CD Text -

The middle path is an attempt to bridge the gap between two different ages, the classical and the digital age. All three compositions are based around the pure Indian classical ragas that are blended with groovy melodious digital atmospheres. The ragas used were carefully chosen keeping the three basic times of an average human’s day – Morning, Afternoon & Evening, thus maintaining a comfortable relaxed environment to listen to the genre of music we have come to call ‘Electro-classical’.

Review -

‘Saatvik Sequencers’ is a conceptual music project by Nikhel Kumar Mahajan and Hari Singh. Both the artists have a vivid background in electronic music. Nikhel has released 2 critically acclaimed albums under his alternate avatars of Sattyananda (Ambient) & Kalyug (Progressive) and has performed at festivals all around the globe while Hari has a sound engineer degree from SAE Chennai & a diploma degree in music production from Manchester Midi School in the UK. He has also played an active role in the Manchester club scene as a sound engineer & organiser. He is going to release his solo debut album on Audio Ashram in 2008. Both the artists have had the honour to work with top classical artists like Amaan & Ayaan Ali Khan, Anoushka Shankar, Subha Mudgal & Ustad Amjad Ali Khan.

‘The Middle Path’ is synthesized to be an evolving journey that uplifts the listener in every way possible. All sounds are comfortable, relaxed & groovy with a sense of shamanic mysticism. The album maintains the uncompromising production quality listeners have come to expect from the duo’s other projects.

Each of the three18 minutes compositions are built on a solid framework of intricate Indian classical music ragas blended with layers of electronic atmosphere drifts that induce dreamy nonchalance.

Raga Aheerbharavi symbolizes the morning cycle of a human’s day. It focuses on the flute by Pundit Ajay Prasanna which is introduced by an array of pads that rise out of the darkness to announce the incoming beat. The sounds are accentuated by soothing vocals and hazy atmospheres that are interspaced with precise mechanical percussions.

The second track Raga Bhimpalasi symbolizes the afternoon cycle & focuses on mesmerizing vocals by Pundit Bholenath Mishra. It starts off with a thick blend of chants & ethereal synths. The digital mix of groovy break-beats and glitchy overtones overlay the organic flute & sarod, teleports our conscious minds to realms of uncompromised quality and cutting edge electro-classical music.

Raga Durga, symbolizes the last cycle of the day, the evening cycle and focuses on the Indian instrument Sarod, played skillfully by Pundit Mukesh Sharma. The track can be best described as an epic. The build up from cinematic ambient bliss to up tempo ethno-chill is impeccable and would best suit a festival audience.

The artwork for the album is warm and pleasant with different shades of orange as a background for digital wire frames. Exploring the CD inlay we find thoughtful quotes such as “We are what we think. All that we are arises with out thoughts. With our thoughts we make our world – Buddhist Quote” which explores the artists thought process and the parallel musical dimension they create & “Just as the highest and lowest notes are equally inaudible. So perhaps is the greatest sense and the greatest nonsense equally unintelligle – Allan Watts” that symbolizes the path between different genres the artists have chosen for painting this sonic canvass.

The Middle Path is a mature and innovative album that has been released by India’s latest Independent Music Label/ Production House ‘Audio Ashram’ which is an initiative by Nikhel, Bawa & Joey Matthew to promote the crème of electronic musicians across different music genres and help the electronic music culture in India morph into a truly global phenomenon. Audio Ashram is also donating a percentage of all the album sales to ‘Cankids Kidscan’ a family support group for children with cancer and their families.

Vines And Stream by Welder who is also know for his House and breaks project “Eskmo” has hit me like a whiff of fresh spring breeze. The album is all about Welder’s unique fusion of world music with downtempo breaks and freestyle electronica with generous doses of psychedelia, somewhat in similar vein to albums by artists like “Flexitones” or “Deviant Electronics”.

