Deep Forest - Essence Of The Forest

Sony Music: 2003

Several folks enjoyed Deep Forest's take on world beat when they first emerged, but as the duo edged further from Western beats and deeper into local traditions, general interest in their output significantly dwindled. Add me to that group, and I was one of the few out there that actually enjoyed Boheme, scattershot faults and all. When Comparsa came out though, it came off a hodgepodge of any culture Mouquet and Sanchez were influenced by on their last tour, yet sounding like nothing at all. Granted, I didn't give it more than a cursory listen, as my ears had drifted away from the pop side of world beat, finding fresher sounds from Banco de Gaia and the like. I hadn't paid attention to a Deep Forest production since that lacklustre impression.

Then Essence Of The Forest came out. Hm, a greatest hits collection sounds interesting, and there's even updated remixes of all the selected tunes from Deep Forest. Wow, they'd released two albums since Comparsa? I guess it wouldn't hurt to pick this up. It'd be interesting to hear what they'd been up to, and maybe I'd been too hard on Comparsa. After all, this collection features the best cuts from their albums, right? Eh, I'm not sure.

Obviously Sweet Lullaby's the first track, and the lead single off Boheme - Marta's Song - goes second. After that though, the music culled from the first two albums turns weird. Deep Forest gets two more tracks updated, Desert Walk and Night Bird. The former, I can see, as it was a pleasant downtempo tune, but I found White Whisper, Savana Dance, and the titular cut more memorable than Night Bird. And to be blunt, most of the selections chosen from Boheme were tunes I've never liked. The dark, mysterious gypsy songs Gathering, Bohemian Ballet, and Cafe Europa, those were ace! Instead, we get Lament and Freedom Cry because... why? They're different from those other tunes? Meh, oh well, at least Twosome's on here.

What of the other tracks then? Honestly, given the selections from the first two, I've no idea whether they're the cream of the crop off their respective albums. What I can say is those not familiar with Music Detected will be stunned at the change of sound, with a major focus on R&B, funk, and soul. Getting blunty with it again, it's a total clash with the world beat throughout Essence Of The Forest, as all the tracks are mixed among each other. Some of it's good, for sure, and neat to hear Deep Forest stretching out, but incredibly out of place sitting beside African pygmies and Bulgarian gypsies (not to mention the mish-mash of cultures from Comparsa).

I wouldn’t bother with Essence Of The Forest if you’re looking for more Sweet Lullabys (although you do get two versions on here!). It’s a better pick-up if you’re only curious of their output since their debut without actually listening to the other albums.

BT - ESCM

Reprise Records: 1997

The inlay of BT’s sophomore album ESCM has the following printed out: “This recording is best suited to a nice pair of Sony MDR-7506 headphones.” Really? They’re good cans, but c’mon, those were the Dre Beats of the day - more of a fashion statement, especially within the DJ world. My Sennheiser HD650s are leaps and bounds better than the Sony model. Okay, that model didn’t hit the streets for half a decade after this CD came out, but what of the Sennheiser HD580s? They’d been around since ’93, and were considered the audiophile standard for headphones in the mid-hundreds price range. And BT’s saying even those won’t do with his album? Fuck you, Rick Berman.

Whoops, sorry. I’ve had Plinkett-isms stuck in my head lately. Still, a memorable bit from those Star Wars reviews at RedLetterMedia was producer Rick “Berman” going on about how CG technology allowed Lucas to create movies that are “so dense, [with] so much going on all the time.” Gee, sounds like someone else abusing technological capabilities, don’t it.

But hey, credit due where it’s deserved. Mr. Transeau created many sound effects himself, and as we’re dealing with ‘90s BT, the results aren’t as superfluous as his later efforts would end up. Case in point: Orbitus Teranium, a bare-bone bit of breakbeat supplemented with stutter and glitch effects at various points. In some ways, it’s nothing but a showcase of this technology, but as it capably serves the rhythmic momentum, it works. Most of the effects BT uses throughout ESCM are in this vein, and I’ve no problem with it, so long as the music it’s supporting can stand on its own. And that’s where ol’ Brian sometimes fumbles.

BT displays many influences and inspirations, but his songwriting can’t keep up. Opener Firewater is a perfect example, for the most part a solid “I can Enigma too” slice of world beat. Yet, at the back end of the track, BT suddenly chirps in with singing of his own, accompanied by folksy acoustic guitar strums and… wait, is this the same song? And… it’s already over. What was the point of that? Other instances crop up that are nothing but doodly bits of orchestral swells or piano tinkering because, hey, BT can play such music, but doesn’t know how to write a regular song around them. Then there’s Solar Plexus, the ‘rocktronica’ track even the most ardent BT fan scratches their head over. It’s nothing more than Mr. Transeau going “I can Trent Reznor too”, but what would Nine Inch Nails fans say about it? “Fuck you, Rick Transeau.”

Still, enjoyment outweighs the frustration. Flaming June’s a bona-fide classic, Jan Johnston’s contributions are pleasant enough, and early BT-Breaks are skill, three cuts of which we get. ESCM is considered a flawed gem, and perhaps BT realized this, using a mock-up of the 2001 Monolith for cover art. Or maybe he couldn’t clear the rights to the original as an image, resorting to a phonylith instead.

The Tea Party - The Edges Of Twilight

EMI Music Canada: 1995

Also known as that band that sounds like The Doors. What kind of silly comparison is that? Never have I heard a Ray Manzarek keyboard solo anywhere on a Tea Party song. And what’s that in the low frequencies? Why, an actual bass tone! The Doors don’t got no bass tone. Eh, what about their singer Jeff Martin? Well, okay, I guess he sounds like Jim Morrison - heck, he even looks like him too - but The Doors were more than just their wacky frontman, right. Right!?

Never mind. We’re focusing on The Tea Party here, one of many, many, many former Great Canadian Hopes. Part of the fun living in this country is, anytime a major label notices a potentially bankable band emerge, they’ll push the ever-loving hell out of them. Towards the late 90s, The Tea Party was yet another in such a long list of bands to receive that push, their first major exposure coming with the 1997 album Transmission. Prior to that, however, they were simply known as a good indie band that sounded quite different from the sort of rock you’d typically hear on the radio or TV. Oh, and they kind of sounded like The Doors too.

