5-Song Weekly Mini-Review #2

Here we go with Weekly Mini-Review number two. Yet another curious clutch of tunes, though oddly enough three of these I'd 'discovered' within a very short period of time of each other. Can you guess which three?

1. Quadrophonia - Quardrophonia (Remix)
From the album Cozmic Jam.

The original is something of a classic rave track, though incredibly dated these days. I was obsessed with the tune, having first heard it on a NBA Inside Stuff Jam Session video. I could never find the album though, and it remained one of those elusive ‘must haves’ for me. About fifteen years after hearing it, I find the album in a used shop, and now I see copies of the bloody CD everywhere. So it goes. Oh, and this remix isn’t anything special compared to the original - where’s the bass, man?


2. The Human League - These Are The Days
From the album Octopus.

Did you know The Human League carried on all the way through to the new millennium? I sure didn’t, until I noticed Octopus sitting in a bargain bin. Imagine my surprise to find it was released in the middle of the 90s, at a time when practically no one cared about synth-pop anymore. It’s rather bizarre that this ditty sounds more current in the here and now (I could easily see Tiga borrowing that catchy chorus), yet seemed totally dated in ’95. Did you also know Man With No Name did a remix for this too? Oh come on, there’s no way you’d have known that without Ogging.


3. Aphex Twin - Next Heap With
From the album …I Care Because You Do.

An example of the ‘new classical’ sub-genre of electronic music that all the IDM wonks started doing in the mid-90s. Orchestral swells, string plucks, and so on, mostly based on samples and such (I think?). You could count on at least one such track on any given IDM album. It’s quite nice to hear, as James always seems able to come up with a lush bit of melody whenever he calmed the fuck down.


4. 2 Unlimited - Twilight Zone (Rave Version Edit)
From the album Get Ready!.

What the…? Another old school rave anthem? Well, unlike Quadrophonia, everyone knows this one, whether you wanted to or not. It’s been played over and over and over since it was first released, and will undoubtedly continue to be played (most likely at a sports event). It’s a bonafide classic that way, like Sandstorm and Thunderstruck. This is the vocal-less version, so if you felt the raps and chorus were corny, you have no excuse for not diggin’ this cut. Well, unless you just hate old school rave regardless.


5. Yes - Make It Easy
From the album 90125.

Technically, this isn’t Yes. Former members Chris Squire, Tony Kaye, and Alan White hooked up with guitarist Trevor Rabin to form a group called Cinema, from which this song was recorded in their early sessions. Eventually they managed to rope Jon Anderson in to do vocals on later tunes, at which point they said, “Fuck it, let’s just be Yes again.” (paraphrased ) When Rhino Records was re-issuing all of Yes’ back catalog, they tagged this on 90125 as a bonus track. As for this song, it’s pretty darn cool, if you like yourself some good ol’ early 80s new wave rock. Rabin does some pretty fancy guitar work too.


Okay, so guessing two of 'em would probably be easy enough. Bet you can't guess the third tho'! Well, alright, probably you can. It's really obvious since it was the early 90s that I heard 'em anyway.


Written by Sykonee, 2010. © All rights reserved

Various - In Trance We Trust 11: Mixed by Phynn (Original TC Review)

In Trance We Trust: Cat. # ITWT 011 CD
Released March 2006

Track List:
1. Supresa - Back In The Days (Intro Mix) (6:45)
2. Vincent de Moor - Mystique Colors (3:42)
3. Airbase - For The Fallen (5:13)
4. A Boy Called Joni - Green Astronauts (4:25)
5. Kay Stone - Alone (5:41)
6. Estuera - Flow (6:02)
7. Phynn - Close Encounter (6:14)
8. Ozone - Q (2:37)
9. Wippenberg - Earth (4:10)
10. First State - First State (5:54)
11. Thomas Bronzwaer - Shadow World (5:16)
12. Galen Behr & Robert Burns - Till We Meet Again (Galen Behr Remix) (4:55)
13. Mode Hookers - Breathe (Sander van Doorn Remix) (3:56)
14. Mark Norman - Brasilia (5:33)
15. Astralis - Solar Flare (5:50)
16. Purple Haze - Rush (3:30)


(2010 Update:
I think I overrated this. Aside from Shadow World and For The Fallen, I couldn't remember how any of these went. Yes, even the two other tracks I gave "ACE TRACK" status to. Part of it too was I never really felt compelled to listen to this mix again. It's such a dull set, with nothing given an opportunity to stand out. This was about the time in trance's history when every other damned track was trying to be an epic, OMG anthem, flooding the market with expertly produced, forgettable dross. Seriously, take a look at that track list and tell me how many you can instantly recall - yeah, no classics here, my friends (well, maybe Shadow World). I listened to this twice to refresh my memory, and I still don't recall most of it. Man, no wonder I derailed the review to play Street Fighter - it's the only thing that made this review memorable in the long run.

As for Phynn, he seems to still be stuck in third-tier trance jock purgatory. So much for that "promising potential.")


IN BRIEF: Promising potential.

In Trance We Trust has been around for quite a while but I can’t say I’ve payed the sub-label of Black Hole Recordings (founded by some guy named Tijs Verwest -perhaps you’ve heard of him?) much heed, much less their regular In Trance We Trust mix series. Starting out at a time when damned near every trance DJ mix was sounding identical to the next, I saw nothing about the compilations that would distinguish itself from the pack. Even the lovely scenery cover art seemed cliché by that point. Still, I have to give the label some respect for managing to stick around for this long. Even as trance continues its gradual demise from its glory years, In Trance We Trust keeps on chugging along. With their tapping of new-comer Phynn (real name Finne Jager, but typing his alias is easier) to take on the eleventh edition of this series, it would seem the label’s hoping an injection of fresh blood will give the ailing trance scene a much needed boost.

I’ve been keeping an eye on Phynn’s career for about a year now. Unlike nearly all of the current generation of trance producers, he seemed to actually grasp the concept of the need for energetic rhythms as well as catchy hooks to make your song a cut above the rest. Unfortunately, aside from a couple singles, Phynn’s been relatively quiet for this amount of time. When I heard he was tapped to mix this release, I was definitely intrigued. Let’s see if he’s got the chops to kick trance out of its funk.

Phynn doesn’t waste much time in getting this show on the road. Despite the blissy nature of Sepresa’s Back In The Days, the rhythm is fairly energetic for a track that makes ample use of seaside samples. However, the main melody introduced in your standard breakdown isn’t all that memorable so Back In The Days serves better as a mood setter for this mix, as any good intro track should.

With Vincent de Moor’s Mystique Colors, Phynn gets down to business. There are all your usual trance components but Moor’s track has a better-than-average hook, decent backing sounds, and, most importantly, a groovy bassline that’ll warm you up nicely for follow-up For The Fallen by Airbase.

Eh? What’s this? Breakbeats? In a trance mix? Done competently!? Hell yeah! The accompanying bassline in For the Fallen sounds great, and the rhythms don’t come off as just a novelty. It’s a shame Jesper has to get all self-indulgent in a minute-long breakdown to do some piano wankery, but all is forgiven once the rhythm comes back, so infectious it is.

However, Phynn doesn’t stick with the breakbeat vibe, heading right back into standard four-to-the-floor rhythms in Green Astronauts. More of a pure traditional trancer, a moody, pulsing synth morphs through various effects while the rhythm keeps things steadily grooving. An additional plinky arpeggio emerges from the background in the latter half of this track, but allows the main synth to keep the spotlight.

Having eased us into a trancey state with Green Astronauts, Phynn whips out some epic anthemage. Kay Stone’s Alone has everything an epic anthem should have: smart rhythms, lush soundscapes, catchy hooks, and a perfect blend of effects at all the right points. Shame tracks like these are a dime a dozen these days. Sure, had this been released seven or eight years ago, Alone would be deemed a classic, but this has been done numerous times since, and Kay Stone’s offering here has nothing unique enough about it to stand out from the pack.

