Aes Dana - Leylines

Ultimae Records: 2009

Vincent Villuis has put together one of the best ambient and downtempo labels I've come across, and thus I have a great amount of respect for him; yet I struggle to get into his Aes Dana material. It’s not a matter of quality, as his music checks off all the things I enjoy of this genre (lush soundscapes, clever instrumentation, captivating atmosphere, the Ultimae Mixdown™). Unfortunately, Mr. Villuis has done such an impeccable job of gathering talent to Ultimae, he’s often overshadowed by them. Solar Fields, Asura, Carbon Based Lifeforms, holy cow, what a roster! Even his collaborative work with Solar Fields as H.U.V.A. Network is beyond stellar.

So why the problem with Aes Dana? I suppose it boils down to the minimalistic nature of his music. Villuis doesn’t often evoke the same uplifting emotional response his label chums do, perhaps a result of his industrial background. While not cold or uninviting as most industrialists go, there is a noticeable trend of it throughout the Aes Dana project, a nod to the dark ambient tone that scene embraces.

I haven’t heard every album under this banner (dang it, Ultimae, we need another round of re-issues), so I don’t know whether Leylines is the darkest Aes Dana album. Damn though, for an Ultimae LP, it’s dark. Oxyd oozes sinister strings and glitchy percussion as a thudding heart beats in the background, all of which complimented with gentle, disconcerting bells. Heights features disembodied voices and haunting orchestral arrangements, as though echoing off cathedral halls. And Signs is about as dark and ethereal as dark ambient gets. Even the uptempo cut Lysistrata has trademarks of industrial, utilizing a bassline that wouldn’t sound out of place on an EBM record. If Delerium had continued making music of this sort rather than seeking the bankable New Age market instead, I’ve little doubt they’d be producing what’s found on Leylines.

On the other hand, a number of Ultimae tropes do crop up. Tracks like Bam, Blossom, and Inter check off many requisite psy-dub sounds amongst the droning synths. Meanwhile, the whole middle section, including Lysistrata, is made up of that distinct slow-trance style the label practically made their staple, often coupled with moody synths and world-beat effects. Hey, I love this stuff, but I won’t deny it all sounding similar in bunches, a subtle, sonic soup one can easily pass by without much care. If you’ve heard enough Ultimae, you’ll recognize many of the sounds and arrangements Villuis creates here. And as he does prefer the minimalistic route in his music, the lack of strong melodic hooks leaves Leylines lagging behind the label’s best albums.

Not the highest recommendation for Aes Dana’s fourth, then, though only if you’ve yet to take the Ultimae plunge (I say again, what on Earth are you waiting for!?). Leylines is an enjoyable album on its own merits, a suitable musical companion for introspective times and places. A necessary addition to one’s chill-out collection, however, it is not.

Perfect Stranger - Learning = Change (2013 Update)

Iboga Records: 2006

(Click here to wander the barren wastes of my old writing.)

*blink* ...*blink-blink*

Sorry about that. My eyes dried out while trying to read that old review of mine. I still couldn't get through it. In fact, just thinking about it has left my creative process a desolate desert. I'm utterly stumped on what to say in this Update. It's still a good prog-psy album, far better than most of the material Iboga Records churned out in later years. What kind of material? Ah, you don't want me to tell you, it's really not interesting. I'm going to though, aren't I, just to burn some word count here.

Iboga was making a name for itself in the mid-'00s as a worthy contributor to a growing prog-psy scene, their finest offerings easily on par with the likes of Spiral Trax. Then, for some totally daft reason, the Iboga roster started getting bit by the minimal bug. Their tunes often had a deeper, tribal tone to them, sandwiched between the driving, melodic numbers, but not any longer. Perfect Stranger, Iboga's main man remember, was particularly smitten by this trend, churning out some of the driest tracks you could imagine. I don't know if they ever recovered from that nonsense, as I lost touch with the label as this decade took form. Didn't want to bother springing for music if it was gonna' be the listening equivalent of traversing the Gobi Desert.