Actually, that comparison’s more apt when it comes to The Edges Of Twilight, as there’s a heavy Middle-Eastern influence running through the album, and thus the sort of ethnic fusion that was mighty popular in psychedelic circles of the '60s. Aside from Correspondence and Turn The Lamp Down Low, which lean more towards regular blues-rock, you have an abundance of un-Western cultural instrumentation and song craft (I’m stretching MS Word’s thesaurus, aren’t I?) mixing with standard hard rock galvanizing (yep). So basically, all that mystical mumbo-jumbo Morrison espoused, except now with a touch of Robert Plant pretention too. But hey, all three of the band members went out of their way to learn those oddball Indian instruments, and everything comes through sounding quite excellent in that mid-90s sort of way. It may sound derivative to seasoned rock fans, but the world music attributes tickle my ears the same way the best from the world beat camps often do.

The funny thing, though, is after Fire In The Head and The Bazaar (the first two songs), I can never remember how this album goes. Granted, it’s not like I have it high on my rotation; truthfully, I can’t recall when or how I picked it up, only that it was recent. I know I liked the first couple songs whenever a friend of mine would throw the album on though, but that was when it was new. I guess this would make The Edges Of Twilight an impulsive buy based around teenage nostalgia? Dear lord, I’m not that close to midlife, am I?

Anyhow, The Tea Party didn’t make much noise beyond my native country (and Australia, apparently), after which they’ve disbanded in ’05. They recently did a reunion tour though, so let’s see The Doors do that!

Deep Forest - Deep Forest

Columbia: 1992

Deep Forest was far from the first to do ‘ethnic samples with a dance beat’, but no one else had as much commercial success with it as Eric Mouquet and Michel Sanchez on their self-titled debut, including themselves. For better or worse (mostly worse), it kicked off the pop side of world beat (‘global pop’?) flooding the Easy Listening sections of music stores with Pure Moods compilations and such bilge. For every half-decent tune that’d emerge from that scene, there’d be dozens of cheap knock-offs cozying up with New Age and smooth jazz composers. *shudder*

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though. In 1992, ethnic sampling was still fashionable and Deep Forest happened across a few such samples that provided them with the blueprints to make some pretty decent music. Much like that other French guy who was behind Enigma, their initial success lay in appealing to club culture first - the crossover fame came later. Over half the album is uptempo and dancefloor friendly, well-worn drum loops and tribal grooves dominating their wordly vision. It’s almost a shame Deep Forest’s primarily known for chill out music, as the beats provided in Deep Forest, Savana Dance, and White Whisper give most mainstream club rhythms of the time a run for their money.

But yes, it’s the pygmy chants that stood Deep Forest out from the crowd. I’d hardly call what they do with their samples unique, but they are creative and memorable. Whether as full verses or snippets to form parts of backing melodies, these voices from Africa (and the Solomons) worm their way into your ears such that you’ll be humming the words along despite not knowing what’s being said. Their technique was so effective that Sweet Lullaby became an international sensation. Yay global unity!

For the electronic geek in me, two other things make Deep Forest especially enjoyable. First, pads. Oh yes, pads again. Even when there’s a vigorous beat or emphatic chant, so many lovely, calm ambient textures flow through this album, never devolving into New Age noodle-pap, a remarkable feat considering the musical context. Also, though obviously dated by current standards, Mouquet and Sanchez make ample use of stereo effects, samples and percussion weaving back and forth across the channels, turning this into a fun little headphone album.

Deep Forest was re-released a couple years later as World Mix, which added an additional song Forest Hymn and assorted remixes (including a couple from Apollo 440, whereby Deep Forest returned the favor by remixing Liquid Cool, appearing on that Sasha & Diggers mix). I’d imagine this version’s the cheaper of the two just for this fact, but it’s not like either are rare. This was a multi-platinum album and despite some dated artifacts of the era it was produced, still holds up well enough. It has none of the sap you’d expect from mainstream world beat, and never oversells its intents. It’s global music at its charming best.

Deep Forest - Boheme (Original TC Review)

Sony Music Entertainment: Cat. # BK 67115
Released 1995

Track List:
1. Anasthasia (1:48)
2. Bohemian Ballet (5:15)
3. Marta’s Song (4:13)
4. Gathering (4:39)
5. Lament (3:09)
6. Bulgarian Melody (3:09)
7. Deep Folk Song (1:13)
8. Freedom Cry (3:17)
9. Twosome (4:06)
10. Cafe Europa (4:17)
11. Katharina (2:53)
12. Boheme (4:37)


(2010 Update:
When I think about it, this has become an unfairly slept on record. Boheme was so far ahead of its time, what with the rise of 'Chilean goat farmer' techno the last couple years. This is, like, The Man-Machine of the genre! Heh, okay, seriously Deep Forest's sophomore has held up in a funny sort of way. I've still yet to hear anyone else sound like this album, melding such disparate cultures into some rather fine songs.)


IN BRIEF: The birth of Bulgarian Folk EDM.

This may be hard to believe given what hindsight reveals, but Deep Forest was at one time considered just as high profile as Enigma. When the ‘ethno-pop’ craze of the early 90s had adult contemporary crowds all abuzz, Eric Mouquet and Michel Sanchez’ project offered a bit of variation to the formula: Cretu may have brought the Gregorian monks, but Deep Forest brought the African pygmies. I’m not certain if they were the very first to do this, but their hit Sweet Lullaby certainly made them the most popular. And, by being lumped into the world beat fold along with Enigma, their profile only grew, the two acts practically joined at the hip in the public eye even if their sounds really weren’t that similar.

When Cretu proved he could beat the sophomore slump with The Cross Of Changes, many wondered if Deep Forest would be able to accomplish the same. Unfortunately, Mouquet and Sanchez had two things working against them: first off, despite Enigma’s Return To Innocence sustaining the scene a little longer, ‘ethno-pop’ had all but fizzled out by the time Deep Forest did release a follow-up to their self-titled debut; secondly, their muses had drifted to a completely different continent from the one that earned them their initial fanbase.

Boheme starts unassumingly enough, mind. The opening intro track, Anasthasia, is a moody little number. Grumbling bass, bits of woodwinds, and synthy washes make up the bulk as some faint chants echo in the background. However, if you are coming into this release with their pygmy styling being your initial exposure (and I’d wager many do, considering it’s those songs that still get the most compilation duty even today), you’ll undoubtedly notice there’s a different feel here. Almost folkish rather than tribal, but the origins may not be apparent as of yet.

Bohemian Ballet will give you your answer, and probably set your impression of this album for good. It has a synthy start as handclaps bring the pace up. Very soon, you hear an emphatic “Babam!” chant, the ethnic source being... Hungarian!

Yes folks, Deep Forest had decided to wander the far east of Europe for their inspiration, a move leaving many confused. After all, what did gypsy music have in common with pygmy chants? Hardly anything, to be honest, and that’s kind of the point. Mouquet and Sanchez were far more interested in exploring other cultures instead of re-hashing the same ideas that made them popular. The bigger question is whether they succeeded in this regard.