Diving back into loopy territory is Flow by Esteura. The central hook repeats throughout the track, remaining a bit subtle for the most part as other stuff plays around it. Good God, but does that second breakdown ever drag though. And what’s with that brief bit of guitar? It plays for only a couple bars, and we never hear from it again. Utterly pointless. The build back to the action is ace though, with additional sounds harmonizing with the still-looping central hook. At the very peak of the build, there’s a half-second pause of dead silence, which has a nifty way of sounding like all the air has been sucked out of the track, only to rush forth again with everything at once. It’s quite effective in retaining that lost momentum from that overlong breakdown.

Phynn’s own Close Encounter is next, and it has all the hallmarks of yet another epic anthem: the riff’s punchy, the percussions’ energetic, the appropriate synths have been loaded, and the breakdowns and builds, um, breakdown and build. Yet, like Alone, Close Encounter is half a decade too late to make any kind of real impact. There’s just so many anthems like this out there; they’re twelve for ten cents. Also, having three tracks in a row featuring breakdowns and builds is wearing thin, especially since there’s not a whole heck of a lot to distinguish them from the ‘über-choon’ category. This next track had better be something different, otherwise this mix will start to look suspect.

Er, this isn’t what I had in mind. Q by Ozone (Airbase again) certainly has a different feel to it compared to previous tracks, in that it has an utterly happy-go-lucky hook that could make even Ferry Corsten wince. Well, okay, it is stupidly, silly fun but yet another breakdown kills the momentum with a few seconds of total silence. Admittedly, Phynn’s choice of tracks does manage to retain any lost momentum with good rhythms but if this next track has another breakdown, I’m going to get very irritated.

Oh, what’s this!? Another bloody breakdown! Argh! That’s it! Phynn, you have got to-

Wait a sec! Hey, that hook is actually pretty sweet. In fact, it totally kicks ass! Man, Wippenberg’s Earth has just grabbed all those mean and nasty things I was about to write and tossed them out a five-story window with an explosive fuel tanker waiting for their landing at the end. The synth is simple and aggressive, having no need to get overwrought with fancy effects and trickery to sound polished. It’s kind of how those old ravey rave tunes went, only brought into the 21st Century. Ace material, this is.

I’d kinda hoped Phynn might follow-up Earth’s vibes with similar tracks but it’s not to be, as we’re right back into epic anthem territory. First State is yet another wonderfully produced song but, as our resident Brit might say, tracks like this are ‘ten-a-penny’ in trancedom these days. And, on a mix where we’ve heard it twice already, First State isn’t standing out as well as it should.

In fact, judging by how this mix has gone thus far, I can pretty much guess how the rest of the songs will go: big epic anthems, good rhythms, and some sort of unique twist to them that’ll differentiate it from a previous track. As First State ends, there’s exactly another half hour left on this CD, of which I don’t feel like meticulously detailing since I’ll just be repeating myself. Instead, I’m going to play some Street Fighter Alpha 3 while this runs through, and if anything of note happens, I’ll let you know. My fighter of choice: Fei Long. Waa chaaaaaaaaaaa!

Two minutes, twenty-three seconds later - I know you’ve heard supersaws before, but the synths in Thomas Bronzwaer’s Shadow World are a notch above them. Decent hook, too.

Two minutes, seventeen seconds later - Yep, definitely bigger and bolder. These aren’t supersaws. They’re SUPREMESAWS.

Three minutes, forty-seven seconds later - Woah! That anthem in Till We Meet Again just blasted out of nowhere! Heh, it coincided nicely as I busted out a Super Combo Finish on mid-Boss Balrog.

Fifty-three seconds later - This is pretty epic, but in a good way! Even makes for a suitable soundtrack to Fei Long’s quest.

Three minutes, twenty-three seconds later - An unfunky farty bassline? It could only be a Caucasian producer, and probably Swedish no less.

One minute, four seconds later - DAMN YOU, DAN!!! I can’t BELIEVE he ended my unbeaten streak!

Two minutes, twenty-eight seconds later - Hmm. Mark Norman’s Brasilia is some seriously sinister sounding stuff. Makes for decent Final Boss music.

Two minutes, fifty-five seconds later - Ha! Eat it, Bison! Super Combo Finish up your mudder fuggin’ arse!

Three minutes later - I’m still here. Just enjoying the end credits.

Well, that was fun. And I still have some of the CD left playing too. However, because Astralis’ Solar Flare isn’t all that interesting, and Rush by Purple Haze was already detailed here (personally, I find it fine, if a bit unfocused), I’ll get to the wrap-up portion of this review.

For the most part, Phynn’s track selection and arrangement is decent enough, if perhaps dipping a little heavily into Black Hole’s catalogue; seven tracks between it and its sub-labels, but then I suppose Phynn’s got to please his overseers. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the main troubles with this mix. I get the impression Phynn’s restrained by not being allowed to flex his muse beyond his parent label more. It comes as little surprise to me the more intriguing tracks -songs where Phynn’s personality as a DJ crops up- are from other labels. If he were given more freedom, this might have shined brighter for a first official DJ mix.

As such though, he works with what he can within the Black Hole confines. The mix itself kind of peaks out halfway through before you realize there isn’t going to be much more diversity, and despite Phynn’s best efforts to keep the vibes climbing, the similarities between the songs wear thin. Get this is you’re after some energetic anthemic trance, but don’t expect anything more than what we’ve heard many times before.


Score: 6/10

ACE TRACKS:
Vincent de Moor - Mystique Colors
Airbase - For The Fallen
Wippenberg - Earth


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

Various - Unwind: A Journey Into Global Grooves (Original TC Review)

Com.Pact Records: Cat. #CPCD-IL025 

Released 2005 

Track List: 

1. Solarians - Spring Thing (4:53) 

2. Tribalistic Society - Åarhus On A Sunday Afternoon (4:46) 

3. T.K.Y - Long Before This Day (7:50) 

4. U&K - Sähkövalo (5:26) 

5. Lish - Blue (4:44) 

6. Sunfire - Electronic (7:14) 

7. Visual Paradox - GaYo (2005 Remake) (5:50) 

8. T.K.Y. vs. Max Maxwell - Twilight (5:18) 

9. Wilson Stout - Helpless (Dini Dub Mix) (5:05) 

10. Sesto Sento - Slow Move (4:47) 

11. Psionyx - Deimos Vista (7:53) 

12. The Misted Muppet - Defender Of The Past (2:17) 

(2010 Update: The middle of this review if kind of forgettable, much like the middle of this CD, to be honest. There was actually a second Unwind compilation, featuring most of the same artists, though none of the better ones on here. One of the fun things with these generic psy releases is I often got to try something different with my writing, in this case doing a 'Good, Bad, Ugly (Verdict)' summary at the end. Come to think of it, that could have been a practical reviewing method for everything. Well, if you were after capsule ones anyway.) 

IN BRIEF: Pretty standard stuff. 

Com.Pact Records is yet another in what seems to be a never-ending supply of psy trance labels coming out of Israel. Every time I poke my head into the psy scene again, there’s yet another label churning out a slew of mostly full-on trance. I honestly have no idea how some of the more dedicated psy fans can keep up with it all, much less want to. I’d be amazed if there’s enough diversity between the releases to warrant such dedication. Yet, the scene must be there, as the albums and compilations of Israeli psy just keep on trucking out. 

Perhaps Com.Pact sensed there was too much of the same ol’, and decided to expand a little into other styles. The result is what we have here: Unwind, a collection of chilled-out global grooves featuring a bunch of names only the Israeli psy scene would have a passing familiarity with. I’ve been wary of these sorts of compilations for a while now, as the Great Chill-Out Campaign of the new millennium saw a huge glut of ‘adequate’ downtempo releases when Moby’s Play suddenly made it commercially viable. The trouble, my friends, is the very nature of music like this. It isn’t designed to excite or inspire or infuriate, but merely provide a backing soundtrack to everyday situations. Perfectly fine when such situations call for it of course, but very drab when, as a paying listener, you’d rather have the music engage your consciousness rather than evaporate within it. 

