Krusseldorf - Bohemian Groove

Beats & Pieces: 2010

I never ordered this, nor did I find it in a CD shop (pft, as if those exist in Vancouver now); rather, it came bundled with my last Ultimae splurge. Wow, not only does the always-ace chill label include great music, classy digipaks, cool postcards, bookmarks, and incense, but now free CDs too? This is better than radio promos other labels offer: it's a proper LP from an established artist! Okay, it was likely a packaging error (though I wasn't missing anything), so it’s not a big deal. Still, never look a gift horse in the mouth, right? Uh, that’s kinda what I’m supposed to be doing at this blog though.

Anyhow, Krusseldorf goes by Simon Heath on his passport, while others still may know him as dark ambient project Atrium Carceri. I haven’t heard that one, though his recent Sabled Sun off-shoot looks interesting, further exploration of dark ambient but with a sci-fi twist (“in space, no one can hear the synth drone”). In either case, it’s a far cry from what we get on Bohemian Groove, essentially a psy-dub album. Guess that makes sense if Ultimae had this floating around. I’m not sure if this is the established Krusseldorf sound or just a one-off, but considering all his other releases at Lord Discogs suggests the likes of Shpongle and Ott (to say nothing of Ultimae regulars), I’ll trust my instincts; a psy-dub album, then.

Even before throwing this on, I was leery. It’s a genre that can hit some exhilarating highs, yet is seldom achieved by only but the most frequently name-dropped. Too many producers are content to sound like Posford or Bluetech without adding a fresh twist on the template, and matters aren’t helped when they lack comparable studio gear. As Mr. Heath additionally works a studio engineering gig, you’d think he’d make a good showing if it, but nay, the music on Bohemian Groove, while spacious, comes off just as plastic as most average psy-chill acts.

Right, it’s partly my fault here for listening to a chunk of CDs with the Ultimae Mixdown™ recently. And if space synth has taught me anything, who cares about quality of sound so long as the musical craft holds. The first couple tracks off Bohemian Groove are fine, though not terribly challenging where psy-dub arrangements are concerned. Third track Inbound raised a few red flags, however, and fourth cut Nobs is just… oh dear, it’s psy-muzak. Never have I heard such a listless, saccharine tune in this genre, and Lord help me I hope to never hear it again.

That sadly soured my initial impressions of the rest of this album, but I’ve softened since. Most of it settles into a blissy, comfortable psy-dub groove, the plastic sheen even turning charming after a while (yay clickity-glitch rhythms). Occasional instrument choices may lift an eyebrow (no, guitars, no), but nothing dire. Still, Bohemian Groove is conceptually so middle-of-the-road for psy-chill, it’s stuck at the fork in a highway. What nonsensical metaphor?

Sounds From The Ground - High Rising

Waveform Records: 2006

Now this one, this is where one should check out Sounds From The Ground first. I can’t go so far as to say it’s the London duo’s best album, but of their Waveform releases, it’s definitely one of their most consistent LPs from front-to-back. With a title like High Rising, you might expect soaring sonics and uplifting melodies, but this is an incredibly subdued CD, executing ambient dub in ways that sounds boundless despite not venturing stylistically far. I guess Jones and Woolfson had finally got their sound… down to the ground? Ah heh… um, yeah, no.

I should make something clear right off the bat: if you've never had an ear for ambient dub, High Rising isn't likely to change your mind on the genre. Frankly, I'm unsure what sort of album would. Like so many dub variants of music, it's the sort of sound you're either into, faults and all, or figure just a bunch of mindless, middling musical-fluff only spliff heads could vibe on. This is a good album for those who enjoy the music, for sure, but if you're in need of something easier to get acquainted with, maybe start from the source in those classic Beyond Ambient Dub compilations.

Back to Sounds From The Ground, they'd been in the game for a good decade, and though occasionally exploring other forms of downtempo and chill, their bread and butter remained ambient dub. So if fans were to be treated to a full album of them doing what they did-done best, it must have been oh-so sweet catnip. Like if Oliver Lieb were to make a trance album again. Or Markus Schulz playing McProg again. Or Deltron making any music again (ooh, it’s finally here!).