I did have a chance to see if Perfect Stranger had changed his sound this summer, as he was one of the headliners at the Shambhala Music Festival. Unfortunately, he was slotted for a ridiculously early time at the psytrance-worldbeat-hippieshit stage, at which point I was slotted to work on the clean-up crew as part of my volunteer duties. Yeah, after six years attending this festival, I gave back to that which gave so much to me – the early-entry, gettin' fed, warm showers, and cool co-workers was a good incentive too. That Friday evening shift, I rode around on the trash collection truck; dirty work true, but a lot of fun too, hopping on a moving vehicle chanting “Trash! Trash! Trash!” along the way, dancing to music whenever we neared one of the stages. It was one, big, moving party, keeping the grounds tidy and that.

Still, my fondest memory of that trip didn't occur at the festival, but the night before my travelling posse got there. We stayed overnight in a small town called Trail, famous for a massive steel mill in the centre. We thought maybe a pub might be open late, but as it was a holiday night, Trail's downtown was dead, not a soul on the street, and a disconcerting sight for us city goers. Meanwhile, looming in the background of this abandoned area lay the massive factory, its evening lights eerily illuminating massive smoke stacks billowing thick clouds into the warm summer night. A real steampunk sight for this day in age.

What? Oh hey, Learning = Change. Still worth a listen, it is. Trust.

Various - Fahrenheit Project - Part Seven

Ultimae Records: 2011

Who knows at this point whether Part 6 of Fahrenheit Project was intended to end the compilation series, or circumstances simply made it thus, but for whatever the reason it appeared that would be the final entry. Considering the highs it'd achieved, it also would have concluded on quite a limp note. No, better to do things proper-like and give the series a send-off it deserves. Well, one theory for Fahrenheit Project’s resurrection, after half a decade of sitting fallow.

First off, the cover art itself is something of a tribute to Ultimae of old. It retains the letter-box design (which’d been retired the same year), plus includes the circular graphic that graced many of the original covers before they were redone with new artwork (Part 3, which never received an update, also has it). And lo, Asura finally returns to the series. Oddly, most of the Ultimae regulars are absent: no Cell, no Carbon Based Lifeforms, and Aes Dana only provides his usual track arrangement. True, the latter two had albums forthcoming the same year, but it's a shame not to see them in any musical capacity.

That said, a few familiar names to the Ultimae legacy do crop up. The duo Circular had released their fourth album on the label, and Scann-Tec appeared on Part 6. Hol Baumann gets a credit as well, though it’s care of a remix on Final by a relatively unknown Max Million. A number of other established and fresh-faced acts round out the rest, including that AstroPilot dude again (I told you he was prolific!).

And the music? Chill, of course, though by this point Ultimae’s bread-and-butter was mellow prog psy and blissed ambient techno, and that’s the general vibe going on here. Heck, AstroPilot’s Memories Maze is incredibly brisk, almost breezing along at a proper trance pace. Meanwhile, Asura’s Millenium 3 does something I thought I’d never hear from this label: side-chaining. It’s not even subtle, that distinct pulsing-throb of pad work around the kicks front-and-center throughout the track. After hearing the technique abused by electro house producers and Markus Schulz disciples, I want to hate this track by default. As it plays through, however, I find myself enjoying it, sucked into Asura’s groovin’ little number. Of course, the reason for this is obvious: those other producers are shit, and Asura’s not.

All-in-all, Fahrenheit Project, Part 7 is a welcome addition to the series’ history. Though not quite reaching the highs of Parts 4 and 5, it easily stands on even ground with the early editions. If this does end up being the final entry, I can’t think of a better way of going out than with Solar Field’s OnFlow. It’s such an uplifting tune, forcing a silly grin upon your face as you reach over to the closest person to give them a big, sloppy hug; yet, a touch of melancholy permeates the mood as it fades out at the end. Sending Fahrenheit Project to the heavens, it seems.

Various - Fahrenheit Project - Part Six

Ultimae Records: 2006/2008

What else could Ultimae do? Half a decade after emerging from the hinterlands of psy chill obscurity, the label was riding an astounding wave of musical success. Their tactic of interspersing albums from their roster with the Fahrenheit Project series probably could have been milked to this day, but that's boring. Nay, by the time Part 6 of this series came, changes were afoot, and perhaps sadly, this would be the last of the Fahrenheit Projects for some time.