Still, I’ve heard some decent downtempo stuff from the psy camps in the past, and perhaps an underground label like Com.Pact won’t fall into the same ‘chilled-out muzak’ trap so many commercial labels do. Let’s find out, shall we? 

Um, unfortunately, opener Spring Thing from Solarians doesn’t bode too well. You ever see those racks of easy listening music in New Age shops that read like Rainforest Rhythms or Sounds Of Sweet Savannah Showers? Yeah, they tend to look low-budget and hokey, and trust me they usually are. Spring Thing is the kind of track you’d probably hear on one of those: wispy synths, ‘organic’ sounds, and ‘inspirational’ melodies that are anything but. And what’s with that bass? It just grumbles along without harmonizing or leading. This track’s hardly the kind of first impression you want to make. It’s like someone attempting to make a grand entrance into your home, but trips and falls flat on their face. And instead of quickly gathering himself to save some face, he follows up the trip with a mere shrug and wanders off to settle in. 

Or, to be rid of this clumsy metaphor, Unwind has a peculiar choice to follow-up Spring Thing with Tribalistic Society’s Åarhus On A Sunday Afternoon. This is a very loose track, borrowing mellow themes from across cultures to form a nice collage of disparate ideas, but little else. You’d think it’d be a better idea to try to grab your attention with something a little more focused, but it is not to be. Long Before This Day by T.K.Y. carries on the loose musical ideas, seemingly unsure of what kind of track it wants to be. It starts a bit goofy but turns quite somber once some pads are added. Most of the sparse melodies that weave around aren’t terribly interesting, as the sounds used are a bit flat. Midway through, Long Before changes direction again with a weak bassline, some reggae organs, and an Arabic chant. I don’t know about anyone else, but these elements just don’t gel for me. It sounds like it’s trying to be dubby but the sounds don’t carry enough resonance to make it effective. I often find myself tuning this track out. 

U&K’s Sähkövalo finally gives us something interesting. More on a trip-hop tip, funky loops and groovy rhythms set up the start. Eventually, moody subdued chords gradually emerge from the background, gently growing stronger as additional synth washes accentuate them. While nothing revolutionary, it is still an engaging bit of music. Blue by Lish continues the trip-hop trend, though opts for something a little more upbeat. Although murky dubby sounds weave about in the background, the rhythm’s got more kick to it than Sähkövalo, and the added synth hook towards the end is quite effective along with squelchy sound effects that don’t annoy. Perhaps Unwind will be salvageable after all. 

Hah, you know that last line is a set-up, so I won’t beat around the bush. Sunfire’s Electronic starts out fine enough with nice sweeping pads and gentle rhythms, creating a pleasant Ibizan atmosphere. It all goes south though, when for reasons that utterly escape me, Mr. Kosyvev introduces a harsh, tuneless synth noise. It’s abrasive, it’s ugly, and it’s completely unnecessary, knocking me out of my calm tranquility like a slap to the face. What follows for a bit, while interesting in spots, falls into the ‘lounge’ trap of being content to remain unobtrusive. GaYo has a nifty bouncy bassline, but the assortment of xylophones, echoey synths, pianos and so on never bother to carry any kind of melody. Twilight benefits from a murky Arabic atmosphere but also doesn’t settle into any kind of gripping theme. And the Dini Dub of Wilson Stout’s Helpless, while a pleasant bit of Mediterranean chill, is just as hookless as the previous two. Of course, none of these tracks are bad by any means, but they are quite typical of lounge vibes, and probably won’t stand out much if you listen to a great deal of this sort of music. 

Unwind seems about ready to move onto something new, though, and opts for the gradual transition. Slow Move by Sesto Sento is an intriguing slice of ambient breaks, making use of some spacey pads and acid squelches to complement the rhythms and hooks. The percussion is also quite good, never settling for simple loops. With Slow Move easing us from the organic lounges to the synthetic sounds, we move into sci-fi territory... or psy-fi, as the case may be. 

If Com.Pact’s usual audience has been put off by all the laid-back, jazzy, dubby music thus far, Deimos Vista by Psionyx should be more their style. With spacey synths, stuttering soundscapes, and narrative melodies, this is also the most structured song to be hand on Unwind. The usual ‘psybient’ theme of benevolent alien ideologies should appeal to spaceheads as well. We close with Defenders Of the Past by The Misted Muppet. Not a very long track, this serves as a decent enough ambient outro following in the theme of Deimos Vista. Eerie synth pads and piano melodies make up the bulk and, even for their short duration, they sound wonderful. This guy continues to impress me; maybe I should seek out that album of his all the psyheads were gushing over. 

Now, for The Good: As far as chill albums go, there’s a decent amount of variety to be had. Additionally, the music flows nicely together despite the disparate downtempo styles. Credit should also be given to Com.Pact for daring to expand a little beyond their usual borders.

The Bad: There really isn’t much here that we haven’t heard from countless other chill compilations. Aside from some points where the quality of a track leaps or plummets, Unwind would have a hard time distinguishing itself from your usual chill fodder. Plus, this compilation has a pretty weak start, and first impressions go a long way in setting the mood for any CD. 

And The Ugly... er, Verdict: If you see this in your shops and have very little chill music in your collection, you could do worse. However, like so many chill-out compilations these days, Unwind remains far too content to be ‘background’ music. I know the argument goes that’s the whole point of music like this, but with so many compilations of loungey music available, does it then matter which one you put your money down for? No, even chill music should be able to engage you when you’re actually listening to it. 

An average score should suffice for Unwind. It would have been lower on account of the weak opening, but it finished strong; even-steven all the way. 

Score: 5/10 

ACE TRACKS: 

Psionyx - Deimos Vista 

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

5-Song Weekly Mini-Review #1

Here's how this works. I'll select five tracks at random (or rather my Window Media Player will, heh) and write a paragraph about it. What's included in the paragraph will depend on what the track is, what album it's from, who it's by, and so on. If possible, I'll also include a link to either an Amazon.com or YouTube.com source so you can hear what the tune sounds like for yourself. Alright then, let's get this show on the road!


1. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Winterlong
From the album Live At The Fillmore East.

Woo! Kickin’ the new feature off with Neil F’n Young! Winterlong has an odd history, as it never appeared on any official album until the three-record compilation Decade. Folks still knew of it though, as it’d been performed live since, well, at least this 1970s gig at the Fillmore East, and it gained a bit more popularity during the grunge era when the Pixies covered it. This version is kind of rough around the edges, as though Young and his Horse band were still working out the kinks. In fact, it’s a bit surprising to hear Young’s vocals so low in the mix; former Horse guitarist Danny Whitten really dominates. It’s a nice enough tune, so long as you like yourself some laid-back Southern rock. Of course, the group’s done better.


2. Nebula - Sky
From the album Gate To Infinity.

I figured a few obscurities would make their way into these lists - after all, that’s part of the allure of doing it randomly in the first place. On the second track though!? Anyhow, this is one of the earliest productions from Elvio Trampus, and quite removed from the hard trance he produces of late. Rather, we get a dubby, bouncy bit of blissed downtempo techno …or something. I’m hesitant to give it the IDM tag, even if it does sound similar to earlier forms of that sound. One of the better cuts from the album anyway.


3. Robert Armani - Circus Bells (Hardfloor Mix)
From the compilation Muzik Classics: Techno.

Holy cow! It’s an actual good compilation from Beechwood Music. In fact, for a collection of early techno, it’s excellent! Probably didn't hurt that the ace magazine Muzik was the sponsor for it, but I'll get into that some other time. As for Circus Bells, it’s about as you’d expect given the names involved above. Armani provides the basic stomp, Hardfloor adds extra acid tweakage, and the results are strictly awesome all the way.


4. Hieroglyphics - Love Flowin
From the album Full Circle.

One of the best underground hip-hop groups around, to be frank. Folks probably know more about member Del Tha Funkee Homosapien but the whole crew is filled with talented, diverse MCs, including here Opio, Pep Love, Casual, and A-Plus. And producers! Opio was behind the board for this one, dropping orchestral samples with some great thumpin’ beats into the track. Great stuff if you have a hankering for ‘backpack-hop’.


