Atmos - 2nd Brigade

While I was never an all-in fan of Atmos' first album Headcleaner, the style here being one layer too naked for my taste, I surely could appreciate the new ideas Thomasz Balicki entered the scene with. Long build ups over long tracks and with a climax nothing but a simple melody repeated over and over. So naked once in a while it could have me wondering whether music needed to contain more elements? Or was I wrong?! Cause I mean when it worked, it worked nonetheless!

2nd Brigade is built on the same line of thoughts, only I think Atmos goes a darker here, and it suits this music very well. If Headcleaner didn't exactly fit my taste, I am much happier with 2nd Brigade! The music is still very bare but where Headcleaner became the definition of minimalistic trance, 2B is larger in sound, more aggressive, and deeper. It's the sort of music you put on and then maybe not notice until you all of a sudden become aware that you have been in a trance for the last half hour. That's when you think: Whow, is this guy genius or what's the story here?!

Someone made a comparison between Son Kite and a bordeaux red wine. Very enjoyable and with an after taste sometimes more important than the first taste. Ticon was compared to beer - head on and consumerable in loads. Atmos was champagne. Fine sparkling bubbles and a sophisticated taste. I think that's a brilliant metaphor for Atmos' music (and the other artists for that matter).

If Headcleaner represents the first and daring steps into minimal trance land and stripped naked, Atmos is at home on 2nd Brigade and all the pieces fit together. Don't be without it. This is the best stuff Thomas has given us so far.

Atmos (Thomas Balicki) from Sweden is finally back with his second album, also this time on Spiral Trax Records. He got well known in the entire psy/progressive trance scene worldwide, when he released his debut album Headcleaner on Spiral Trax in 2000. It was a new way of making trippy progressive trance, that many artists has tried to follow years after. He has also released another album (Overlap) on Flying Rhino Records in 2001, together with Echö-Lab, but that was a more experimental project. He has also been playing live all over the world for several years now.

The first track starts really slow and beautiful. We get an atmospheric floating vibe and some relaxing sounds. After a couple of minutes, the beats start drifting. It builds up slowly, and after a while we get thrown into a rolling, progressive bass line. Slow, drifting progressive trance, pleasant for home listening and at the progressive dance floor. He has made this track together with Henrik Jonsson (Echö-Lab). Track 2 reminds me a lot of the style he had on the Headcleaner album, but with a more housy touch. Not much variation, but it doesn’t use to be much variation in tracks by Atmos. Things build up really slow. Pretty slow, stumping beats, with some floating mystic sounds going in and out of the track. Track 3 is much more melodic. Nice, drifting progressive trance for the morning, with a touch of house influences. Some atmospheric sounds and more variation than in the previous tracks on this album. Track 4 was originally released last year on a CD single (Metro Deluxe). This is a totally drifting track that builds up nice and easy.

Track 5 reminds me a bit of the Son-Kite style. Pretty pumping bass line and sort of minimal, but drifting with a trancey vibe. Not among my favourites on this album. Track 6 sounds more interesting. Here you get a more trippy vibe, with some jumpy sounds, nice floating breaks and a bass line that sounds a bit more full on than most of the other tracks on this album. It is also quite melodic. Track 7 has also some kind of Son-Kite vibe. Stumpy progressive beats, with some nice drums in between. You also get the typical Atmos sounds in there, that makes it to a more trippy ride. In the middle of the track we get a break with some voice samples, and the track takes a slightly different direction with some 80’s electro vibes, which has become modern again… The last track we get here is one of my favourites on this album. A stumpy progressive track with some really nice floating atmospheric sounds. You also get some light, fluffy guitar sounds in there, played by someone named Michele Antonino. Totally drifting track.

You get some nice progressive tracks on this album, but it could never beat the classic Headcleaner album. He has gone to a bit more housy sound since his last album, but I’m sure most progressive lovers will enjoy this album too.

One of Atmos' best CD's. Full of quality progressive psycheelic trance. Raumwelt Signal opens this album and is stunning. Maybe because Henrik Jonsson co-produced it, I don't know, but it sticks out more then any other track. It is a great intro to the album, especially with the short classic-ambient bit in the first half. This album is typical Atmos sound, mellow, soothing, with querky sounds to keep the psychedelic roots in there, and not sounding like another boring Markus Schulz CD. The productions are somewhat different sounding, but thats due to not having an album release since 2000, giving pleanty of time for new synths and ideas to form. 2nd Brigade contains some of Atmos' best productions as of yet. An album to either purchase or keep on the top of your CD pile.

Full-on? This is full-off!