Such changes included: launching new compilation-mix series such as Oxycanta and Albedo; heavier emphasis on artist albums; and, most crucially, signing more talent to Ultimae. For a label known for an almost glacial rate of releasing material, such a jump in activity was going to show a little initial strain. Those new series didn't last long, as the increased LP output – almost all which were ace – overshadowed many of them. Why bother, said the fans, with the compilations when much of the best material was on the albums? Fahrenheit Project succeeded because it was as much a sneak preview of such albums as it was a roster showcase, so it was in Ultimae's favour to offer their best material for the series. With names like Solar Fields, H.U.V.A. Network, and Carbon Based Lifeforms practically selling themselves to the faithful now, the Fahrenheit format was no longer required.

So it's in this transitional period we find Part 6. Again, regular Ultimae acts all show up, with a few outside contributors sprinkled about. Still, a notable difference rears its head compared the last few entries, in that there's a lack of CBL. Sync24 does offer one track, mind, but as the duo was working on their sophomore effort, it's possible they didn't have time for Fahrenheit this time out. Maybe Ultimae should have called in Asura? No, wait, he was working on a new album too.

At only nine tracks, this is the shortest of the series, and to be blunt, it isn’t anywhere near as good as the prior two. Granted, those were lofty peaks, but one can’t help but be disappointed they couldn’t maintain at a plateau instead of take a stumble. As with Part 3, the lack of diversity hurts, most of the artists sticking to tried-and-tested psy chill tropes. The production remains top notch of course, but track flow is serviceable at best, everything melding into the same psy-glitch-ambient-downtempo soup Ultimae’s known for.

One of the few surprising developments, however, comes midway, and care of Solar Fields. Instead of offering his typical brand of chill-out, he dives headfirst into the realms of prog psy on Levitate. He’d dabbled in the vicinity of that sound before, but always in a ‘slow trance’ fashion. This tune, though, is incredibly brisk, especially for Fahrenheit Project. It must have garnered him a good response, as his following album, Earthshine, was loaded with the stuff, such that even fans of regular ol’ trance took notice.

And then Ultimae’s exposure truly took off.

Various - Fahrenheit Project - Part Five

Ultimae Records: 2005/2008

Five editions of Fahrenheit Project deep, it's safe to say Ultimae had found a formula that worked. Fresh material from their regular roster, a few contributions from outside sources, and an excellent mix of mellow trance, ambient techno, and cinematic chill keeping the music varied and interesting. Oh, and release it after a fallow year, a handy tactic in building anticipation for the next entry in the series.

By 2005, however, the need to take it a step further must have been on their minds. Mostly fuelled by the popularity of Israeli full-on and Swedish prog psy, the psy scene was enjoying a resurgence of interest, and those into the downtempo side of things were cluing into the label's potential. The buzz generated by their early material had grown into a steady murmur now, but Ultimae had long been a cut above their musical peers, so it's not like they had to up the ante. Besides, Fahrenheit, Part 4 was such a good compilation, I doubt anyone expected them to top that one. Could they even top it?

They fucking smashed it.

For one thing, Ultimae noticed psy's changing trends, and capably found a footing within the realms of prog psy. Not that the label was adverse in dabbling with an upbeat tempo, but it was mostly a sort of 'slow trance' style they were comfortable with. Here, Aes Dana's Purple and Solar Field's Water Silence could easily find DJ set duty with any of the Iboga or Spiral Trax offerings of that year (though probably better suited early in such a set). Wedged among those two are the returning Jaïa and Aural Planet, each providing a different tone of psy dub, keeping variety high and class.

At the other end of the spectrum (and CD) lurks the other Ultimae regulars in Carbon Based Lifeforms (including two solo outings from CBL member Sync24), and Hol Baumann. The former’s sound often skewed in ambient techno’s favor, but even that was seeing changes with the trendy emergence of minimal, drone, and glitch by the mid-‘00s. Following suit, they along with Hol explore such music to great effect. Heck, Baumann’s Final could have made for an excellent capper with strong drum programming and guitar strums complementing the glitch, but Sync24’s suitably named ‘Epilogue Edit’ of Wake takes us out in fine fashion.