Well, Bohemian Ballet is kind of a miss. I can hear what they were going for, using the gypsy songs to complement a decent bit of house music. The mysterious atmosphere generated by pads and woodwinds certainly lends itself to the nature of gypsy mysticism, but things don’t quite gel. The “Babam!” chants sound out of sync with the straight-forward 4/4 music going on.

Marta’s Song features the vocal talents of Marta Sebestyen, who’s traditional Transylvanian singing was what inspired Deep Forest to pursue this avenue in Boheme. It’s a quaint tune, and Marta certainly has a fine voice (even if I don’t understand the lyrics, but that’s never stopped folks from enjoying world music anyways), but the folkish nature of this track may be off-putting to some if you came looking for typical dance music.

Returning to the mysterious gypsy front is Gathering, which comes off far better than Bohemian Ballet for this sort of thing. Whereas the club beats in the former sounded out of place, the more lethargic pace of this track creates the feeling of an enchanted, um, gathering, er, deep in the forest. Okay, so Deep Forest managed to title this track so appropriately, I don’t need to describe it much further. What matters is the haunting vocal samples and musical backdrop provided for them work, even if you aren’t quite hip to that whole gypsy thing.

However, if this East Europe folk styling hasn’t interested you much, then you’ll probably find this next stretch of songs a drag. To be fair, Mouquet and Sanchez do provide some intriguing pieces of music. Bookended by ominous soundscapes, Bulgarian Melody is a charming vehicle for Marta to sing a little ditty with a piano; Deep Folk Song has a fun build of stomping percussion, chants and an accordion, of all things. Lament and Freedom Cry are overflowing with traditional flavour though, and, quite frankly, isn’t for everyone. Heck, I’m at a loss as to who exactly this is for. I know Deep Forest wished to share these themes with a more contemporary crowd, but there’s a reason most folk music remains relatively isolated in their respective regions: cultural significance. Pop crowds usually can’t comprehend folk music unless it’s wrapped in a familiar theme (kind of like Deep Forest’s first release, actually).

Still, the duo do manage to provide some songs towards the latter end of Boheme which folks of any walk of life can probably get into. Twosome, again featuring Marta, is a wonderful showcase in just why the Enigma comparisons were so frequent back in the early 90s. It has all the hallmarks of your typical ‘ethno-pop’ with lovely, memorable lyrics, groovy backing rhythms, and synthy ambience to fill in the gaps, all wrapped in Deep Forest’s unique styling. Meanwhile, Cafe Europa sees the duo having their hand at club beats again, this time with the chants of American Natives and assorted folkish instruments. It’s alright, but isn’t the strongest dance track Deep Forest have ever done, and seems a bit unfocused once it gets going.

To finish the album out, Deep Forest come full circle in their sojourn of the Slavic states. Katharina is another brief instrumental akin to Anasthasia, while title-track Boheme encompasses the album’s various themes into a whole: folk songs, traditional instruments, synthy backings, and a groovy rhythm are all combined into quite the unique sounding track.

At the end of this, Boheme as an album is quite odd, especially if you approach it from typical Western fronts. Despite sometimes producing tracks which may indicate otherwise, Deep Forest has never really been a group aiming to fill dancefloors or Top 40 radiowaves (even if they did a secure a Grammy for this album, but what are those worth, eh?). Their aim has always been to explore the musical diversity our world has to offer, and attempt to blend them together. However, this idea seemed to turn off a great number of people who enjoyed their previous work in Deep Forest (later titled World Mix), which contained more Western ideas than their follow-ups; they lost all but an ardent group of fans shortly after this release, their third album Comprasa seemingly sealing the deal for the “we don’t get it” crowd.
Still, Boheme is an incredibly unique album. Whereas many producers will make use of a far East sample if it’s harmonic attributes are familiar to their own, Mouquet and Sanchez will let that sample’s native traditionalism shine through as they work around it instead. If you listen to Boheme in this regard, you’ll probably get more out of it.


Score: 6/10

ACE TRACKS:
Gathering
Twosome


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

Banco de Gaia - Memories Dreams Reflections

Disco Gecko Recordings: Cat. # GKOCD010 

Released September 2009 

Track List: 

Disk One (studio) 

1. Spirit Of The Age (7:17) 

2. Starless (11:19) 

3. Echoes (22:26) 

4. Soufie (Now That’s What I Call 2009) (8:39) 

5. Tempra (7:10) 

6. Terra Om (5:35) 

Disk Two (live) 

1. Analogique (6:50) 

2. Indecision (6:54) 

3. Soufie (Blue Mix) (7:23) 

4. Qurna (8:59) 

5. China (7:24) 

6. Celestine (11:50) 

7. How Much Reality Can You Take? (6:36) 

8. No Rain (7:37) 

9. Drunk As A Monk (7:09) 

10. Last Train To Lhasa (7:08) 

IN BRIEF: Quite a career. 

Geez, can’t Toby Marks release a typical album this decade? Okay, so there’s been three thus far - Igizeh, You Are Here, and Farewell Ferengistan - but there was also the 10 Years retrospective, the remix package to go with that, and now a 20th anniversary retrospective. For those confused as to how a 20-year package can come out a mere seven years after the 10-year one, apparently the very first instance of Banco de Gaia as a name came when Marks initially paired with Andy Guthrie and played a few live gigs way back in ye’ old year of 1989. Fair enough, though considering the last proper album was over three years ago, wouldn’t it be nicer to have some fresh material? 

Well, that’s the quirky thing about this release. Technically, this is all new, or at least previously unavailable. The first disc contains a few covers of old prog/space rock songs, plus re-releases of old Banco tunes that were never officially released; the second is all live material cobbled together from various gigs spanning ’92 to ’04. With that, I’m sure Memories Dreams Reflections has the impression of a ‘fans only’ release, which would be doing this album an injustice. True, there probably isn’t much here that would interest someone who isn’t terribly interested in the odds’n’sods development of Banco de Gaia, yet the music is hard to dismiss out of hand. 

Besides, it’s been nearly fifteen years since we’ve had a proper live album from the world bank. With so many gigs to choose from though, the only fair way to give ample exposure to Marks’ touring career is to take various tracks from various shows and arrange them into a set itself. CD2 (the live one) certainly is an eclectic assortment of Banco tunes. There’s obvious favorites such as Last Train To Lhasa (given an additional bumpin’ rhythm here, easily making this the best version I’ve heard) and big-beat inspired How Much Reality Can You Take?; live staples like Celestine and Drunk As A Monk, where the Banco band usually gets plenty of opportunity indulge themselves (flutes, saxophones, and guitars, oh my!); a few overlooked gems - Qurna and No Rain - get some deserved re-exposure as well. And, of course, there’s the early-early tracks: Analogique, Indecision, and Soufie; aside from Soufie appearing on a couple old ambient dub compilations, these have never had a proper release. 