Even within its relatively narrow confines, High Rising does offer some diversity of style for the discerning ambient dub head. There's the slight touch of bleepy techno on tracks like Rotorblade and Slate Grey. Viper Style has dashes of world beat, while Gaudi shows up in Palmprint for a proper reggae dub jam. As the cover art might hint at, some city-cool trip-hop action crops up in Beautiful Feeling and Blink. Finally, showing they were also clued into the growing popularity of psy dub, final tracks Speedbumps and Allsorts sound like they’d fit snuggly on an Ultimae collection.

In some ways, that the follow-up of Brightwhitelight coming off mediocre isn’t so surprising anymore. How could Jones and Woolfson top High Rising when everything on here is superbly crafted while staying true to just the essentials? (yeah yeah, I’m probably overhyping it) Small wonder they released an ‘odds-n-sods’ collection after that one, then started properly exploring different roads of downtempo with their next few albums. Those are reviews for much later though. Meanwhile, if you’ve just a passing curiosity about Sounds From The Ground, High Rising’s definitely the one to scope out first. Unless, of course, you can afford to splurge on the whole lot.

Various - Four A.D.

Waveform Records: 2003

Dammit, my alphabetical stipulation strikes again. Instead of delving into Waveform's A.D. (Ambient Dub) series in any sort of practical order, here we are dealing with the fourth (and likely last) edition first. And it's not like this gives me an opportunity to get all the history out of the way, saving me valuable self-imposed word count for the earlier volumes later - the next one's all the way down in the 'O's. It's taken me nearly two years to make the progress I have already. By the time we hit One A.D. (if ever), this review'll be long forgotten.

Or maybe not, but to be honest, Four A.D. didn't garner the same sort of buzz as its predecessors, for reasons that are both obvious and not as much. A.D.s One through Three had the benefit of being rather unique when they came out, the idea of ‘chill-out’ compilations for the clubbing generation still in its infancy. Heck, the Ambient Dub series from Beyond is often credited as kicking off the whole enterprise way back in ’92, and Waveform essentially served as their Stateside distributor for those releases. Taking things a step further, however, Waveform snagged a few exclusives of their own, setting themselves apart from their UK brothers while memorably launching their label.

So that Waveform would see fit to make an ‘anniversary’ fourth edition’s fair play; unfortunately, the dubby downtempo market had long since been flooded with options when Four A.D. came out, so standing out from the glut would take some doing. Which this does not, sadly.

Check that: this CD will get your attention, though in a way you’re not expecting. First, that Jake Stephenson guy’s on here, twice under two more aliases (of course). Okay, so only I really noticed that, but only because I couldn’t escape the chap on those Goa Trance 4CD packs. Long-time listeners of ambient dub, however, will be surprised by the inclusion of two cuts from the original Beyond series, G.O.L.’s Angelica In Delirium (think early Enigma in dub) and Rockers Hi-Fi’s Push Push, a remake of Underwater World Of Jah Custeau which they did as Original Rockers. Again, a nice nod to A.D.’s source, but considering how up-to-date the rest of Four A.D. is, their inclusion’s rather odd.

How up to date are we talking? Following right after G.O.L.’s ’92 cut is Asura’s XP Continuum. Yes, that Asura (if there’s another, Charles Farewell may be interested to know). If that’s not enough of a coincidence to Ultimae, Mystical Sun’s Blue Magnetic Ocean also appears here, which first saw compilation duty on Fahrenheit Project, Part 3 the year prior.

And I get it, Waveform linking a pioneering chill label of the past to one of the leaders of the present. In doing so though, Waveform sold themselves short, Four A.D. almost coming off gimmicky rather than standing tall and unique like the earlier A.D.s did. Pretty much only a completist’s option, this. *cough*

Sounds From The Ground - Brightwhitelight

Waveform Records: 2008

I’ve been buying music from Waveform Records since the label’s earliest years, but not everything they’ve ever put out – such is life when you’re younger and without ample income or ability for online shopping. These days, however, it’s no big to splurge, and while taking a look at their latest offerings, I came to a stunning conclusion: I’ve never picked up anything by Sounds From The Ground. The London duo’s been a core act of Waveform since its earliest years, having released over half-a-dozen albums through the label along with frequent compilation duty. Why have I ignored them for so long? That’d be like buying from Ultimae Records, but bypassing everything Solar Fields related. Damn, time to rectify that oversight. I should pick up a couple- no, wait, I can afford all the albums now! Well, the ones on Waveform anyway (holy cow, have they released a lot of music).