The first track “Rain” is a steadfast one with a nice groovy bass with tinkering bell sounds along with a rolling drum beat that sets the mood for rest of the album. Next track “Ants Are Small” has bought about the biggest smiles I have ever seen when I am playing, the playful orchestral sounds that keep evolving along with phat beats and some squeaky bits splattered across, a sure winner. “Purple & Orange” kicks off with a oriental gong and some Chinese instrument with lots of dirty turntable sample loops mapped onto acoustic guitar riffs with a very mystical vocal sample mentioning something about some floating object that bursts into a purple and orange aura, another winner.

“Crosshatch” changes the direction to a more broken beat oriented style and once again its the groove that gets you hooked almost instantly. Next track “Valeez” has a very glitchy hiphop beat with lots of multilayered percussion. “In the park” has a industrial and urban feel with a somewhat darkish atmosphere somewhat similar to sounds by artists like “Moby” or “Enigma”, a great track anyways.

I just don’t believe the quality of sounds on this album, we are half way through and each and every track till now is just pure auditory bliss. lets see what follows.

“Shiva” as the name suggests is a very ethnic influenced track with broken beats that are intertwined with the Indian instrument called sitar. “Distance” maintains the ethnic effort and has a wide range of instruments like tablas, sheenai etc, another lush and exotic world beat influenced track. Nearing the end welder chooses to drop the tempo a bit and give us laid back breaks along with serene and mild atmospheres with “Find You Here”.

Welder explores his experimental side with “Amber Dime” which has a very sharp beat with a cartoonish vocal sample looped over and over, a strange but decent effort. Continuing further we stumble upon “Isle Of Skye” that has a gritty and industrial sound that blends into a melancholic but melodic vibe. The last track “The Heart” has lots of layers with a guitar loop that dominates, not a favourite but I can’t really make up my mind.

Welder is one of the best surprises of 2006, I am simply loving this album. This is an astounding effort for a debut with excellent production quality. All the sounds are playful, organic, very uplifting and danceable. I see many happy faces listening to Welder this summer.

After releasing the massive dub compilation “Dissolving Clouds” in 2005 which still runs in my music system, Interchill Records run by Andrew Ross-Collins hailing from Canada give us their next dubby installment compiled and mixed by the master of dub “Gaudi” who needs no introduction here. I’ve had very high expectations from this compilation, each of which have been fulfilled to the max. The package comes with a warning “WOOFER ADVISORY - EXPLICIT BASS”. I am sure my speakers are in for a low frequency hammering.

Starting the compilation is “Gbehee (A New Path)” by “Greg Hunter” with “Kakatsitsi” who are drummers from Ghana, a mild dub track with excellent drum percussion that keeps evolving slowly but steadily, I call this pure bass therapy. Flowing smoothly into the next track “Replay” by “Hightone” from France, listeners are greeted by insane psychedelic dub in extra large doses; I must have heard this track at least around 50 times by now, a very intelligent dub masterpiece with an fx’ed rasta vocal sample that is going to leave you gasping for more.

Getting our heads deeper into the woofer we have “Ashtech” which is a project by the former bass player of “Almamegretta” a Italian dub band who even contribute the last track on the compilation, once again the primary focus is on the bassline which is layered by highly psychedelic rootsy dub. The bass carries us steadily without noticing into the next track “Prisoner of Dub” by “Sub Oslo” from Texas. My head feels heavy with low frequencies vibrations already. Next track by “Mauxuam” the hard to find globe trotter and the best thing that could happen to dub music numbs my senses with spacy synths that gurgle around ones chakras.

Notching the tempo just a little we have “MF Rainbow” by “Dub Alchemist” which is a project by Gaudi just cannot disappoint anyone with its phat and groovy sound that instantly pulls one into the dub orbit. Next item on the sonic therapy menu is “Zion Train who are dub veterans give us a non hectic straight up shot of a dub cocktail flavoured with Rasta vocal samples and tribal percussion that leaves one with a surreal mental buzz.

