As One - Celestial Soul

Kirk Degiorgio names his songs based on geographical and anthropological knowledge on his underappreciated album. Interstellar was my immediate favorite although I have misplaced this disc somewhere. The sounds are galactic, futuristic; and as is always the case with techno music, the lack of vocals is somewhat cold and disappointing. It trudges on into We no longer understand, which is a pure "techno" song in that it is not rave, nor is it house, goa, or hardcore. There is a point where one must think that the song has ended, and yet has not. This suspense builds so magically that it somehow becomes the pinnacle of the album. Anyhow, Degiorgio possesses some talents that are not well advertised and so remain relatively unknown.

I'd like to reinforce that this album really is an improvement over his first album, which sounds more generic when compared to this. It's also his first outing on which all of the well-known (and loved) As One styles come bubbling to the surface; that is straight up detroit techno, ambient flourishes, jazzy tunes, experimental breakbeat tracks and a warm, loving production. I'd say get this immediately, even though it's pretty hard to come by these days.

To me, this is the worst As One album, as it simply retreads the ground covered on 'Reflections', and the tracks, though in the same style, simply aren't as interesting, melodically, texturally or rythmically. Start with '21st Century soul', 'In with their Arps', and Likemind 04 instead.

Celestial Soul is a marked improvement over As One's first album, Reflections. You can still hear the Detroit influence, but Kirk begins to develop his own signature sound, along with refining his production techniques. Plus, it's funkier -- and that's always a good thing. "Dhyana" is a sweet space journey, "We No Longer Understand" is a robotic stomper, and "Renaissance" mixes ambient textures with choral voices. The second full helping of a long and productive career.