So I'm properly all caught up on Sounds From The Ground, but due to my alphabetical restrictions, ya'll only get to read about a portion of my listening labour for now. And, unlike a proper 'chronological' retrospective, we're starting way up in the currentsies, their 2008 (and seventh) album Brightwhitelight. Huh, with a title like that, maybe it's a nod to the Moontribe parties.

Oh wait, I should explain these GroundSound guys. Comprised of Elliot Jones and Nick Woolfson, they've essentially continued the ambient dub banner seminal label Beyond pioneered, so it makes sense they'd find a home on Waveform for Stateside distribution. By the time this album came out, the duo were primarily releasing exclusive material through Waveform, which given the global reach labels could achieve in the '00s, makes good sense, keeping one's discography tidy. I guess.

Not that they haven’t done other music. Just last year they released a mostly ambient LP on their own imprint called Ready Steady Slow. Going through their Waveform output, however, I’ve noticed they haven’t changed their sound much or explored other genres beyond typical dubby downtempo and chill. Brightwhitelight’s no exception, playing about as straight your ambient dub as you’re likely to find. It’s certainly well produced and pleasing to the ears, with occasional variations (psy, lounge, etc.) keeping things from getting repetitive. It’s just… there’s nothing on this album that I haven’t heard before executed with similar competence, either from similar artists or Sounds From The Ground on previous albums. I admit I’m not giving Brightwhitelight much of an opportunity to warm itself to me, but stellar albums will always stand out no matter how many others you’re plowing through, and this one unfortunately passed by my ears with little fanfare compared to the rest of the batch I picked up.

Not the best way to warm you up to this duo, I know. Any group with a large discography has at least a couple middling albums, and this blog’s silly stipulation simply brought up one such from Sounds From The Ground’s first. Better luck on the next one, then.

Various - Family Tree

Eardream Music: 2010

Ah, no! I've had my fill of psy dub, really I have. Going through the entire Fahrenheit Project series from Ultimae, plus a brief detour into spa-a-a-a-ce, has sated my palette for at least a good month. Damn you, alphabetical stipulations. And here I was, thankful for covering different music again. *sigh*

The funny thing is I nearly bypassed this one altogether. Family Tree comes care of Eardream Music, a tiny web-label that's released but a mere half-dozen digi-comps in the few years it’s existed. I stumbled upon this one at the always awesome Ektoplazm, based off a recommendation list from website runner Basilisk. Cool and all, but as I'm sure many folks can relate, downloading from these free music portals creates a tendency of nabbing releases in bunches, some of which get lost in the shuffle and buried within the convoluted file management of hard drives. I'm pretty O.C.D. about keeping track of what I download, and Family Tree still plunged to the depths of my folders.

Long story short, I only just now happened upon this sucker again, which likely means there wasn't much to it that made me want to listen again (assuming I even bothered to play Family Tree when I first downloaded it). I certainly don’t recognize any names here, and nor should I as most of them haven’t released anything anywhere else (so sayeth The Discogs).

The most prolific of the bunch is Tor.Ma, otherwise known as Rafael Hernandez to his fam’ - of course, being prolific here means releasing at least one album, but dude’s got three under his belt. His tune for Family Tree is about what you’d expect from most psy dub music, though it’s got some funky bounce going for it, almost a proper reggae vibe were it not for occasional effects dragging it from the realms of trippy ganja music. In fact, save that and the final of these five tunes, this could almost be considered a reggae dub release.

Each producer does offer a different take on the template too. Austero’s Bettie Page opts for a house jam. Nako sees fit to bring the rude-wobbly side of dub music to our ears in 3 Corazones (no, not dubstep). Prefer your Jamaican jams coming from space? Ish Dub & Juan Cano got you covered with the spliff-bliss Good Bye South Africa.

Yeah, yeah, these tunes aren’t reinventing the wheel, and if I’m honest (am I anything but?), the production’s stiff, missing that extra little mixdown polish that sets great releases apart from the merely decent. Or maybe I’ve just been horribly spoiled by Ultimae this past week - it’s like going down to a 19” monitor after enjoying a glorious 32”. Still, if you favour these sounds, you’ll be well sorted with Family Tree. Hey, it’s a freebie download, and far worse music has been unleashed upon the interwebs than this tidy little collection.