In fact, I don’t think Indecision did get a release period, as it doesn’t appear on any of the three Banco tapes. Shame, since this probably would have fit snugly in any number of prog-house DJ sets from the mid-90s, so if you fancy yourself a fan of that sound (hi, J’!), this track will undoubtedly sweeten the deal for you. Analogique is fun too, if anything for IDing various sounds and samples Marks would recycle for later tunes -though obviously the “hardcore, you know the score!” riffs were never seen again. 

Speaking of early tracks, gander at disc one where we get three more oldies, here given a modern spit-shine -very modern, in the case of Soufie. Eh, I’m all for hearing that lovely melody again, but this ‘dancey version’ isn’t much to get fussed about - stick with the original (if you can find it) or at least the ambient one on the live disc. 

There’s another three oldies on this CD: prog rock oldies! Doing that cover of Pink Floyd’s Echoes for Six Degrees Records Backspin compilation must have inspired Marks some, as not only do we have an extended 22-minute version of that here (with all the noodly prog-ambient sections you can handle) but also King Crimson’s Starless and Hawkwind’s Spirit Of The Age. These are quite well done, especially so Starless which includes a wonderful somber build, though like much of this release will probably only be of interest to fans of Banco. 

Anything else? Nah, I say not. Memories Dreams Reflections is a tidy enough collection of obscure Banco, with plenty of material to please followers of Marks’ career. As for casuals, the live disc is the one you should get your hands on. It rounds up a few more choice tunes that weren’t on 10 Years, and is a better overall representation of Banco’s live shows than the Live At Glastonbury album. 

Score: 7/10 

ACE TRACKS: 

Last Train To Lhasa 

Indecision 

Starless 

Written by Sykonee, 2010. © All rights reserved.

Luciano - Tribute To The Sun

Cadenza: Cat. # CADCD05
Released October 2009

Track List:
1. Los Niños De Fuera (8:48)
2. Celestial featuring Liberty by Karen Ann (12:31)
3. Sun, Day And Night featuring Martina Topley-Bird (7:09)
4. Conspirer (6:59)
5. Hang For Bruno (9:01)
6. Fran Left Home (5:20)
7. Africa Sweat featuring Ali Boulo Santo (8:48)
8. Pierre For Anni (1:22)
9. Metodisma (10:51)
10. Oenologue (8:40)



IN BRIEF: ‘Minimal world beat’? Er…

Of the members that comprise clubland’s latest mega-DJ - the three-headed minimal-techno monster known as Luciardo Villalawtin - Lucien Nicolet seems to have sustained his career mostly on DJing reputation these last few years -despite lacking either the prolific musical output of Villalobos or the endless marketing stunts of Hawtin, he remains high in the consciousness of folks who fell sway to that scene’s great hype machine. Still, fans have been restless for a proper long-player from Luciano, with a string of collaborative singles and DJ tools having done little to ease the demand for a follow-up to his five year old Blind Behavior. Thus, as his fame continues to grow, so has anticipation.

This fact apparently hasn’t gone unnoticed by Luciano’s own PR team. Once word dropped that the Swiss-Chilean man was going to release a new album, they went into overdrive. The press release that preceded Tribute To The Sun was filled with the kind of overwrought hyperbolic praise typically associated with the likes of mega-trance DJs rather than techno jocks, which really just reaffirms the notion that ‘minimal’ has been the new ‘prog’ for a while now. Having phrases like “[The album] draws upon Luciano's extensive experience as a mover of bodies and a reader of the crowd's mind” and “this is the fullest portrait yet of Luciano as not just an artist but a human being” is enough to sound off your Pretentious Artist Alarm, while the incredibly gaudy cover art had even the most faithful of fans questioning where Mr. Nicolet was going with this. Still, perhaps it was all just an unfortunate example of over-enthusiasm on PR’s part. While the fanboy hype - of which such press seems to be shooting at - for Luciano has grown almost unbearable during his superstar rise, surely the man himself has kept a level head through all the headlining DJ tours. After all, it’s the music that’s coming from the speakers that counts, and the man’s track record in offering groovy ethnic-tinged minimal house, though somewhat spotty lately, has been solid enough throughout most of his career.

Unfortunately, right from the first few seconds of Los Niños De Fuera, no doubts are eased. The track opens with one of the most hideous vocal samples I’ve ever heard. Is it the clashing of flat, mismatched keys? Was it fed through an Anti-Tune program? Who the fuck knows but it’s awful, and you’re going to be hearing it through the entirety of the track’s near nine-minute length. And this is a bloody shame because Luciano does manage to do something quite catchy at the same time, bringing in a tribal chant overtop and adding a simple, infectious rhythm that’s nearly impossible to resist. At periods you even forget there’s an atrocious noise wailing in the background. You get the sense Mr. Nicolet was so confident in his abilities as a musician that he decided to intentionally make a tune that you will be simultaneously enthralled and repulsed by. It doesn’t work. A horrible sound is a horrible sound, and unless you’re purposefully making noise like Man Machine Music, no amount of sweet groove is going to change that. This is not genius music-making; it’s pretentious aspiration.

The opener’s problems are two-fold. Not only is it ruined by the backing vocal, it also doesn’t go anywhere, simply looping along as the bassline throws in little improvisational bobbles throughout. The weaker cuts on Tribute To The Sun all suffer from this directionless loop-noodling. Sun, Day, And Night rambles on with filtered percs and noisy crashes, giving Martina Topley-Bird’s vocal contribution little point. Conspirer fares better, its tranquil tones at least making for a pleasing little filler of a track; however, Fran Left Home is a total waste of time, style-biting about 16-bars of an old Vector Lovers track and looping it for a pointless five minutes -why would you ever put a DJ tool like this on a CD album?

Unsurprisingly then, the few tracks that do sound good are the ones that actually go somewhere. After some atmospheric jazz doodling, Celestial brings in an extended sample of Karen Ann’s Liberty, mostly featuring the backing choir vocals and melodies as Luciano improvises some groovy drum-work. It’s quite a lovely affair, easily letting your mind drift away as the music plays, though it must be said much of the solid music ideas in Celestial come from Ms. Ann’s original. Elsewhere, Hang For Bruno and Africa Sweat are solid numbers that continuously build in rhythmic and melodic energy -still, that these are probably the best cuts on here shouldn’t come as a surprise considering Luciano has some talented musicians working with him in this case.