5. T. Power featuring Amaziree - Runnin’
From the DJ Mix The Stanton Sessions by Stanton Warriors.

Pretty typical example of UK 2-step garage from the turn of the century, here with extra nu-skool breaks wobble-bass! Amaziree’s soulful croon is fine enough. Erm, and there’s not much else to say with this cut. Hey, there’s gonna be a lot of ‘average’ songs down the road, so don’t go expecting brilliant write-ups every time.


And I suppose this is where I'm supposed to give a concluding paragraph? Um, I'm not sure what to say. It's not like there's a unifying theme to these tunes or anything. Or, is there...

Nope.

Written by Sykonee, 2010. © All rights reserved.

William Orbit - Hello Waveforms (Original TC Review)

Sanctuary Records Group: Cat. # 06076-84772-2
Released February 2006

Track List:
1. Sea Green (6:23)
2. Humming Chorus (3:36)
3. Surfin (4:52)
4. You Know Too Much About Flying Saucers (4:59)
5. Spiral (4:57)
6. Who Owns The Octopus (5:01)
7. Bubble Universe (4:04)
8. Fragamosia (6:32)
9. Firebrand (6:16)
10. They Live In The Sky (4:57)
11. Colours From Nowhere (5:59)



(2010 Update:
So that follow-up album never materialized until 2009. Yikes, does that ever date this review, huh? Ah, this one's kind of sloppy anyway, an early case of me struggling to find ways of talking track-by-track with songs that really didn't have much to talk about, yet steadfast in believing all album reviews should be a minimum 1000 words long. I'll admit there's some really hilarious grammar gaffs here. As for the album, it's still a very, erm, pleasant listen.)


IN BRIEF: How many different ways can you type ‘pleasant’?

You have to hand it to older Orbit fans. Through his Madonna collaborations, his classical musings, and general seclusion since, they have patiently waited for a new full length of original material under his own name. It’s been quite some time since the last Strange Cargo was released, and the landscape of electronic music has seen some radical changes (or remained stagnent in some circles, but that’s another debate). With Hello Waveforms, fans finally have their new material. The burning question then, is whether this release lives up to the longing expectations.

Well, I’m not the guy to answer that. Aside from the obvious hits, I never gave much notice to Orbit’s older work. Probably like many, Ray Of Light and Pieces In A Modern Style was where I really exposed myself to his production. There’s nothing wrong with that either, as my perspective of this release isn’t weighed down by past accomplishments. As such, Hello Waveforms has the ‘blessing’ of being judged by the music it contains. Lucky guy, that Orbit.

First off, let me mention the booklet that comes with this album. This is, without a doubt, one of the glossiest booklets I’ve ever seen. Super slick and shiny, it just feels wrong to even muss it up with my breath, much less hold it in my greasy, grimy fingers. It’s the kind of booklet that makes it worth actually buying the release, just to show it off. Oh, I guess the additional artwork of the ‘Waveform Girls’, as Orbit calls them on his website (which includes some nifty videos of this artwork in motion) is nice to look at as well. Anyhow, let’s get into some actual music, shall we?

As we dive into Sea Green, it is immediately apparent Orbit still hasn’t changed his studio sounds much. Some’ll probably complain about him not moving with the times, but I don’t find it to be a big deal. Even if some of the synths he uses are a bit dated, they are still unmistakingly his alone. No one has managed to emulate Orbit’s sound and it makes his work all that more unique, effectively shielding him from sounding too dated.

Sea Green itself is quite warm and inviting. Several little benign melodies weave about on synths, pianos, and acoustic guitars, forming a calming bit of music that doesn’t really settle into any definite structure. Unlike a great deal of songs that wander about, Sea Green doesn’t fall apart at the seams as the melodies that come and go are quite catchy. There’s some muted rhythm as well, but it merely serves the melodies in crafting something of a chipper atmosphere.

With Humming Chorus, we see Orbit still not quite having gotten the classical bug out, as this song is from the Madame Butterfly opera. Strictly bleepy synths, strings, and other oddball sounds, the pleasant atmosphere to be had in this track is quite calming. I can’t help but feel I’m lounging about in some tranquil Victorian-era fairground as it plays.

An ethereal slide guitar emerges from the start of Surfin, melting into a tranquil bit of early evening tropical bliss. Like Sea Green, this track is quite content to meander about, allowing simple pleasant melodies to weave in and out. Similarily, You Know Too Much About Flying Saucers follows this same form. Despite bubbly bass and acoustic noodlings providing an eerier setting, Saucers is still quite calming to listen to. Even a rather psychedelic outro to the track doesn’t distort the calming music.

After this run of peaceful ambience, we move into the lead single, Spiral. With guest vocals by UK urban girl act Sugababes, this song wouldn’t sound out of place in a typical young woman’s clothing store. I wouldn’t go so far as to say Spiral ruins the flow of Waveforms - it’s actually quite the needed divergence after four tracks doing relatively the same thing. However, Spiral isn’t really a standout example of your typical modern R&B sound, and feels odd being on an album like this.

Who Own The Octopus marks the midway point of Waveforms, and also marks the best bit of music yet - molasses electro rhythms, synthy guitar musings, and nice sweeping synths create quite the engaging bit of chill. Towards the end though, we are treated to a stirring climax of fuzzed-out guitars and synthy harpsicord. Even if Octopus is overall mellow, it is by far the most riveting track.

From here, Waveforms begins a gentle slide to take us out. Bubble Universe is an interesting sonic experiment with distorted vocals and pixie-ish charm. While an intriguing listen, there really isn’t much to latch onto here between the various sounds weaving about.

Fragamosia features a violin, viola, and cello played in parallel with dubby electronics. It starts out promising, as the musical ideas featured in the beginning show promise [g’uh -2010 Syk]. However, much like most of the music we’ve heard thus far, Orbit instead seems content to allow things to merely noodle about. The only trouble with Fragamosia’s case is the melodies aren’t as engaging as those in the first half of Waveforms, and the song doesn’t stand out as a result.

Firebrand seems to share the same troubles as Fragamosia. Despite the use of an assortment of woodwinds and brass instruments, this track is far too much noodle without enough substance in the weaving melodies. This makes it a pleasant bit of background music but not much else.

We get some vocals with The Live In The Sky, but aside from plenty of oohs and aahs in the beginning, they aren’t as prominent as the ones in Spiral. Instead, this track, like so much else on the latter half of Waveforms, is a pleasant bit of music but hardly engaging.

Closing out the album is Colours From Nowhere, an eerie excursion into ambience that seems to borrow some Orbit-ish melodic ideas that have been sprinkled throughout Waveforms. All of this is linked together with pretty cool sounding synth pads. It’s about the mellowest track on this album, which is saying a lot considering just how mellow this whole CD has been.

And that’s probably the only real fault to be had on Waveforms. Aside from Octopus and perhaps Spiral, there isn’t really much that’ll leap out at you as it plays. Mind, the music is all very charming, and is perfectly suited for background ambience. The astute listener will also find a number of the brief melodies that come and go quite nice.

However, the overall atmosphere of Waveforms kind of leaves one wanting a little more than what we are given. Orbit does have plans to release another album later this year, so perhaps this one is merely the appetizer before the main course. Still, if you are in the market for some mellow music, this album will suit you fine.


Score: 6/10

ACE TRACKS:
Who Owns The Octopus


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

So, like, where's the music reviews, huh?

Oh, you know how it goes. Distractions and stuff, right? Er, well, I guess that's not helpful.

Okay, so I admit I haven't done much in the way of new music reviews for a couple months now. Part of that has to do with a move to a new apartment, and another part of that has to do with needing to focus my writing efforts on scholastic endeavors. There is another factor though, and it unfortunately will impede my efforts to review new releases for a little while longer: finances.

Without getting too detailed into it, my current amount of debt is at a level I'm not comfortable with. Mind, I'm by no means deep in a hole, but I want to spend some time this year whittling it down to a more manageable amount so the interest doesn't kill me should my creditors decide to jack up the rates. This means cutting costs on other things, and I've decided to include my regular music purchases as a part of this - in other words, less 'risk' albums I know little about, and only personally anticipated releases instead. The drawback, of course, is less new material to review.