Various - Absence Of Gravity

Sentimony Records: 2011

I bought the Fahrenheit Project collection back when it only included up to Part 6. Seems pointless, however, to do a retrospective of the series without also covering Part 7, so off to the Ultimae homepage I went to pick that up. Hopefully it would arrive in the mail on time to carry on here, and sure enough, it did. Wouldn’t you know it though, I went and gummed things up by buying more than just the one CD, forcing me to honor my alphabetical stipulation regarding new music. Don’t worry, folks, we’ll return to our regular Fahrenheits soon enough.

And what prompted me in picking up this curious little compilation called Absence Of Gravity? I’ve been jonesing for a follow-up to Tyler Smith’s Distant System album Spiral Empire for a while now, but unfortunately it appears the project’s been put on hold yet again. Thus, upon seeing a space psy-ambient collection among the third-party releases Ultimae distributes, I was an interstellar moth drawn to a spectral class O-Type star. Who cares if the cover looks a little corny, it’s just, um, going with a ‘90s retro vibe I bet. Yeah, that’s it! Send that CD on over, guys.

Absence Of Gravity has a tenuous theme going for it, something regarding the 50th anniversary of the first space walks. For the most part, it's stylistically similar to old Namlook records, so if you've felt the Braheny school of 'planetarium soundtracking' is too New Age for your taste, you'll be in fine hands here. There are a few psy dub trappings – how could there not be when acts like the prolific AstroPilot and dark psy chap Psyfactor crop up in the tracklist – but nothing that overwhelms the outwordly vibe going on. Instead, we get plenty of dark droning patches capturing the bleakness of deep space, swelling cosmic synths inspiring the grandeur of the cosmos, and the requisite samples of astro-radio chatter and scientific lectures or interviews.

Speaking of such, it's pretty cool hearing Russian cosmonauts on a few of these tracks. Mind, it'a not a huge surprise since this compilation comes care of the Ukraine-based Sentimony – no doubt many of these producers grew up following the Soviet's exploits into space. It’s refreshing to not run through the same ol' Apollo mission dialog nonetheless. And hey, Spectrum Vision brings us a tune titled Tunguska; funny stumbling across that so soon after Russia dealt with another meteor.

Somewhat surprisingly, Absence Of Gravity shows diversity even within its admittedly limited niche. I eat up space music like a black hole eats matter, but it’s a welcome contrast having a few Earth-bound moments like nature sounds in Reactive’s Free Search and ethnic chants in Chronos’ Endless Rotation (it is psy dub, after all). There’s pure ambient noodling early on the CD, brisk chill-out in the middle, and even spacey electro near the end. Overall, a solid collection of downtempo for those who agree space is the place.

Now, about that Distant System follow-up…

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.

Various - Fahrenheit Project - Part Four

Ultimae Records: 2003/2007

Even as a label known for infrequent releases, releasing a mere two in 2002 is a small amount for Ultimae. Did a busy tour schedule not allow for it? Financial strains? Albums sat on for perfectionist’s sake? Perhaps that last one, as sophomore efforts from Solar Fields and Aes Dana, plus a (proper) full-length debut of Carbon Based Lifeforms were all released in 2003. Oh yeah, and the fourth installment of the Fahrenheit Project series came out too.

Come to think of it, I wonder if the young Ultimae was having finance troubles too, on account this (and the second limited Aes Dana album) initially came out as a CDr. Like most of their early material, it was reissued with new artwork, and perhaps due to the odd fashion it was first released, Fahrenheit, Part 4 had the honors of being the first receiving such treatment in ’07.

Which makes sense, as Fahrenheit 4 is easily the best of the series yet! If Fahrenheit, Part 2 found Ultimae with some swagger of confidence in their sound, this one has them in a full-on strut (no, not full-on psy …although that was growing popular too). Whereas Part 3 noodled about too much with an over-exposure of but a few producers, this one comes off focused and driven, unique music from the Ultimae mainstays rubbing shoulders with new and established talent from abroad.

Of the non-Ultimae contributors, it’s an interesting mix. Mostly on a psy dub tip, Ochi Brothers and Aural Planet were well established by 2003, and their music reflects the spectrum of organic and synthetic sound the genre could run; newcomer Puff Dragon meets them somewhere in the middle with his Chinese Radio. Also returning to the series is Vibrasphere, who, along with Spiral Trax, were quickly establishing themselves as a force to reckon with in the scene. Say, sounds like another label at the time, doesn’t it?