Yet, what we’re hearing on this album thus far isn’t terribly innovative or fresh. Frankly, the only folks that are going to be serendipitously impressed by Tribute To The Sun are those that have never bothered to wander over to the World Music section of their major-chain record store. Six Degrees Records alone has been churning out ‘world beat’ for over a decade, to say nothing of all the mid-90s ethnic samplers, and all Luciano’s done to spice up the sound is added some groovy minimal loop beats to it.

Confounding the whole enterprise are the final two tracks, a pair of bog standard deep, k-hole techno cuts that are all ominous atmosphere and sinister tones. Actually, Oenologue is a decent, if typical, example of the sound, but Luciano totally wrecks Metodisma’s mood with a few scream samples that are hilariously corny. Seriously, just make one of the cheesiest screams of pain you can possibly muster, and it’s probably similar to what comes out in Metodisma. How these relate to the rest of the album, however, is anyone’s guess (mine: they were intended for a separate single, and got tagged on here when Luciano realized he was short on running time), as they’re of totally opposite tone to the rather upbeat and pleasant nature of the album. Like, how can something so dark be a tribute to the sun?

To completely write this album off would be silly, as Luciano’s a strong enough producer to warrant a brief listen to any of these cuts -even Fran Left Home is interesting for at least a minute (doesn’t matter which minute since they’re all the same). Unfortunately, the lack of focus and inclusion of awful ideas also shows signs of a musician having an overconfidence of his abilities in the studio, convinced that his muse can do no wrong. Perhaps his fanboys will think so, but in the end we simply have a slightly above-average world beat record. Pick this up if the name Loop Guru draws a blank.


Score: 6/10

ACE TRACKS:
Hang For Bruno
Africa Sweat


Written by Sykonee, 2009. © All rights reserved.

Alex Theory - Saturn Returns

White Swan Records: Cat. # WS0093 

Released October 2009 

Track List: 

1. Oasis (7:31) 

2. Warrior Dub (6:24) 

3. Afterburn (5:19) 

4. Strangeland (5:35) 

5. In The Deep (7:23) 

6. Event Horizon (7:09) 

7. Memories Of Gaia (6:55) 

8. Moon Song (6:39) 

9. Saturn Returns (7:36) 

IN BRIEF: More earthly than spacey. 

I’ve a confession to make. It’s not a scandalous or even terribly shocking one, but I must admit it is rather embarrassing on my part. You see, this here album titled Saturn Returns by San Francisco-based Alex Theory was a blind purchase - as in, I picked this up with no prior knowledge of the artist, and without hearing a few samples in-store. This of itself may seem a little peculiar to many of the MP3 generation - “you bought music without even knowing what it was!?” - but has been a common practice amongst dedicated music buyers for years. 

There’s a measure of thrill in making blind purchases, a giddy feeling that mere luck and chance has directed you towards this previously undiscovered treasure of sonic gold; or, the fates have been unkind, and your money has been wasted on a release that will collect dust on your shelf, a few token sympathy plays notwithstanding. Ultimately, it’s a similar thrill that anyone who’s gambled on something can relate to. The fact that Saturn Returns was a blind purchase isn’t the confession, though. Plus, anyone who’s paid attention to some of my favored releases over the years will probably find a slight skewing of favoritism towards space-themed music, so an album with a big ol’ picture of the solar system’s sixth planet isn’t an outright blind purchase anyway (even if the term ‘Saturn Return’ technically isn’t an astronomic one, but astrologic in origin). 

Nay, my embarrassment stems from what happened upon opening the CD case and finding a mini-catalogue of several releases from the label, White Swan Records. A lot of it revolves around world-fusion material, with a heavy emphasis on India. Mood music, meditation music, shamanic trance and ethno-ambient; a whole series dedicated to soundtracking yoga sessions. “Oh dear,” I thought, “what New Agey mumbo-jumbo have I stumbled upon?” 

I should make it clear that, as a whole, I don’t find New Age mysticism all that bad. Really, many of the people involved are perfectly pleasant folks, if at times a bit flighty in conversation. That said, much of the music associated with it isn’t terribly engaging, which is often the point; when you’re in deep meditation, you want music to merely supply a mood and serve as wall-paper to your surroundings, not to directly grab your attention. Unfortunately, this makes much of it rather ‘muzaky’ in the process, which is utterly wretched to have to listen to when you do focus on it. 

So yes, it was rather petty of me to assume that this was what I was in for with Alex Theory. Still, if this was to be the case, why was he in the ‘electronica’ section of the store and not the ‘New Age’ section instead? A misfiling, perhaps? Or maybe I should have just checked my preconceived notions at the door because had I actually known who Alex Theory was, I’d have never made them in the first place. 

Oh, he definitely skews towards the mystical side of music, as his association with the Discover Sound collective attests to; however, his actual output has more in common with world-fusion dub-funk than anything New Age. It’s the kind of stuff you might expect on a Buddah-Bar compilation or a Bill Laswell project (though with less emphasis on bass), and, to be frank, incredibly common where chill-out music is concerned. Theory is a good musician but he’s travelling well-trodden roads here. Ethnic samples, rhythms, harmonizes, and so on are all skillfully woven together, creating a blissy atmosphere with just enough drum programming to entice a little hip-shake should you be up for it. Yet, he never really pushes the envelope in the process, nor throws in musical twists or production curve-balls to spice up the proceedings. Instead, he simply allows his beats and melodies to do the work, with just enough flourish to keep you engaged should you pay more diligent attention to it. 

About the most notable wrinkle he brings is differing time-signatures, yet even they won’t dazzle many. It’s all very nice to listen to; unfortunately, when other musicians in this field go out of their way to be unique or experimental, Theory ends up sounding rather tame and safe as a result. Much of Saturn Returns strikes me as something Ott would write before he throws his tracks into a psychedelic soup. 

Where this album does shine, however, is whenever Theory brings in a little collaborative help, much of which appears in the second half. Famed didgeridoo player Ganja Giri does his thing in Event Horizon, and Theory provides suitably bottom-heavy beats for him to play off of. Elsewhere, keyboardist Andrew West throws in a wonderful solo for the jazzier Moon Song and Saturn Returns, which are superb. Theory himself also provides guitar and keyboard solos on other tracks, but he seems more adapt at playing off of others. Granted, if you aren’t one for jazzy solos, then you probably won’t vibe on these -too bad, then. 