And then there’s the middle section! Holy cow, it’s the best string of music I’ve heard out of all these Fahrenheit Projects, no small feat considering how strong the track arrangement usually is. Processing Lights from H.U.V.A. Network is a lush piece of ethereal chill, then Cell somehow outdoes that with his own haunting Blue Embers. Joining them is prog psy vet Marius Katz, bringing a touch of actual ambient techno funk to the proceedings, and sounding not a touch out of place in the process. How he do that!?

Okay, that’s enough enthusiastic rambling from me. If you can only get one Fahrenheit Project, Part 5’s the one. Trust.

Human Blue - A Decade Of Dance: Best Of - Part 1 (Original TC Review)

Transient Records: 2008

(2012 Update:
The good news is Spiral Trax is still operating, though in far lesser capacity than years past. The bad news is ol' Dag hasn't released much of anything since these retrospectives. I don't know whether he called it quits or is simply taking an extended break from production. Guess check back in half a decade for a 2016 Update?)


IN BRIEF: Only a taster.

Human Blue isn’t obscure. In fact, Dag Wallin’s project has a few albums to his name, not to mention been featured on several compilations over the past ten years. Considering the incredibly high turnover ratio of psy trance producers, he’s actually done quite well for himself to keep plugging along. Yet were you asked to name off the top of your head a ‘Human Blue classic’, chances are you’ll be hard pressed to respond with anything immediate. That lack of any recognizable hit singles has kept his profile out in the fringes of trance-land, which some may say has been for the better. Less corruption from popular trends… keeping trance ‘real’… those sorts of reasons.

Truthfully though, the reason Human Blue didn’t break out the same way others have is due to the very nature of his music. He’s primarily a progressive trance producer, but when he was releasing his first singles in the late 90s, Wallin didn’t follow suite with what the superstar UK DJs were pushing as that sound – rather, he decided to draw influence from psy trance instead. For better or worse, this instantly ‘ghettoized’ his work (that is, if you consider outdoor parties surrounded by a bunch of hippies as ‘trance ghetto’, heh), which is a shame because there are many tracks of his that could have fit snuggly into trance sets from that time.

So, Wallin wasn’t really progressive trance, but nor was he really psy. Sure, there were some elements here and there, but for a form of music that has long been characterized as busy and, er, psychedelic, Wallin’s tunes were comparatively simple; few superfluous squiggly bits and such. Rather, it was more groove orientated, with attention paid to building upon rhythmic layers rather than messing around with head-fuck effects. It became known as a distinctively Swedish take on psy trance, a sound shared by other prominent producers such as Vibrasphere and Atmos, and nurtured on the label Spiral Trax. It was progressive, yet also psy. It was… prog psy!

With prog psy being heralded as the last refuge for pure trance lovers in recent years, folks who fancy the stuff should be pleased that one of the originators of the sound has now released a pair of retrospective collections. When Spiral Trax folded in ’06 (though they’ve since re-opened), Wallin signed with long-time psy tastemaker label Transient, and promptly decided to gather up a bunch of Human Blue tracks that have grown increasingly difficult to procure. Why, though, spread it out over two independent CDs rather than release it as a double-disc set? Senseless, I says.

The reason for us choosing to cover Part 1 of A Decade Of Dance is purely arbitrary; similarly, so seems the consideration behind the track selection. There really isn’t much to differentiate the two releases, as they both equally cover the same time period, and the stylistic variation between them is nil. That said, Part 1 follows mostly a chronological selection, and you can notice the ever-so gradual shift in Wallin’s work as he moved from a pure prog trance sound to something a little more groovier. Only two tracks fall out of the Human Blue timeline, the unreleased Space Blues (probably the most rhythmically intense track out of the bunch here) and Breaking Limits, from the ’99 album Ice - you can definitely hear the early goa influences with this one. Everything else follows a similar pattern: basic beats and tones are laid out early, gradually building in rhythmic energy before some minor melodic ideas are introduced, finally capping off with everything coming together. Fortunately, the strength of Wallin’s production keeps things fresh through each tune, if not exhilarating.