Still, I don't want to let this blog linger between such reviews, so to make up for this, I'm going to draw upon my current collection for material, though with a twist. Taking a cue from the Random Reviews I'd do from time to time at TranceCritic, I'll randomly select five songs each week and do a Mini-Review (about a paragraph long) of each. It shall be called: The Weekly 5 Song Mini-Review. (name can change if someone comes up with something catchier) And when I say five songs, I mean of any style of music - heck, it may even include a spoken-word skit! Whatever comes up in my random selection, I will included it. Keep in mind this will be mostly for fun, not at all serious like the seriously serious regular reviews that are serious.

Also, I've realized that it's taking a HELL of a lot longer to upload all those old TC reviews at a rate of one per week than I anticipated, so I'm doubling that time to do a rate of one every half-week. I should now finish it by, oh, 2012 or so.

Maxx - No More (I Can't Stand it) (Original TC Review)

Quality Music: Cat. # QCDS 7062
Released 1994

Track List:
1. No More (I Can’t Stand It) (Airplay Mix) (3:44)
2. No More (I Can’t Stand It) (Club Mix) (6:09)
3. No More (I Can’t Stand It) (Overworked Mix) (4:28)
4. No More (I Can’t Stand It) (Welcome To The Terrordome Mix) (5:32)
5. No More (I Can’t Stand It) (Paradise Garage Mix) (5:33)
6. No More (I Can’t Stand It) (Mr. Gee’s Mix) (4:54)


(2010 Update:
I really don't know what it is, but every time spring rolls around, I get very, very fond of euro dance again. Must have something to do with all that sunshine coming back and stuff. Even this year I found myself pulling out all my old euro compilations at the beginning of March. I actually intended to have an honorary March Euro Review every year, but when a number of those CDs in my collection kept cropping up in Random Reviews, I saw little point in doing so.

I still don't know who "Hands Of Fate" are either...)


IN BRIEF: No no, no, no-no no... Oh, wait, wrong song.

Around this time last year I went on a euro dance kick and reviewed every 2 Unlimited single I own. In honor of that bit of zaniness, I’ve decided to do the same with every Maxx single I own.

Um... this is it. Don’t go breathing a sigh of relief all at once.

Really, Maxx only had two hits: No More and Get-A-Way. They might have had more but, like so many euro acts, only managed a single album before folding. Reasons for this remain a mystery.

Catching the peak of euro dance just as it was about to begin its slide, Maxx managed to stick out from the crowd with two main ingredients: ‘tinny’ production and a ragga rapper who was white (German specifically I hear). The latter was a quirky gimmick, probably done to catch some of the momentum of white ragga rappers Snow popularized, but really not the group’s calling card. Rather, the former of these attributes was a strange gimmick considering just how polished most euro was sounding in ‘94. Maxx, however, had a hollow, flat sound, allowing their fuzzy basslines to generate the momentum. It was pretty unique at the time, and would go on to be copied a great deal. Personally, I feel that sound kind of ruined the old euro style, as producers saw Maxx’s success as a way to cut corners and get away with flat rhythms. However, this group managed to pull it off on the strength of their melodies.

While Get-A-Way was the breakout, No More was a worthy follow-up and contains all the charm you’d expect from old euro. The bassline’s simple and effective, practically carrying the whole track since the main hook, a tuneless, bleepy thing, doesn’t quite have the muscle to stand out. And, as with all of the best euro, the chorus sung by Linda Meek is super catchy, never growing annoying. Even after six variations of No More on this single, the chorus never lost its charm. Plenty of additional elements - ranging from synths, strings, pianos, and assorted sounds - pad the song’s duration, remaining well in the background as to merely complement the main features.

Four remixes come on this single, most of which offer a variation of No More’s format to appeal to different crowds.

The Overworked Mix takes No More into more typical euro territory. With softer, stuttery synths carrying the lead, the bassline is relegated to support status instead. Everything plays out as before, although the rap is more audible.

Welcome To The Terrordome Mix attempts to give No More an edge with aggressive rhythms and a hook that sounds like sirens, and is even more tuneless than the original hook. Besides that, it’s the same song. Does it succeed in making No More edgier, though? Well, compared to most euro, sure, but the gabber kids would be laughing their asses off should they have heard this.

Probably the most intriguing mix on this single is the Paradise Garage Mix. Much like many of the tunes being played in that club around this time, the mix goes into more trancey territory with dreamy, airy melodies and backing arpeggios. Interspersed throughout the mix are low acid burbles that help generate some extra rhythmic momentum. By no means a classic, I could still see this mix finding its way into an old trance set as a worthy complement to the heavier hitters. The remix credits for this point to “Hands Of Fate”, and yes, they actually have quotations. Considering there’s no record of such a name other than this single, I wouldn’t be surprised if this mix was done by a prominent trance producer of the time, but decided to hide behind an untraceable psuedonym. It’d be interesting to find out who it was.

And finally, we have Mr. Gee’s Mix. Who is Mr. Gee? I don’t know. This is also the only place I’ve seen the name crop up, but since his remix isn’t all that interesting, I’m not too anxious to find out. It’s pretty much the same song, but with his own style thrown in. Two words: circus music.
That wraps up this review. If you are a fan of that classic euro style, this is still a worthy addition. Of course, that time is long since past. So, unless you’re an adamant collector of this kind of music, the only thing of extra interest would be the Paradise Garage Mix, as the other remixes stick to the original’s template far too much to warrant any non-fan’s attention.

Score: 6/10

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

Above & Beyond - Tri-State (Original TC Review)

Anjunabeats: Cat. # ANJCD-004 

Released March 6, 2006 

 Track List:
1. Tri-State (4:09) 

2. Stealing Time (7:11) 

3. World On Fire (4:44) 

4. Air For Life (7:27) (with Andy Moor) 

5. Can’t Sleep (7:23) 

6. Hope (4:28) 

7. Liquid Love (6:42) 

8. In The Past (2:28) 

9. Alone Tonight (6:23) 

10. Good For Me (5:42) 

11. For All I Care (5:50) 

12. Indonesia (5:01) 

13. Home (7:12) 

(2010 Update: I have a confession to make. Around the time I wrote this, I was going through something of a heavy weed phase. I think this may explain why this review rambles so much, even more so than many other previous ones. Not that I actually wrote this while stoned - I can't write worth shit in such a headspace. I did listen to this stoned, however, probably making it sound much better than it really was. Er, I dunno anymore, as I lost my copy of this album and haven't heard it since. Maybe it has held up after all.) 

IN BRIEF: Some very familiar sounds here. 

This can be a thankless task, reviewing a highly anticipated release such as Above & Beyond’s Tri-State. With a few years under their belt under various guises (including Oceanlab and Tranquility Base), Jonathan Grant, Paavo Siljamäki, and Tony McGuinness, have managed to build up quite the expectation for a full-length. Also, due to their light-weight, super-polished anthems, they’ve managed to polarize a great number of trance fans in the process: either you enjoy their easily accessible attributes, or you despise it. I’ve hardly seen any middle ground on prominent web-forums when it comes to Above & Beyond. 

So, you can see my problem. Whichever way my opinion of this release goes, it will undoubtedly draw the ire of either camp: give it a good review, and get condemned by the old trance scensters for liking ‘cheese’ (what, my Drexciya review means nothing?); or, give it a poor review, and get condemned by fans of being a jaded elitist who bashes popular music just for the sake of it (what, my 2 Unlimited reviews mean nothing?); or, take the political route -be completely, drily objective, and be attacked by both camps for not swinging more in favor of their opinions. In the end, I suppose it’s best to do what I always do: dive into Tri-State from my own perspective, and judge it according to my musical background, other opinions be damned. 