And speaking of Ultimae, the regulars all come correct this time in standing out from one another. Solar Fields’ Union Light finds him dabbling in space synth, while Aes Dana returns to his industrial roots with a cold bit of ethereal techno in Memory Shell. After their strong Ultimae debut, Carbon Based Lifeforms’ don’t lose a step, Epicentre (Second Movement) working a similar looping, building melody as they did with MOS 6581 while adding more instrumentation and a didgeridoo. Awesome! Not to be outdone, Cell combines the best elements of Aes Dana and CBL in the form of Audio Deepest Night, a cold yet lovely slice of bleak ambient techno; the ol’ ‘winter canvas’ sound. Also returning is Hol Baumann, closing Part 4 with another fresh take on the psy dub template. Still no Asura, though. Where’s he been, anyway?

Still, by 2003 the buzz surrounding Ultimae was growing, and I can easily see Fahrenheit Project, Part 4 converting many a curious listener back then. A decade on now, I’ve no doubt this compilation would have the same effect. It’s that damn good.

Various - Fahrenheit Project - Part Two

Ultimae Records: 2001/2008

Striking while the opportunity was hot, Ultimae completed their transformation from Infinium and released Fahrenheit Project, Part 2 the same year as the first, using the tried and tested method of exposing your new label by flooding the market. Nah, that's not it. The first volume was such a success that it attracted high-profile talent eager to contribute to the project, and Ultimae was happy to oblige, even if a quick turnaround was odd. No, wait, that's probably not it either. Maybe a combination of both?

Whatever. The second in the Fahrenheit series is unique amongst the others, in that it features artists that are quite recognizable even without the Ultimae association. Nuclear Ramjet had a minor hit with Deep Blue that year, while Vibrasphere and Khetzal would turn out highly regarded careers within the psy trance scene in the ensuing decade. Oh, and ambient luminary Robert Rich contributed a new track, which is nothing short than a coup for a fledgling ambient label like Ultimae was. Rich’s music career traces back to the scene’s earliest years of the ‘80s, and though he never quite reached the same status as Roach, Braheny, or Stearns, he still carved out an important niche within space music’s history. So yeah, Rich... Ultimae... good stuff. So good, in fact, that the tune he provided, Somnium, bookends the whole compilation, first as an intro, then in its full version to close out in dark, mysterious droning fashion.

And the rest of the music? Pretty darn good, I’d say. The above artists all turn out typically psy leaning downbeat tunes, while Chi-A.D. returns with an even better psy dub jam with When The Effect Came. Another regular contributor to these early Fahrenheit compilations was Mystical Sun, who’s meditative blend of ambience and world beat provided a nice contrast to the CDs’ upbeat moments, offers a typically calm track with Waters Of Life.

As for the Ultimae regulars, their productions find them on much stronger footing than the last outing, their music hinting at newfound confident swagger. Solar Fields opens Fahrenheit 2 with Electric Fluid, mixing psy and ambient techno to great effect. Elsewhere, Aes Dana’s Summerland shows off the ‘slow trance’ sound that would become another of Ultimae’s trademarks, and Bénarès from Hol Baumann gets into funky world beat, which wouldn’t sound too out of place on that Elemental Chill: Earth compilation. Cell, another frequent Ultimae contributor, also debuts here, his Keun Yung showing that classic ambient techno was far from dead even at the turn of the century. Shame there’s no Asura on this one, but after two tracks on Fahrenheit 1, a step back for the other Ultimae artists to shine is fine.

Not much else to say about Fahrenheit Project, Part 2. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s a better CD than the first, as it’s missing a truly knock-out track like Asura’s They Will Come, but overall it’s a slicker package. Going from strength to strength: the Ultimae manifesto.

Various - Fahrenheit Project - Part One

Ultimae Records: 2001/2008

Damn it, Ultimae, stop being so classy. Purchasing your material is already a worthy investment, but you offer bulk packages too? How can any fan of the label resist gathering up all that back catalog? So yeah, snagging up the entire Fahrenheit Project set was a no-brainers for yours truly, which means ya’ll better settle in, folks, as we’re in for a long one here. But first, some backstory.