And yes, the lack of variation is a chief quibble to be had with this CD. Part 1 is by no means a dull playthrough - I’d only rate Virtual Turnaround as a weak link - but the relative sameness throughout the disc keeps its overall rating mired in that annoying six-to-seven range so much music ends up; it’s just not quite a solid seven, but certainly far better than a six. Were we to utilize PitchforkMedia’s rating system, Part 1 would be something like 6.8473π²÷10 , but since we here at TranceCritic aren’t twits, I’ll just round it up to 7.

If anything, this is a nice little primer into the Human Blue discography. This or Part 2 (should you have picked that up instead) is easily enough to get you started on what Wallin’s music is all about, with just the right amount of potential tease to tantalize you further should you be curious enough to dig deeper.

Perfect Stranger - Learning = Change (Original TC Review)

Iboga Records: Cat. # IBOGACD38 

Released February 28, 2006 

Track List: 

1. Starter (8:28) 

2. Dr. Feelgood (8:31) 

3. Morning Blues (8:03) 

4. Those Days (9:08) 

5. Hyperdrive (8:21) 

6. Truth (8:39) 

7. Nobody’s Perfect (Remix) (9:00) 

8. Desert Session (10:39) 

9. Bonus: Schatsi - Radio Schatsi (Perfect Stranger Remix) (6:50) 

(2010 Update: Ugh. Probably one of the driest reviews I ever wrote, and that's saying something, considering the material I was writing a year before. I can't even read this today. Fortunately, the album itself has held up quite well. In fact, I think Iboga was never quite as good as they were at this point in their life, but mind you I haven't checked anything out from them in over a year now. Maybe it's about time I rectify that?) 

IN BRIEF: Definitely not “that hippie shit.” 

Having been impressed by Flowjob’s album, it raised my curiosity as to what else the growing progressive scene in the psy camps had to offer. After all, the underground buzz surrounding it had to be there for a reason; however, it seems there’s still very little exposure outside its core niche. Either these labels just don’t have the necessary promotional power to expose their material to major outlets, or the majors still regard it as “that hippie shit.” 

Undaunted, I decided to explore it the expensive way: buying a smattering of material for myself to check out. Of this splurge, I naturally picked up another release from the label responsible for Flowjob’s release, Iboga Records; much of this buzz seems to be centred around their output anyways. As for why I chose this particular release by Perfect Stranger, it was merely a random choice; more fun that way (heh). 

The man behind Perfect Stranger, Yuli Fershtat, has been in the psy scene for a while now, mostly producing full-on styled stuff as BLT. I can’t say I’ve heard any of that material but perhaps that’s a good thing. This way, I’m getting the good ol’ fresh perspective on Yuli’s new project without drawing from previous work for comparison. 

As for his Perfect Stranger material, it would seem Yuli has done his homework on what constitutes the progressive sound. The tracks on Learning = Change are not to be confused with the twinkly stuff produced by Andy Moor or Markus Schulz. Nor is it all that similar to the older prog house and trance that was popular in the mid-90s. Rather, the closest comparison would be the brooding style John Digweed was playing out at the turn of the century, with some psy styling sprinkled in here and there. If you aren’t familiar with Digweed’s darker sound, it had the distinction of being very minimal, very groove-centric, and highly un-melodic. So, if you need your hooks readily apparent in your music, you may want to pass on this release. 

The remaining question then, is from which angle should I approach Learning = Change: psy going prog, or prog going psy? The aptly titled opener, Starter, is as clear as any indication on what Yuli is aiming for. The track is as proggy as prog gets, with rhythmic layers, dubby effects, synthy washes, and other assorted sounds gradually building upon one another. A definite hook emerges around the four minute mark -a  pulsing synth melody - but don’t expect it to carry Starter for the duration; it’s more of a tantalizing tease before heading back into the groove again to take us out. Still, Starter is a decent track to, um, start the album on. 