“Dubadelic” who are described as “A loose gang of WordSound artist” on discogs present crawling dub groove with a complementing dark atmosphere. Next is a remix to “Noiseshaper - Walls of Silence” by “Gaudi” himself, featuring a voluptuous bassline that justifies the cover warning. As we approach the end of the compilation one is welcomed with nothing but astonishment in the form of live dub by “Creation Rebel” who are very well known in the UK for their contemporary electronic sound. Giving us our final few shots of dub is “Manasseh” who is well know for his fantastic tracks released on earlier Interchill compilations.

Winding up is “Insane Abduction” by “Almamegretta” a dub band based in Italy who have crafted a absolute stunner with excellent drumming with a jazzy twist.

Interchill and Gaudi have cooked us a true dub masterpiece that intricately combines acoustic and earthen musical elements with digital grooves while featuring some of the biggest names from the worldwide dub collective. The production and mastering on “Sub Signals” is simply marvelous, I can’t even imagine how nice and powerful this is going to sound on a large sound system. Beware!!! “Sub Signals” is coming to a speaker near you; any attempts to escape the bass will prove futile!

I couldn’t be happier when I first heard about this album, the promo text by Aleph-Zero is a 110% true. Bluetech, Shulman and now Omnimotion, innovation seems to be Aleph-Zero’s motto. “Stefan Lundaahl” from Sweden with his second solo release “Dream Wide Awake” has chosen a varied and very acoustical path to our senses, Smelting elements from various styles we are presented with a mixed bag of downtempo goodies. Fasten your seatbelts and let’s jet set into 5th gear.

“Nothingness”, quite a paradoxical title for a track whose tranquil nature takes me away to an early morning sunrise along marine drive, adding to the wonder is the gritty flute sounds, it’s all just so perfect to set the groove for your day. “look at the skies, look at these trees, its so beautiful” The next track “Being” with its playful symphonic sounds and soothing vocal bits along with the emotional violin instantly put a big smile on my face. “Days Of silence” deserves much more then a standing applause, mellow guitar and violins layered over triphop beats with the deep and hypnotic voice of Aleah from the Binah fame to guide our senses, a formula that cannot go wrong,

Track 4 indicates its time to board the dub train, ensure you have window seats to enjoy the scenery along the way. “Dream Wide Awake” is the only track from the album I didn’t quite enjoy; I guess it’s the gloomy vocals that play foul for me. “Une Autre Vie” and “Elves of Athoria” combine Rastafarian elements with summer Corsica vibes in the most elegant way possible, two really great laidback dub tracks. The same would go for “Dubber” which has a much deeper and pure Rasta feel with abstract beats and flute sounds.

“Cozy Life” and “Japan” are tracks that I simply cant get enough of. Even though the vocals have a very pop feel, the tracks are standing example on how chillout artists can incorporate vocals without making them sound cheesy, the spacey guitar work on both tracks are astounding. A special mention would be the bass on Cosy Life, it’s a groove that get listeners hooked instantly. Stefan surprises me once again with “Purple Sky” featuring Hip Hop MC “Adam Perski “ and turntablism yet maintaining the chillout feel, if your complaining about the rap bit go hear the lyrics carefully, at least they compliment the music and make some sense as compared to random gangsta bling bling.

Nearing the end we have “Electronic Love” that forays into glitchy and IDM sounds with random opera style singing bits that sound great, another display of creativity that’s not bound by any genre restrictions. “Open My Heart” takes us back on the dub train, but I wonder why it wasn’t placed along with the other dubby tracks. “Ton Image” closes the album on a very acoustic note with blissful vocals in some language that sounds like French or Italian to me. I actually went to check if there’s something wrong with my CD player when this track got over. I couldn’t believe the journey ended so fast, 72 minutes over in a jiffy!!! Wow!