Second album from Atmos! Oh, happy day! ;o) After more than 4 years of waiting since the groundbreaking debut release Headcleaner, Tomasz Balicki is ready to wow us once again…

Let me take you thru the tracks…

#01: First up is Raumwelt Signal… Space-world signal! The intro is slow and relaxed – a simple xylophone melody and random voice muttering… Wind-fx are added to help shape the moody atmosphere… And along the way more fx are added… Percussion, etc… And BAM, a dark distorted gritty bassline… Later, voice-samples saying “Let the bass kick!”… From being kind and gentle, this track has evolved into a progressive, technoid, yet slow tune… And I barely even noticed… Check out the industrial-sounding synths towards the end too… Nice track!

#02: Next up is Al Bummer, which conveniently rhymes with summer… ‘Cause this is night-time music for a progressive summer set… When you’ve been chilling all day on the beach in the sun, this is the fuel that’ll keep you dancing all night… Hi-hats, trippy synths, ‘industrial percussion’ – check out the downbeat part in the middle, which progresses into a Hi Hat-studios’esque groove… This on one hell of a funky tune…;o)

#03: KNS is more subtle… A deep, un-polished bassline sets the pace, accompanied by lighter, joyful melodies… Check out the looooong, very cool build-up part from around 2’00 to 3’33 where the bassline is hid away, and the tension is just building… Who is that saying “Do I make myself clear” – Darth Vader? … Just as #1 this track manages to shift from one genre to another almost unnoticeable… That’s great craftsmanship… Lovely!

#04: Metro Deluxe was released as an album-teaser in late 2003, so most of you should know it… It’s definitely on the housier side of things… With wicked analogue layered percussion and twisted stereo-echoes, this is percussion oriented tribal-trance at its best! Beach house trance! Kick-ass track!

#05: It’s fucking mad! Yes, the plot thickens now and the beats get darker… A noisy, analogue bassline, sparse percussion and all kinds of filter-effects are used to create the spooky atmosphere in this track… Again we get distinct techno-influences… Not for the faint-hearted, but an interesting track altogether…

#06: How does a tunnel smell? And even more interesting, how does the scent of a tunnel sound? This track is much more accessible than its predecessor… After a short intro, a twisted acid-line starts in the background…In the foreground are different percussion and a deep, rich bassline… In between it all, is a groovy, sweet vibe holding it all together… Again, we’re in progressive territory, but with a sharper sound… I really like the build-up parts that start @ around 3’00 and again @ 5’05 – and the multilayered mayhem they both end in… Tribal percussion and smooth, driving melodies with the added value of some good old psychedelia… That’s a funky cocktail, and this is some funky shit! ;o)

#07: Power from the get-go… After a few seconds, a hard-hitting bassline is presented alongside some sweet tribal percussion… At around 1’40 the track almost comes to a halt, but is quickly lifted again by a rich bassline and some old-school synth-action…It happens again a couple of minutes later, when we are treated to a lengthy voice sample about space-travel – interrupted by more twisted basslines and spacy synths… Later on we get some kind of female singing/humming and some twisted vocoded voice sample… Another fine, groovy progressive tune… This transmission was NOT in vain Mr. Balicki!

#08: The last track is for chilling… Not! This is a more experimental tune… The bassline and most of the percussion is “normal” but the surrounding sounds are of a more deviant nature… High-pitched melodies and weird guitar squelches – not really my cup of java to be honest… I don’t think this will get much playtime in my stereo…

Despite that I don’t really like the last track; this is a nice album… It’s progressive in nature, though the sound is not as well-polished, as say Son Kite, Kooler or FREq – there are room for more experimentation here [though not as much as the Echölab album] – and it’s obvious that Balicki is heavily inspired by techno, tech-house and the likes… That also means, that this requires a little more from the listener than your ordinary high-bpm trance-album – you need to be open-minded, and if so, you’ll like this album…

Thumbs up for the cover art too… Made by professional skateboarder/graffiti artist Gorm Boberg this cover stand out from the crowd… Reminds me of Spirallianz/Midi Miliz/D-Drum stuff… When Mushroom Mag asked about the name and the cover of the new album, Atmos said: “2nd Brigade means basically the second album after "Headcleaner" but it's supposed to match the cover that is a very ironic picture that might seem a bit brutal the first time you look at it. Basically every one knows how soft and cheesy music I'm producing and also everyone that knows me personally knows that I have sometimes a bit strange sense of humour. My idea was to have a cover that doesn't really go together with the contents of the album.” Actually, I think Warhammer 40000 space marines alongside armoured tanks with huge speakers and playboy bunny logos make perfect sense… ;o)

I like this album… Well, most of it anyway… It takes repeated listens to really sink in, but when it does, it really sits… It is cool how Balicki manages to cross musical boundaries within single tracks – he’s got great talent… Check it out if you want to experience how Atmos has evolved since Headcleaner… Recommended for any open-minded fan of electronic music!

8/10

Favourites: 2, 3, 4(!), 6(!!), 7(!)