Overall, Theory’s album is good for a casual throw-on, and shows promise in future releases. Still, despite little to find fault in with the music, he needs to do more in order to stand out from the glut. Perhaps more collaboration is in order, hm? 

Score: 6/10 

ACE TRACKS: 

Event Horizon 

Moon Song 

Saturn Returns 

Written by Sykonee, 2009.© All rights reserved.

Various - Planet Rave Vol. 1 (Original TC Review)

Triloka Records: Cat. # TR-8062-2
Released 2000

Track List:
1. Tulku - Meena Devi (Goddess Mix) (5:06)
2. Tulku - Journey Of The Warrior (The Funky Shaman’s Mix) (4:03)
3. Emer Kenny - Golden Brown (Tribal Edit Mix) (3:48)
4. Dissidenten - A Love Supreme (Club Mix) (5:03)
5. Tulku - Meena Devi (Funky Trigger Mix) (4:52)
6. Jai Uttal And The Pagan Love Orchestra - Malkouns (A Night On The Ganges) (Remix by Talvin Singh) (6:29)
7. Material - Ineffect (7:27)
8. Tulku - Meena Devi (Ambient Mix) (3:32)
9. Tulku - Live Force (Tripambient Mix) (7:27)
10. Jai Uttal And The Pagan Love Orchestra - Guru Bramha (Remix by Sunkist) (5:14)
11. Badar Ali Khan - Kalander (Trance Remix) (4:44)


(2010 Update:
Aside from the track-by-track stuff, this review also suffers from a rant that rambles too much at the end. In a nutshell, I was irritated by the herky-jerky way these songs were arranged. Meh, I was also kind of half-assing this one, since it was a Random Review I wasn't all that keen on doing, being the second sub-par one in a row.)


IN BRIEF: Cool concept; crummy presentation.

Anytime you see a pink elephant, chances are good you are incredibly drunk. However, when said pink elephant is on the cover of a compilation, chances are even better you have a collection of music that will have some Indian influences. The big question tends to be exactly how these influences will be used.

One of two possibilities exists in the EDM world. First, and most common, is the compilation is filled with psychedelic goa trance; knob twirlers and acid munchers re-creating their hallucinogenic journeys with Hindu gurus guiding you through a sonic assault; music that challenges your perceptions of thought while dancing on a West India beach under tropical starlights. It's good times to be had by all and the south Asia influences often make for very interesting cover art. However, that is not what this compilation is about.

Ah, so this is the other possibility, then. Western producers who sample ethnic songs and sounds to give them a contemporary feel. Acts like Enigma, Deep Forest, Banco de Gaia, Loop Guru, and so on. Surely this is what Planet Rave is about, specifically focused on the Indian influences, hence the four armed pink elephant. Nope, wrong again.

Well, if it's not those two, which could it be?

I may be preaching to the TranceCritic choir here, but I'm often stunned by how many in most EDM circles are quite ignorant of the third type of electronic music where a pink pachyderm wouldn't be out of place on a compilation cover. You see, standard dance music isn't just a Western thing. Cultures all over the world have managed to get their hands on drum machines, acid boxes, and sound sequencers. As a result, disparate cultures have managed to inject house, techno, hip-hop, and other assorted styles with their influences straight from the source rather than sampled from abroad.

Really, this isn't anything new, and anyone who's paid close attention to EDM trends was bound to notice bhangra beats slowly but surely creeping into Western musical acceptance, especially at the turn of the century. Sadly, its momentum was somewhat stymied due the 9/11 incident, causing American shores to be wary of any outside influence. At least the recovery seems to be on, though.

So, what we have here on Planet Rave is a collection of so-called bhangra beats from tiny label Triloka, all given a clubby shine to simultaneously showcase ethnic music and Western party vibes. Sounds cool enough; let's get it on.

And Tulku aims to get it on in a hurry. Often referred to as a 'world music supergroup' in the liner notes, comprised of Jim Wilson and Triloka head honcho Mitchell Markus (ah, self promotion is grand, ain'it?), Tulku's track Meena Devi barges right in from the gate with deep, acidy basslines and subtle stuttering synths. The fact there is no real lead-in here makes for a bit of a disconcerting opener, especially with the ominous tones on hand. Still, this opening bit is relatively mild compared to the chaos that quickly erupts in the Goddess Mix from Steve Snow, as scatter-shot breakbeats mix with steady, bouncy beats. There's plenty going on throughout, too: female chants, Indian woodwinds, and choking sitars all work together to create a sinister, is somewhat disjointed, bit of tribal music.

Ian Rich provides a minimal breaks-and-house funk remix on Tulku's Journey Of The Warrior, bringing the flow down a little with a quick crossfade transition that is quite jarring. Sure, this isn't a DJ mix, but if you're going to link the tracks together like this, you probably don't want to make the switch so abrupt. As for this song, it's a decent enough little transitional piece of funk. Nothing major happens, but you can groove to it easily enough.

With a tiger yelp and another incredibly abrupt crossover, we are slammed into Junior Vasquez' remix of Emer Kenny's Golden Brown. A cover of the The Stranglers' song, Ms. Kenny's traditional Celtic style (the, er, whitest of world music, I guess) is given a rather pumping, trancey overhaul by the former Madonna remixer. Her vocals are quite ethereal and Vasquez keeps the tempo building nicely from a pleasant ambient start by adding ever-increasing layers of rhythms. This energetic build seems to be escalating to a rousing climax but this is an edit of the track so it abruptly ends just as it begins. Fair enough if there's something to carry that wonderful momentum over, but there isn't. In fact, there's nothing at all. Ouch, a false build this overt is something that could turn off any casual listener. It's like listening to an incomplete MP3.

Okay, it doesn't exactly crossover into complete silence, but the pulsing bit of intro in Dissidenten's A Love Supreme certainly is quiet enough to pass off as silence. Enough moaning about odd, questionable transitions, though, otherwise I'll be doing it on every single track. Let's get back to the music for now.

A Love Supreme finally gives us a taste of those groovy Indian vibes, which is ironic considering Dissidenten is actually a German group. You certainly wouldn't know it from just this song, though, as the use of Indian lyrics is superbly flawless. To the rhythms of old freestyle, the hooks in A Love Supreme are pretty much carried by the singers, almost all of which has no Western influence (a few repetitions of the title through a slight vocoder notwithstanding). It's some seriously groovy stuff, to be certain.