The good news is I barely have any prior Above & Beyond background, so I’m heading into Tri-State with very little pre-conceived expectations cobbled together from former hits. The bad news is where my Above & Beyond experience mainly lies: the remix of Satellite. I know this track has its fans but I’m not one of them. I felt it was a tired, cliché-ridden exercise in generic epic vocal trance. All the expert production on it couldn’t hide the fact there just wasn’t much substance behind all the shiny, stuttery synths. I remained disinterested in their output and all the debates raging around how the group was inspiring/destroying trance.

Which is a good thing! If the pre-release buzz is to be believed, Tri-State is a departure from their club trance fodder of yore. Instead, Above & Beyond are interested in crafting an album meant for home listening. So, without me going into this expecting nothing more than Satellite clones (which I’m sure a number of their old fans are), I get to do this review without previous artist bias. No blame. 

Starting out, the title track opener is a pleasant little ambient intro making use of piano melodies, synthy melodies, and gentle pad work. Every element works nicely with each other, creating a warm atmosphere. As I listen to this, I can’t help but be reminded of Faithless during their very laid-back moments. Though this song is a little simpler than Faithless, it is still a good way to kick off Tri-State. 

With a silky smooth transition, Stealing Time gives us our first beats of the album. Nothing highly energetic, mind you, as Above & Beyond opts to keep things nicely cruising along. As the song moves with simple spacey loops, backing strings, and understated hooks, Stealing Time has a very old school feel to it (as in, ‘96 era Sasha & Digweed school)... well, aside from those vocals but just ignore them. Compared to the music playing, they are insubstantial fluff (sorry, Richard). 

The tempo picks up with World On Fire, a simple bit of epic trance making use of grooving rhythms and bleepy leads. Surprisingly, the track seems to understand the concept of ‘less is more’ when it comes to trance. In this age where everything shoots for the biggest, brightest, boldest sounds, those on display in World On Fire are more restrained, kind of how the epic format sounded during its humble beginnings nearly ten years ago. Think Sash!, only less goofy and with smarter production. Hmm... That’s the third song in a row now where I’ve drawn reference to the music sounding like something else, a reviewing technique I tend to frown upon doing here at TranceCritic. 

Perhaps I’d better pause this review for a moment to explain myself. I can assure you this ‘other artist referencing’ is going to happen a few more times before I’m done with Tri-State. This isn’t meant to be a dig on Above & Beyond’s creativity, or some lame-brained attempt at claiming they ripped off other artists; the group does manage to put their own spin on these songs. However, as I listened to Tri-State, my first thoughts on many songs often consisted of, “This sounds like so-and-so,” and those mental notes have stuck. Such comparisons aren’t a bad thing though, especially considering some of the names that popped up. With that out of the way, let’s get back to the review. 

The next track is Air For Life, and it sounds like something Andy Moor might produce. Haha, just kidding. I know he had a hand in this. Actually, I’ve listened to this once before but it was among so many generic trancers it never stuck out, so I don’t remember how it went. Listening to it here, Air For Life is one half nice, and one half meh. First, the niceness: the peaks of this track contain some wonderful airy voices floating about (Carrie Skipper’s, for the record), forming a gripping melody which is impossible to resist. When the main melody is in play, this is a great song. As for the meh-ness, the rest of the track is carried by a bassline that is conceptually one step removed from speed garage. The low, chunky sawwave attributes of it initially sound cool but it doesn’t spark any kind of rhythmic momentum by relying on straight-ahead stabs. If it’s trying to be funky, it certainly failed in that regard and the sweeping voice pad work alongside the bassline isn’t enough to distract from its inadequacies. Great sounding strings on this track, though. 

Can’t Sleep features vocals by Ashley Tomberlin which fail to engage after the first verse. They just aren’t as interesting as the music playing in the background, which is stunning considering the music on this track is incredibly sparse. Structurally, the song is epic trance but about as subtle an epic trancer as I’ve ever heard. It’s like Jonathan, Paavo, and Tony had a discussion, decided the epic trance sound had grown too overblown, and went to work on creating minimal epic trance. The backing sawwave pads are subdued, the main lead is nothing more than a few single echoing notes (sounding a bit like some of Oliver Lieb’s old L.S.G. works, I might add), and the typical build-ups are gentle rather than forceful. Musically, it’s far more interesting than whatever Ms. Tomberlin’s going on about (something about love-induced insomnia would be my first guess) and, much like the lyrics in Stealing Time, I always find myself tuning Ashely out. 

We get a blissy bit of Ibizan trance with follow-up Hope. Piano melodies (don’t worry, no Robert Miles comparisons here), lush voice pads, pleasant strings, and tribal chants create an euphonious, organic track. It’s only four and a half minutes long though, and has the unfortunate feeling of being merely transitional. 

With Liquid Love, Tri-State begins to take on a very grand feeling to it. Musically, this track is pretty much a generic, mellow epic trancer that doesn’t differentiate itself from much of the pack; however, the production quality on the sounds displayed here is stunning. Above & Beyond have already impressed me with some great sounding string arrangements but the resonance on the ones in this track, coupled with some nifty distortion techniques, makes Liquid Love sound far more grand than it really has any business being. Oh, yeah, there’s some vocals from Robert Bedford in this one as well, but they don’t add much either. 

Picking up on the scope crafted by Liquid Love, In The Past continues the theme of grand strings, voice pads, and pianos. While nothing more than an ambient interlude, this Vangelis-like track nonetheless sets up the anticipation for the next song admirably. And, hey, it’s Satellite that’s next! Haha, no, just kidding again. This one is Alone Tonight, which may as well be the big brother of Satellite since not only is it structurally and audibly identical to Satellite, it also features male vocals instead of female ones (Bedford’s again, though this time actually quite inspired). The production’s a bit more mature too, but that’s to be expected. 

Since Alone Tonight is so high-profile, I suppose you want my personal opinion on its merit as well. Very well. Um, I kind of like it. Hey, I’m just as surprised as you, considering I didn’t like Satellite, but this track has one factor that saves it: context. The music leading to Alone Tonight has generally felt quite subdued, yet thematic, as if it’s building up to something big. Thanks to such expert track arrangement, Alone Tonight comes off as that long-awaited climax we’ve been anticipating while the album plays, and it sounds quite good as a result. Mark my words, though, if I’d heard this in a common trance set, you’d undoubtedly see me rolling my eyes, sarcastically muttering, “Well, that’s new”; this is still a very, very typical epic trancer that we’ve been hearing since the turn of the century. 

Opening with Eno-esque pad work, Good For Me features vocals by Zoë Johnston surrounded by ambient textures. For some reason, I can’t help but picture this being sung in the middle of some Middle-Earth flower-field with butterflies and birds fluttering around Ms. Johnston singing in a big, flowing white gown. It’s a very picturesque bit of ambience, bordering on New Age (kind of like Enya at her more ethereal moments) and follows the thematic nature the last few tracks have managed to craft nicely. With that in mind, Good For Me would be a perfect capper on Tri-State. ...Only they decide to keep going. 

For All I Care starts promising, keeping the Eno pads, adding a catchy bassline (probably the best on this album), and throwing in a new wrinkle with guitar work. However, this track soon turns into a bit of meandering light-weight indie rock. Yes, you read that right. Indie rock, as in the kind of stuff tearing up the charts in the form of new wave bands as of late. It isn’t all that bad, to be honest, but it isn’t all together a standout either. It’s just kind of... there. And, it brings the thematic flow of Tri-State to a sudden halt, which is a shame considering how good it was doing before. 

There’s two more tracks at the end, but neither are able to lift this album back up. Instrumental Indonesia has great sounding pad work but is stilted by weak rhythms that won’t have Hybrid quivering in their shoes anytime soon. And the effeminate Home would make for a decent closer in a romantic movie, but is lacking the emotional punch as the closer for Tri-State, especially when you consider some of the highs this album has been at. In all, we end on a very limp note. 

