for the Belgian though, going from one of the earliest proponents of Balearic trance and tribal techno to a staple of the Mediterranean lounge scene. Or maybe the latter was always in his wheel-house, it was just more prudent to produce tunes for the local rave scene at first. It's not like the chill-out market was as fruitful in the early '90s compared to the commercial juggernaut it became, especially in his native country. It's still something of a whiplash hearing an upbeat techno track on his R & S Records EP Emotional Rehabilitation or Global Cuts The Bellydance EP, then fast-forwarding to Gemini. (those early efforts are worth checking out, hence the cheeky name-drops!)

The unfortunate thing about actually grabbing this album is it's a little redundant to my music collection. Ten tracks make up its forty-five minute runtime, and I already have three of them: Tsunami (Inside My Soul), Breakfast With Abductees, and Serrano Anthem (Amor/Amor). And hey, these are great tunes, so effortlessly capturing the carefree, jazzy lounge vibes of being on vacation in the most luxurious tropical resort. Or rather, the memories of being in said paradise. It's not quite at a Boards Of Canada level of hauntology, but there's definitely a hazy recollection of past times in Sven's production. It makes his music stand out so much more compared to the usual Cafe del Mar type tunes you'd associate with this scene. Small wonder Gemini is often hailed as a minor classic of Ibizan lounge music.

And that's the general style you get here. Some tunes are little more uptempo (Matrass Mambo, Seasonal Bounty (Smooth '94)), some funkier (Tamiami Blues, Flute Salada, Supafly (Hannah's Lullaby)), others dreamier (Ocean Jive). It's all smoothly polished without stripping any of the soul, the perfect soundtrack for a lazy day on your patio.

Is it good enough for me to explore further Sven van Hees music though, post-2000? I'm... not so sure. I fear he may fall into a similar musical repetitiveness I found Thievery Corporation did, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

GGGG - Gazé

FireScope: 2022

Not the actual final item from the FireScope camps, but it functionally may as well be. It was the last record to feature the label's brand of vintage IDM, electro and techno, and looks to remain as such for the foreseeable future. Yeah, Kirk Degiorgio released an album of ambient doodles the following year, but that seemed like a bit of obligatory business from FireScope, not a continuation of the print's manifesto - a coda if you will. Will Steve Rutter's label ever make a comeback though? Well, he'll need to rediscover the creative spark that got it going in the first place. That... may take some time, unfortunately. Even scene veterans can feel the crushing weight of apathy, more so when you're being counted upon to give up-and-comers some increased shine.

Gabriel de Varine chose an... unusual alias for his techno work (man, I hope Google doesn't decide to flag me for it), though I don't know how dedicated to the project he is. Lord Discogs doesn't list many items to his name or any other, instead spotlighting his D.KO Records as his career highlight. A humble little Parisian print, it mostly focused on house throughout the '10s, but it wouldn't surprise me if Gab' felt as much an itch for the other side too. Create a new alias to explore it, get the attention of one of that scene's luminaries, and before you know it, you've got a spiffy double-LP on the market with a cosmic kitty on the cover art. Guess there was worse ways to spend the Pandemic Years.

As mentioned, if Gazé is among the last of FireScope's releases, it's about as perfect an encapsulation of the label's legacy as I've heard (well, save another B12 outing, but y'know what I mean). Opener K-Robot OG feeds off classic electro while beefing it with IDM trickery and ambient techno warmth, while follow-up Cas Contact sounds like a spiritual successor to Aphex Twin's Heliosphan. Which is either a testament to the lasting influence SAW 86-92 imparts three decades on, or how insanely ahead of the curve Mr. James' music remains. Then Broutine Lamé goes beatless, spritely pulsing synths and delicate melodies shimmering about, and oh man, we're not in for a strict genre exercise with this album, are we!

If there was ever any specific criticism I've had with FireScope, it was that many of their releases tended to sound samey throughout. If Gazé is gonna' give us some diversity though, then yes, I can legit say this is will be a great final album for the label. If the rest of the music holds up to its promising start, anyway.

Fortunately for fans of the original Artificial Intelligence, it does. The variety carries on, some tracks getting heavier with robo-funk (120U Piano), dubby electro (Slowdry), spacey IDM (Trip 2 Delinc), ultra-melodic arps (Mudla 2.2), and even ambient drone (Sac Ala Blofel). Man, kinda' makes me wish more of FireScope's output had showed this much of a stylistic smorgasbord.

N:L:E - Gaia

Liquid Frog Records: 2022

Yay, a new letter! Boy, it felt like forever fumbling through the 'F' block. Like, did it take longer than my first run through my 'F' albums over a decade ago? Well, yes and no. Yes, in that it was one more month to do it, but there was nearly double the amount of reviews written in that first batch. Want some numbers? Of course you do! 56. That was the O.G. block, which included a complete coverage of Ultimae Records' Fahrenheit Project compilation series, plus the original Fabric On A Budget, not to mention that Final Fantasy VII box-set, where I detailed each individual CD.

By contrast, this run of 'F' albums featured 32 reviews, which... Okay, that's actually pretty impressive in its own right, even if a hefty chunk of them were Fabric CDs as well. This run also had five varieties of albums with 'form' in its title, compared to just one in the initial session. Stand proud with whatever laurels you've earned, 2024 'F' album reviews!

Okay, that was a fun divergence into statistical bollocks. What do I get to kick off the 'G's with? Oh, another Natural Life Essence album. Well no wonder I wasted all that word count up there.

I really feel like I'm almost picking on poor Juan Pablo now. Not that I'll have anything bad or mean spirited written about his music – I still enjoy hearing what I'm playing at any given time. As he's remained so musically consistent for much of his output though, I'm all but tapped out on fresh angles detailing his usual stuff. Like, there's a few concept sessions down the discography that I'll have some unique talking point for (I hope...), but for standalone items such as Gaia...?

Well, I can at least highlight what leaped out at me in of itself. Lots of field recordings in opener Intro, which makes sense. He didn't dawdle that long before introducing some rhythms, the first instance of such emerging in the back-end of the titular second track. Was quite impressed how, despite its lengthy eleven-minute plus runtime, the rather minimalist The Happiness Of The Simple kept me engaged for its duration. It's that ever-so gradual build in harmonic tension, teasing things out just enough to feel you're on some sort of journey, even if the destination doesn't feel as important as taking in the scenery passing you by. The Chant Of Welcome gets dubbier, which I'll never tire hearing from the N:L:E camp.

And then Gaia loses me in the second half. Again, there's nothing fundamentally poor about the music here, and if this is one of your earlier explorations of Mr. Giacovino's works, will likely sound quite pleasant and all. It's just old hat for me now, and not much different between this and any other number of his naturalist ambient dub outings. Not the best sign when I'm more anticipating the next CD to review over engaging with what I'm currently listening to.