Dr. Feelgood takes us into deeper pastures. Don’t expect this track to lead you by the hand. Most of the dubby sounds and groovy rhythms tend to remain unassuming as things play out, letting the listener discover the musical nuances themself. Of course, that’s the optimist’s stance. A pessimist would probably write Dr. Feelgood off as boring, droning wank. Being the cheery guy I am, I’ll go with the former. It’s still your call though. Retaining this atmosphere is Morning Blues, but this track brings in grittier sound effects, dubby synth pulses, and female samples. The subtle melodies are also easier to pick out thanks to the sparseness of everything at work, but again they won’t leap out at you, nor build to a big climax. 

Having gotten the mellow groovers out of the way, Yuli gets the prog party started with Those Days. The rhythms are more punctual, the bassline more driving, and the sounds a bit fiercer. This track also makes ample use of simple, looping hooks layering on top of each other, effectively drawing you into a rhythmic trance. To counter the menacing sounds used, a little twinkly hook peaks its head every so often. It all sounds good, right? Well, there’s just one problem: the rhythms aren’t as gripping as Those Days’ elements seem to indicate they should be. Consequently, the listener may lose interest when the hooks aren’t in action (which happens all too frequently in the second half). 

Hyperdrive fixes this problem. By establishing the main hook - a looping, brooding synthesized little number - right from the get-go, the focus tends to shift towards Yuli’s use of rhythms. Always layered and evolving throughout the track, it also helps they are catchier, sucking you into their tribal dance. With all the cards laid out early, Hyperdrive doesn’t create a sense of anxious anticipation for a big payoff, thus allowing you to just enjoy the trip. 

The same can be said for Truth. A plinky arpeggio is established early on; although not settling for simple loops this time out, Yuli manages to embellish it with various effects and complementary hooks while the rhythms work and build around it. The silky smooth production on this track adds a touch of class found in many a typical Renaissance release. Er... not that Perfect Stranger hasn’t been classy thus far, but the psy trappings have been lurking in most of these tracks, which can frighten your average prog head. 

Anyhow, moving on. Yuli seems to have realized he’s at his strongest when letting the rhythms dictate the direction of his songs, so for his final two tracks, he does just that. Nobody’s Perfect makes wonderful use of building percussion and groovin’ basslines. Stuttery sounds and effects only add to the tribal energy to be had. The song is structured around a ‘double-build’, where all the elements will peak out halfway through, recede for a bit, and build back up to finish out. Very infectious. 

Similarly, Desert Session lays the tribal feel on thicker, allowing the rhythms to worm and wind their way through a dizzying dance of percussion and bass. A collaboration with Wouter Thomassen (aka Zen Mechanics), you get an added element during these rhythmic builds which is irresistible: acid. Specifically, it is of the chunky, hollow sort, but is there to serve the rhythms as needed. And serve them well they do indeed. 

There’s also a bonus track here, a remix Yuli did for Yoni Oshrat, otherwise known as Schatsi. It certainly has a different feel to it than the rest of this album, in that Radio Schatsi is, dare I say it, old school trance. In fact, I’ll be so bold as to say it kind of reminds me of some DJ Dag material: stuttery synths, simple reverb on the percussion, ‘Speak ‘N’ Spell’ samples, etc. While not the most riveting example of this sound, it is still quality, and a worthy ‘add-on’ to max out the CD’s space. 

The main attraction on this album is still Yuli’s own material though, and he has crafted a lovely little prog album here. With each track easily segueing into the next, the rhythmic flow of Learning = Change is on a constant climb, with Desert Session the definite peak of it. However, an apparent lack of accessible hooks does make this album a bit difficult to dive into without dedicated attention payed to it. Perhaps frustratingly, some of the synthy pulses that peak their head every so often hint at the potential for some killer hooks had Yuli decided to go that route. Still, if this nitpick isn’t much of a concern to you, then Learning = Change will serve prog heads just fine. The underground continues to thrive. 

Score: 7/10 

ACE TRACKS: 

Morning Blues 

Hyperdrive 

Desert Session 

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