I guess the final verdict on Tri-State is ‘decent’. There are some highs, there are some lows, and a lot of right-down-the-middle. Despite the standout production quality to be had, many of the songs don’t shoot far musically. This isn’t always a bad thing, of course, as an understated album can be quite the pleasant listen when you throw it on. However, when there’s a fair bit of this type of material available (as all that artist referencing can attest to), you tend to need to come up with something more innovative to stand out from the pack. Above & Beyond’s expert use of strings and pads are a definite plus, but slick production isn’t going to work all the time when the main elements, especially vocals, aren’t nearly as engaging as the background elements. 

I’d say if you are still new to this whole trance thing, you will get a great deal of enjoyment out of Tri-State. There’s enough here to give you a tantalizing appetizer before the main course is offered by some of those other names I mentioned. 

Score: 6/10 

ACE TRACKS: 

World On Fire 

In The Past 

Alone Tonight 

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

Frankie Knuckles - His Greatest From Trax Records (Original TC Review)

Trax Records: Cat. # CTX-CD-5007
Released 2004

Track List:
1. The Night Writers - Let The Music Use You (7:55)
2. Marshall Jefferson - Move Your Body (6:43)
3. Jamie Principle - Waiting On My Angel (4:01)
4. Kevin Irving - Children Of The Night (3:53)
5. Frankie Knuckles - Your Love (6:43)
6. Screamin’ Rachael - La Vie (3:56)
7. Frankie Knuckles - Baby Wants To Ride (8:34)
8. Dezz - Boom Boom (7:45)
9. Frankie Knuckles - It’s A Cold World (5:43)
10. Frankie Knuckles with Jamie Principle - Your Love (You Got The Love Remix) (6:26)
11. Frankie Knuckles - Bad Boy (6:15)


(2010 Update:
Timing can be everything. Just a couple weeks before writing this review, I'd finished reading the excellent book Last Night A DJ Saved My Life, which provided quite an insight in the 80s gay house scene. I can honestly say I'd not have understood the context of the music on this CD without reading that book first.

Also, this review features possibly one of the best concluding paragraphs I've ever written. At least, I think so!)


IN BRIEF: A soul thing, a spiritual thing... and sometimes even a gay thing.

I am not gay. The thought of another man in a sexual manner does nothing for me. While I don’t find the notion of two men being intimate with each other as something abnormal (to each their own, right?), neither do I find it arousing. The gay lifestyle is as foreign a concept to me as a woman’s. Simply put, I am way hetero.

That all said, after listening to Frankie Knuckles Presents, I have to admit the notion of being gay sure sounds a hell of a lot of fun.

In what should be a bit of unexpected info to no one, the Godfather of house music is indeed gay, played to predominately gay audiences (most of which were black as well), and produced music that would undoubtedly appeal to such a crowd. This compilation features nearly all the songs Knuckles had a hand in that were released on Trax Records, a label that gained acclaim for tons of house classics and notoriety for dodgy business practices.

Okay, a good chunk of the music on here could be construed as being ambiguous for its target audience twenty years on. However, when you envision this stuff playing to dancefloors filled with sweaty, gyrating gay men on uplifting drugs, it just makes more sense that way, especially when vocalist Jamie Principle is present (nearly half of this compilation).

The disc opens with a pair of tracks that many equate to the classic Chicago house sound: Let The Music Use You by The Night Writers (a Knuckles pseudonym) and Marshall Jefferson’s Move Your Body (which Knuckles produced). The production is fiercely raw and simple, yet there’s something irresistible about it nonetheless, and you couldn’t picture these tracks having the same hold on you if they were re-done with modern equipment, as many, many lukewarm ‘9x and ‘0x remixes can attest to. The vocal prowess of Ricky Dillard in Let The Music Use You lifts you up as Knuckles’ production accommodates him to keep building this track with soulful energy. And when the main rhythm and piano loop starts in Move Your Body, it is quite possibly one of the defining moments in house history. Even if the track does nothing more than alternate between various drum, string, piano, and vocal loops from there on out, the energy from that first drop carries over to the very end.

However, these two tracks aren’t a good indication of what to expect on this release. Rather, Waiting For My Angel is more indicative of the Knuckles sound on Trax. With its bubbly bass, analogue synths, tinny percussion and vocals washed in reverb, the sound is unmistakingly 80s. It conjures up that seedy, decadently sinful inner city neon flavor that was the decade’s clubbing calling card. Of interesting note on this particular track is Jamie Principle’s performance: save a few breathy moans and effeminate giggles late in the track, he sings far more ‘straight’ than we will hear later on.

Kevin Irving’s Children Of The Night is one of the few tracks here that stretches the Knuckles association a bit thin; he’s merely credited as the mixer, certainly an integral part of the studio process but hardly one that normally goes recognized. While having this slice of housey-italo blend is nice, it unfortunately does showcase one of the big problems Trax Records was known for: sketchy producing. Granted, everything on here does contain some really rough sound but we tend to overlook that much in the same way we overlook the rough sound quality of 60s rock music -the music manages to still move you in spite of this. However, Children Of The Night is poor even for Trax Records. There’s just no resonance to be had, and the song comes out sounding incredibly flat. It’s not I.F.O.R. piss-poor, but glaringly obvious in this case.

Moving on, we come to Your Love. You may know this track as the original backing to You Got The Love (also included on this disc, though under a different name). The lush pad work, catchy bassline and arpeggio hook are all here, though in far rawer incarnations. Also, Jamie Principle has the vocal duties on this one, elegantly crooning between heavy sighs. Your Love, above all else, is incredibly stirring, especially at the apex of the track when the backing pads rise to their highest note with the female chorus. As the track ends with a bit of choir backing and Jamie erotically moans, “I can’t let go”, the lush, tender nature of Your Love will fully embrace you, even if the sexual orientation seems ambiguous.

Screamin’ Rachael’s La Vie is another song merely mixed by the Knuckler, and it shows as this track doesn’t hold much similarity to the ones bearing his name alone on here. Rather, La Vie is more italo in nature, although it does contain some funky slap bass guitar to complement the stuttery synths.

Baby Wants To Ride. Hoo, boy. You may want to hold onto your hats if Jamie’s moans and giggles in the earlier tracks were too gay for you. Here, he breathily speaks about various things while Frankie’s funky bass and sinister synths drone in the background. What starts out as some sort of commune with God turns into a reflection of a sexual encounter with some gal, playfully delivered with all the sexy slyness Prince was known for; prudes’ll probably blush at some of his moaning, heh. When some extra percussion is added mid-way through (the rhythm is pretty sparse), Jamie goes into some odd political tangents. Ultimately, the general gist of it is America’s double-standard of claiming to be a free country, yet discriminating gays. All in all, it’s a pretty cool sounding track but seems to wander aimlessly at points.

Boom Boom from Dezz (Knuckles again only credited as the mixer) is an example of early acid house: big, cavernous rhythms, some associated lyrics, and the TB-303 getting a simple workout. While nowhere near as complex as the little acid box would later get, there are some interesting tricks pulled on Boom Boom, especially when it gets a bit distorted near the end. Nothing sequenced here, just raw, improvised knob-tweaking over a backing beat. It is even more aimless than Baby Wants To Ride, though, and at nearly eight minutes in length, you may lose interest since Boom Boom really is sparse. Pretty much one of those songs that makes better sense on a dancefloor.

Another Frankie & Jamie collaboration is next in the form of It’s A Cold World, a somber, reflective song that probably spoke to several gays coming to grips with their sexuality. Knuckles doesn’t miss a chance to play off of Principle’s lyrics, making use of an eerie synth pad towards the end to complement the song’s themes. Sadly, the mastering of It’s A Cold World isn’t the best, as you do hear some unfortunate frapping of the bass and distortion of the lyrics at points.

I guess when the original bootleg of You Got The Love first cropped up, Frankie took it upon himself to make an ‘official remix’ and release it commercially legit. That’s what we get here, although I wonder why Jamie Principle is credited but not Candi Staton on this CD’s tracklist? He only provides a bit of backing vocals here. Oh, how is the song? Well, my associate critic J’ already covered all the details in his review of the latest re-release of You Got The Love, so you can check that one out if you want. As for my personal opinion, this is a decent bit of diva house, and probably the ‘cleanest’ sounding track to be had here (mainly because it was produced a few years later than the others). And you still can’t beat the moment when the backing pads hit that high note, even if they aren’t as prominent here as they are in the original Your Love.