Steve Snow gives us a different take on Meena Devi on the follow-up, throwing in hip hop breaks and turntablist trickery for a decidedly funky outing. Only some of the Indian instruments and chants are kept in to create the same moody atmosphere, most of which get stuttered up throughout as to not detract from the funk. The track also segues nicely into Talvin Singh's tabla heavy mix of Jai Uttal's Malkouns, which naturally suites Jai's vocal prowess perfectly. You can almost picture a row of Indian drummers jamming away while the ethnic singer croons along. I know typical bloopity-bloop-bloop-bloopity rhythms are often playfully mocked in the West, but Singh's funky breakbeats are incredibly infectious. Sitars and dubby electronics fill in the bridges for good measure.

Briefly moving us back in to club grooves is Ineffect by Material, a collective of rotating musicians that's held mostly together by bassist Bill Laswell. Of prominence in this track is international singer Fahiem Dandan, crooning along to bottom heavy rhythms (and, boy, does that bass kick some serious gluteus) while a myriad of ethnic string instruments bridge Dandan's performance together. The release notes seem to also make a big deal over some spoken dialogue done by William S. Burroughs, but there isn't really much he has to say until near the end. No, this is Dandan's song to carry and he does an admirable job of it, even if Ineffect does go on for perhaps a minute longer than it needed to (but then, that tends to be a Laswell trademark anyways).

And, with yet another abrupt crossover fade mix, we are thrust into yet another mix of Meena Devi from Steve Snow. Man, way to whore your own material Mr. Markus. This Ambient Mix is relatively uneventful, stripping the Goddess Mix down to just a bubbly acid workout, ominous pads, and the vocal chant. Fans of tweaking acid will most likely love it, everyone else mostly likely not.

After that acidy interlude, we are treated to one more Tulku track called Life Force, given a groove heavy ambient dub overhaul by DJ Cheb I Sabbah. Conjuring up images of Middle Eastern vistas as sampled conversations from those lands mingle with lonely woodwinds and chants, this is a wonderfully visceral piece of music. Thick bass rolls along to filtered, molasses-soaked beats, giving Life Force a wide-open sparseness fitting for exotic sojourns.

Jai Uttal returns with another vocal outing in Guru Bramha, but this mellow groover is kind of forgettable coming off the heels of Life Force and followed up by the wonderful Kalander by Badar Ali Khan. Steeped in the ancient style of song called Qawwali, this Trance Remix (though there isn't anything here 99.97% of folks would consider trance) provides a bobbling beat and pleasant string backdrops to complement Badar's vibrant chants. There is an intoxicating vitality to this song that inspires you to stand up and join in the chant, making it a perfect capper on any musical session, no matter the style that's been played.

So, given the generally nice things I've had to say about most of these tracks, I'm sure you’re wondering why the low-ish score? Well, let me get my rant on here:

The underlying problem with this compilation is the track arrangement. I can see Triloka wishing to expose as much diversity as possible, as there is a wide berth of world music that is criminally overlooked. Unfortunately, they seem to be trying to cram far too much in too short a space (this disc only runs an hour, kind of low for a compilation). And, aside from a few instances, the songs are so different from one another in the way they are arranged, it creates a very disjointed listening experience even without the bad crossover fades.

Ah, yes, the crossover fades. I tried to keep that gripe of mine until the very end but my displeasure of it managed to squeak in throughout anyways. Let me say this as bluntly as I can, since I can't think of any amount of tact to sugar-coat it: when you have very different styles of music in a compilation, a quick crossover fade mix just. Doesn't. Work. I can understand the studio doing this so there is no dead air time but when you have a house beat followed up with a very different hip hop beat, you almost need that two second pause between the tracks so it doesn't sound so jarring, abruptly taking you out of that nice little conscious zone music often takes you. Having this throughout a compilation doesn't let these songs shine they way they could.

The songs themselves aren't to be blamed here (although three different versions of Meena Devi is pushing it a little) but when there are better-arranged compilations of this sort of music, you'd be better off seeking those out instead. I'd only recommend Planet Rave Vol. 1 if you can't find these particular tracks anywhere else.


Score: 4/10

ACE TRACKS:
Tulku - Life Force (Tripambient Mix)
Badar Ali Khan - Kalander (Trance Remix)


Written by Sykonee. Originally published 2005 for TranceCritic.com.© All rights reserved.

Loop Guru - Amrita (...All These And The Japanese Soup Warriors) (Original TC Review)

North South: Cat. # GURU 200CD
Released 1995

Track List:
1. Sheikh (3:58)
2. Yayli (7:29)
3. Diwana (5:38)
4. Soulus (4:48)
5. Papasus (6:04)
6. Often Again (5:07)
7. Sun (5:01)
8. Epic Song (4:47)
9. Gianyar (7:45)
10. Fumi (13:32)
11. Plane Shift (6:10)


(2010 Update:
Track-by-track is still a chore to read, but at least the preamble to these reviews was getting better. I was a bit surprised by the resurgence of ethnic sampling in hip techno circles in recent years, though very little of what they did was as vibrant as what we have here. Mind, they are very different scenes.)


IN BRIEF: World samplings from the gurus of loops.

Truth be told, I wasn't a one-genre whore from the get-go. While I may say a great deal of the early 90s euro wave initially sparking my enthusiasm for EDM, there was yet another style I was enjoying along side it, though I didn't make as big of a deal about it -which is kind of strange, really, considering this style is probably one of the most commercially successful worldwide. I guess as a young, rebellious teenager, I almost felt guilty for enjoying the same music my mother did.

Dabbled with as far back as Peter Gabriel, and perhaps even The Beatles, it wasn't until the emergence of such acts like Enigma and Deep Forest that the genre loosely termed 'world beat' gained mainstream notice. The idea of throwing ethnic influences over techno rhythms sparked an amazing wave of producers attempting to cross cultural boundaries with music, a most novel idea considering our enjoyment of rhythms and melodies is one of the few things all of humanity seems to have in common.

However, because of the cultural diversity on this planet, fusing disparate music styles can be trickier than it seems. What may make sense in one part of the world will not necessarily meld fluently with another region. It isn't enough to just take a chanting pygmy sample and stick it with a sitar sample -there needs to be some cohesion between the two. Often the best producers in this field (Delerium, Banco de Gaia, etc.) will take such samples and create rhythms and melodies around them. The bad producers (too many goa trance artists to name) just lump samples on top of each other and hope for the best.

Of course, ask almost any world beat producer what kind of music they make, and they'll immediately claim they produce anything but world beat. I suppose they have a just reason for it. The term world beat (or even worse, world music) is even more ambiguously useless than 'electronica'. What exactly makes a song fall under that category? Certain sounds may be ethnic to one region but not to another. Maybe it's referring to music that isn't region specific, but there are several forms of music like that that don't fall under the umbrella of world beat. Ah, well. Humanity has never been all that good at giving names to music.