In the beginning, Ultimae wasn’t Ultimae; it was Infinium. This is why CDs carry an “inre” for catalog numbers. It was little more than a promo-copy outlet, but they did manage a couple proper releases before the change, including the first Fahrenheit volume, a series primarily highlighting exclusive music from their roster. Fast-forward some years later, and Ultimae's done pretty well for itself. May as well reissue those early CDs with new artwork and updated sonics, which is what we get here.

Actually, I'm just assuming Fahrenheit 1 was given a fresh mixdown, as the production quality is on par with later material. Few releases sounded this good back at the turn of the century, much less a start-up label within the psy scene. To be fair, Ultimae has never been strictly a 'psy chill' label, dipping their toes into ambient techno, space music, glitch, dub, and so on. Still, the label’s primary link is to panoramic psychedelics, and their earliest work doesn't hide this fact.

Almost every Ultimae regular make contributions to Fahrenheit 1, some of whom had yet to even release solo work of their own. Asura already had an album out by this point (through Infinium), and gets two tracks here, the second of which, They Will Come, is a blinder of a tune. Label co-honcho Aes Dana offers an early work called Skyclad, a brooding bit of dark downbeat befitting of someone with an industrial background. Hol Baumann, an occasional Ultimae chap who’d finally make a solo album all the way in 2008, shows up with some ambient techno in Another. There's also some dude calling himself Solar Fields here, with a track titled Outlined Surfaces, an unremarkable mish-mash of psychedelic chill that doesn’t lead to much. Still, I think he'll do alright for himself in the coming decade.

Rounding the compilation out are several established acts from the psy and ambient camps. Craig Padilla’s Beyond Beta harkens to the sort of calm padwork one might find on a Steven Roach label, Chi-A.D. goes proper psy dub on our ears with Slide, Distortion Orchestra’s Fire Maiden sounds like a long lost +Fax tune, and… what’s this? An old licensed track from True Frequencies to close out? I thought Fahrenheit Project was all about fresh material?

Ah well, Ultimae was still new (technically not even in existence yet!), so a little feeling-out process is expected. Considering how unknown many of the names involved were at the time, this first edition of a flagship series is as solid a starting point the label could have hoped for.

Globular - Colours Of The Brainform

Gliese 581C: 2010

Globular is Morison Bennett, a supposed rising star in the psy dub area of things according to his Last.fm bio (oh, Last.fm, I’d be so lost without you). He’s recently come out with a debut full-length album titled A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy, but since that would fall under ‘S’ (Windows Media Player, from which I get my list order, ignores articles if they’re first), I won’t be talking about that for some time (if at all). Instead, let’s talk about his first EP, Colours Of The Brainform.

It sounds like Twisted Records psy dub. Meaning, the Shpongle and Ott influences are extremely apparent. And yes, I came to this conclusion before I even looked at Globular’s Last.fm bio, which directly states they’re influences for Mr. Bennett. So, if you enjoy those two, you’ll enjoy this EP as well.

To be honest, there’s not much more I can say. It’s a chore detailing the intricacies of a typical psy dub track, yet broad strokes feels like cheating. I can say that The Continuum Press is filled with dubby sonic treats, word beats, and ethnic harmonies, or I can say that it sounds like something Ott would make. Which is more helpful? Even the cascading flamenco-guitars in Synesthesiasia, while a nifty, unique sound compared to the other tracks here, still comes off like typical Twisted Records, with several effects having been raided from Mr. Posford’s storehouse.

Perhaps Globular’s grown since this debut, but there’s little here to differentiate him from Twisted Records’ all-stars. This is a win-loss, as far as I’m concerned. Win, because the music on this EP is good, and there’s worse things than to be compared to some of the best in the business. Loss, because Globular’s music unfortunately lacks an identity of its own, and therefore Colours Of The Brainform fails to make a mark beyond being an expertly executed copy-cat.

I know I’m coming off more condescending than I really want to, but I aim to be honest, and sometimes honesty hurts. Hey, I like this EP, and will more than likely check out that full length eventually. There is potential here, should Globular be bold enough to venture beyond the Twisted Records template. Here on Colours Of The Brainform though, he plays things straight (well, about as straight as anyone can with psy dub) and while that’s fine for what it is, it’s not enough to step out from the huge shadow Shpongle and Ott create within this particular niche of psychedelic music.