And finally, at the end, we get the absolutely unabashedly gay song Bad Boy. Very happy, very fey, and very quirky, it’s a cute track, but I wouldn’t dare play it to a homophobic frat party. The track list credits this to Knuckles, but this is a Jamie Principle song. Every single vinyl that has had Bad Boy on it has had Principle’s name on it. Why credit it to Knuckles and Knuckles alone here? Hnn... it seems the sketchy labeling of Trax Records continues, even in retrospectives such as these.

For that matter, despite the choice tracks to be had on Frankie Knuckles Presents, the overall presentation leaves a bit to be desired. This is hardly the entire Frankie story, as we’re only getting a slice of his discography. Mind, that’s to be expected since this is only the material that came out on Trax but those seeking a more comprehensive collection may have to wait a little longer. The other gripe I have is the sound quality on some of these. Yes, I know house veterans would be screaming ‘sacrilege’ if anyone tampered with the original masters, but let’s be fair here. Many of them were kind of shoddy to begin with and, in this day of digital marvels, wouldn’t it be nice to perhaps give these classics a proper sound treatment so we can enjoy them in their full glory? I’m not asking for a “Greedo shoots first” kind of change, just an “eliminate that pink blob under the landspeeder” kind of change.

Still, this release is a decent enough introduction to the house sound of the mid-80s. A vibrant, hedonistic, sexual energy runs through these songs, capturing the carefree days when a gay man could escape the torment of prejudice in the world and lose himself in house music. The tragic breakout of AIDS sadly cut short those years, and, like any scene that sprouts from innocent intents, it will never occur again. This is the soundtrack to those times and, no matter your sexual orientation, you can’t help but get lost in the moment as well.


Score: 7/10

ACE TRACKS:
Marshall Jefferson - Move Your Body
Jamie Principle - Waiting On My Angel
Frankie Knuckles - Your Love


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

BT - These Hopeful Machines

Nettwerk: Cat. # 0 6700 30849 2 5 

Released February 2010 

Track List: 

Disc 1: 

1. Suddenly (8:06) 

2. The Emergency (10:53) 

3. Every Other Way (11:07) 

4. The Light Of Things (10:47) 

5. The Rose Of Jericho (7:43) 

6. Forget Me (9:38) 

Disc 2: 

1. A Million Stars (12:25) 

2. Love Can Kill You (5:22) 

3. Always (6:12) 

4. Le Nocturne De Lumiere (11:38) 

5. The Unbreakable (10:25) 

6. The Ghosts In You (7:57) 

IN BRIEF: These songs, I wish. 

I’m not going to proclaim to be anything of a BT expert. I sporadically enjoyed a number of his tunes from the 90s, was ready to proclaim him an incredible producer after hearing Fibonacci Sequence on Sasha’s GU: 13 mix compilation, then was mightily disappointed in the album Movement In Still Life. It sounded like an overcooked attempt at ‘electronica’, fully three years too late to be relevant; mind, it probably didn’t help I was exposed to the busted American version either. 

None of Mr. Transeau’s output interested me since that time (well, aside from the perverse curiosity of what an N’Sync collaboration would sound like …it sucked). Apparently I’ve missed out on some dizzying highs (This Binary Universe) and dilapidated lows (Emotional Technology), which I’m sure would affect my thoughts on this latest album to some degree. As it stands, however, perhaps going into These Hopeful Machines without hearing those may be a benefit, as I won’t be weighed down by those expectations, good and bad. 

Actually, that’s not entirely truthful. There’s already some expectation here, most of which derived from pre-release buzz, and a good deal of which was rather… sketchy. Word had it that BT was going the pop route again, and considering his last foray down that road - Emotional Technology - has been hailed as his worst album, a number of folks were leery about how this one was going to turn out. Well, pop is indeed what we get here, more than you’re likely to ever want. 

Look, I’ve got little problem with much of pop music, whether it’s bonafide classics (The Beatles, Abba, The Police, etc.) or cheesy dance (2 Unlimited, Snap!, just about any early-90s euro dance really); a good tune’s a good tune. And BT does know how to write a good tune. There are loads of catchy choruses on this album - Suddenly, The Light Of Things, and The Unbreakable all get lodged in my noggin, such that I’ve no problem falling sway to, plus enjoyable nuggets of music scattered throughout the rest of both CDs. The trouble is BT fills his music with so many gratuitous, pointless effects and wayward tangents, it dilutes and ruins any charm the hooks have. The word “restraint” seems to be a totally alien construct to Mr. Transeau. 

Let’s put it another way. Normally, someone would write a sentence thus: “The sky is blue.” 

Now, here’s the way BT would write it: 

“The- let me pause for a moment, as I wish to present to you a theory of the cosmic significance of the word ‘the’, as it relates to the number pi.” Three paragraphs later… “…anyhow, the firmament above, where the heavens so grand exist beyond a fragile veil of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide…” (every atmospheric element is listed at this point) “…contains a deep azure melding with various shades of cerulean, aquamarine, and blue, which is a color I love, you love, and we all must love, like a dove, for love is the grandest of loving feelings, a feeling of pure emotional nurturing sentiment, this love we love.” 

That’s what it’s like to listen to this album. It grows so tedious that anytime an effects-laden ‘solo’ emerges, I completely tune out until it finishes. I simply don’t care. Another thing that struck me is how BT seems to be playing catch-up with contemporary club music, including rounding up regular ‘trance’ vocalists like Christian “Will Shed Tears For Sunrise” Burns and Jes “You Still Remember ‘As The Rush Comes,’ Right?” Brieden. Perhaps most shocking is The Emergency, a collaboration with Anjunabeats regular Boom Jinx. It features side-chaining, thunk-clap rhythms, and very little point beyond trying to fit in with the current generation of mau5 clones. 

Elsewhere, The Rose Of Jericho style-bites old-school McProg beats and plinky-plonk hooks, turning in a track that works at the peaks but pointlessly piddles about to get there (Le Nocturne De Lumiere suffers for much of the same reason). The Light Of Things, perhaps one of the least offensive tracks in the overwrought-effects department, is basically your standard vocal trance outing - though I must admit it’s quite good compared to many other dismal attempts of the same type; there’s fun energy to be had here (the fact it’s a collaboration with Laurent Véronnez of Airwave fame probably helps). I’ll also add The Unbreakable works in this regard as well, although whenever I imagine the scene in which it’s likely to be played at - super lasers and smug superstar DJs urging a ravenous crowd to enthusiastically hop in one spot with a fist in the air - I get a cold chill down the back of my neck for some reason. It’s a very obvious, manipulative, calculated anthem, that one. There’s also a bunch of ‘rocktronica’ tunes and downtempo moments, most of which are quite derivative of the sound (Every Other Way? Meh, needlessly long). 

Aside from Suddenly (one of the few tunes that works provided you first edit out the effects wonk that bookends the track), the only one that stood out for me was the final track, The Ghost In You, for the simple reason that it’s one of the most restrained songs on the whole album. While I was first listening to These Hopeful Machines, a couldn’t help but wonder what a BT song would sound like if he stripped away all the production trickery and simply played acoustically. Well, I got my answer here and despite being a cover of 80s band The Psychedelic Furs, it still comes off as generic as many BT tunes goes these days, especially for a singer-songwriter ballad. 

I’ve no doubt there will be plenty of new fans loving this album, as it seems to be mostly geared towards a fresher crop of party kids who aren’t much aware of BT’s 90s output but are dazzled by superfluous special-effects (or those who simply enjoy unoriginal radio-ready melodies). If such is the case, so be it. I may throw Suddenly and The Light Of Things on as a guilty pleasure on occasion but the rest of These Hopeful Machines is quite forgettable. I’ll stick to the 90s BT, thank you very much. He at least had a better grasp of the word “restraint” back then. 

Score: 4/10 

ACE TRACKS: 

The Light Of Things 

Written by Sykonee, 2010. © All rights reserved.