Anyhow, as I was saying, world beat held just as much interest to me as nearly any other style of EDM and, over the years, I'd come across some incredible acts in the process. One group that eluded me, though, was Loop Guru.

As a huge fan of Banco de Gaia, I'd often heard of Loop Guru mentioned in conversations of similar artists, sometimes even seeing them appearing together on compilations. I'd been curious, of course, but never really gave it much thought to seek out any of their albums until just recently. Having heard a few offerings of their work on compilations, a part of me feared they'd turn out to be nothing more than a Banco de Gaia-lite. However, after time and time again hearing the praises of the group, I decided to give in and check them out.

Starting out this particular album called Amrita is Sheikh. First thing I notice is this is very sample heavy music, looping over and over and over throughout this song. Mostly utilizing Indian sitars, woodwinds, and chants, not much really happens on this song as things more or less loop for four minutes without much variation. And, unfortunately, the samples used don't mesh all that well either. It doesn't inspire much but the rhythm is fairly energetic, if unwaveringly loop-refic, so I get the impression Loop Guru made this track merely as an opener to the album. At least, I hope this is the case. I'd hate to have to sit through an album of stuff like this. If I wanted that, I'd purchase some bad goa trance.

Yayli brings things more into focus, opening with chants and wails as rhythms gradually build for some two minutes. Once we get settled into alternating looping samples that feed off the tribal energy established, we are treated to quite an infectious track. While most of the guitar and woodwind samples are established early on, there is a great deal of mixing them up throughout so they never get redundantly repetitive as it did in the opener. Strangely, though, once the song ends, a little interlude plays out which sounds like something you might have heard on an old Super Nintendo RPG. At least, it does to me -damned youthful nostalgia.

Diwana does the same trick as heard in Yayli but the samples used are even better! The chant is quite nice, the rhythm more funky, and a haunting flute plays off of Indian pipes wonderfully. There are a bunch of other samples floating about providing texture and gives this track much needed depth that wasn't quite as prevalent as in the first two. Of note, I might add, is aside from some of the rhythms, I've yet to hear much in the way of actual electronic sounds in these tracks. It seems Loop Guru are more interested in using the samples they've come across to do the music for them rather than augmenting them with other hardware. It's ballsy, I have to admit, but Sheikh notwithstanding, it's worked so far. Hopefully it doesn't catch up to them later, though.

We get treated to a bit more of a Western feel rather than the Far East in Soulus, as the samples used here consist mostly of Gregorian chants and orchestral bits. Not too much else gets thrown in, though, as this is a fairly simple, loopy track like Sheikh. Fortunately, the elements in use are more cohesive and Soulus doesn't run out of steam before it's over.

Loop Guru slows things down now with Papasus, a wonderful little grooving number of dubbed out rhythms and simple, subdued melodies (including a sampled voice of Sussan Seihim). I'll admit I have a real weakness for music of this sort (most commonly referred to as ambient dub) but a number of others will find this a bit too noodly for their tastes.

Often Again is a rather mellow excursion of shuffling rhythms, chants of both folksy and Gregorian in nature, and lo-fi flutes that wouldn't sound all that out of place in a Boards Of Canada release. Beyond that, this is still a mostly loopy affair, although the flutes do sound more natural thanks to the longer length of those loops. Also, has anyone noticed those tweeting birds hiding throughout this album so far? I thought it was coming from outside at first but then I remembered that birds don't tweet in the middle of the night.

Loop Guru has managed to lull me into a blissful sense of serenity with these last two tracks but Sun opens up with something a little more paranoid sounding. Then, quite suddenly, brisk, crisp percussion leaps out at you, startling you into alertness again. Good thing too, as Sun is a fun track you wouldn't want to sleep through. Plenty of samples get thrown about here, mostly of an energetic nature to rile you up for a good ol' hippie dance. If I was in a flower field listening to this, or even just an outdoor festival, I could definitely see myself leaving a hacky-sack, drum, or bong circle to get my shake on to this track.
And this next one as well! Epic Song really doesn't have much to offer melodically with all the folksy singing and flutes, but I quite like the rhythm to this one. Much more tribal and less loopy than what else has been on offer with Amrita.

Of course, by this point I'm getting a little cocky about figuring out Loop Guru's tricks, namely making use of a wide assortment of ethnic samples arranged into interesting, even enjoyable songs. And Gianyar starts out just as expected with some peppy rhythms and lo-fi flutes samples. Less than a minute, though, I'm thrown for a 'loop' (hohoho!) when an orchestral sample starts to play, but in reverse! Playing tape loops backwards can be musically disastrous in many instances but it works here. Even better, though, is an additional melancholy eastern flute melody that follows it, and a rousing orchestral sample at peaks. This is some great stuff to listen to, even if the rhythm section barely changes at all from beginning to end.

Fumi is more noodly ambient dub but, unlike Papasus, this one goes for more jazz influences than anything else. At over thirteen minutes long, it does meander at great length between bass guitar, low Eastern woodwinds, and Gregorian chants (always good in a pinch) while sparse percussion bobbles along. It is nice to listen to for a while but, really, it does go on for an almost tedious amount of time if you pay too much attention to it. Best to just zone out while it is playing. Smoke a bowl if that's your game, too.

And, finishing off, we have Plane Shift, a mellow outro of a track that makes use of those always reliable Gregorian chants while Arabian flutes and percussion loop along at a steady pace. Yeah, it doesn't really go anywhere but it's pleasant enough to listen to in any event.

And really, that kind of sums up the whole experience of listening to Amrita; aside from a couple of tracks that create some much needed depth, most of what's on here is more about what Loop Guru can do with their samples rather than creating songs around them. Yet, for all the lack of diversity in each of these tracks, there is an undeniable enjoyment to listening to their music as many of the samples do stick to your mind. This being an earlier example of their work, I'd have to hear some of their more recent work to see if they refined this template more to make their more energetic tracks not quite as, well, loopy.

Incidentally, if you are wondering if they give sample credits here, I believe they do but write them out in such cryptic ways ('astoral music', 'mythical mellowflutes', 'the sound of one hand clapping', 'heavy metal guitar with so many effects that it doesn’t sound heavy, metallic or guitar-like or anything else from our realm of understanding the nature of multidimensional matter transfer', 'a very big fish'), you'd have a hell of a time figuring them all out. Probably how they like it, too.


Score: 7/10

ACE TRACKS:
Diwana
Papasus


Written by Sykonee. Originally published 2005 for TranceCritic.com.© All rights reserved.