Well, good things always come to an end but what remains is the feeling. It’s obvious that Stefan has worked really hard on his second album, the production is really top notch and the mastering by Yaniv Shulman just adds to the sonic magic. The album is perfect for any downbeat electronic music enthusiast and I am sure this will make waves even outside the psychillout circles. As opposed to mass opinion I say leave the headphones behind and put this on a big sound system *winks*.

On a final note when it comes to Aleph-Zero one cannot miss to mention the artwork. The beautiful pastel and organic colours on the album cover are so soothing and beautiful. This release is a concept one has to grasp, the music, the artwork, the album and track title all combine to form a cohesive bond. Stop reading and get that credit card out.

Here we are with Czech progressive label Tribal Vision's 10th cd release. Tribal Vision Records formed in the beginning of 2004 has come a long way since its establishment by DJ Slater And DJ Schwa. Tribal Vision has craved a niche for itself in a comparatively short span of time introducing a new sound to the psychedelic spectrum with their unique crossover between different progressive styles (house, trance and electro!!). After the massive success of Lime Light released last year I cant wait to hear what the dancefloors have in stock. Just one thing before getting to the review, "Dont attempt to put these tracks into strict progressive genres, some call it house and some call it trance, make up your own mind."

And bang we have Czech artist "Roman Rai" opening the compilation without wasting any time on Intros, who needs them anyways, "Inspiration" has a really sweet clubby summer groove with that "Ohh yeah" vibe, there couldnt have been a better opening. Next we have "Fitalic" who has released tracks on top progressive labels like Bedrock, Plastik Park, Iboga and Plusquam, "Manufactured Miracles" is all about Inca gatherings, bouncey basslines and excellent percussion along with some humming female vocals bits, this might be a preview to what we can expect from Robin's upcomming album on TV. I dont quite remember hearing any of German artist "Ryan Halifax's" earlier works but Iam digging "Give And Get" for its disco reincarnation, retro pads and solid house grooves. Notching the tempo a lil' higher the Swedish progressive duo Omar and Jason from Sweden with their project "Tegma" who recently launched their 3rd solo album on Tribal Vision give us 50,000 Watts of Funky-Tribal-Electro-Progressive-Psychedelic House, A pure 132 BPM dancefloor ruckus, I smell loads of cheese in here but none of the cheap cheddar type only imported avant garde Blue.

Andy from Israel with his project Sonify needs to get special attention, I have personaly been following his works with great intrest and trust me things have just got better by the quintal, no wonder we have jokes saying he is the next Simon Posford!!, "Groove Seductive" is full of electronic twirls and swirls, phat electro house at its creative best. Digging further Progressive House manufactures Greed and Sonic Cube give us a straight up Electro-House tune that would go down well on the dancefloors but I fail to see anything different here as compared to their earlier works, moreover the vocals get too cheesy for my taste. "Brisker & Magitman" who are the Israeli psytrance duo Elec3 show us their latest progressive avatar that has generated loads of buzz among the progressive circles, although i think the track suffers the Dnox and Beckers hangover which iam getting pretty bored of. Travelling South towards the end of our journey we are greeted by "Solead" a genetically modified progressive offspring to its psytrance parents "Triptych and Motion", "Lay Down" has a heavy progressive-electro atmosphere that turns extremely psychedelic after around 4 minutes with its long break clocking nearly a minute. Good things always come to an end, The last track from progessive trance biggies Vibrasphere treats ones senses to a beautiful and epic piece of melodic proggy trance with a hypnotic bassline that just sucks me into the Vibrasphere black hole, remove the male vocals and we have pure Gold.

The compilation's one sweet monster, thumbs up to Slater for this unique fusion of progressive sounds. Iam sure a lot of effort and planning has been put into releasing Lime Light 2. LL2 is surely gonna pull different EDM crowds into the moshfloor with its crystal clear production standards, uplifting grooves and quality packaging. Dont skip this one!

Favourites - 1,3,4,5,8

With the existing new world order oozing with chaos and panic Evan Bluetech’s music comes as a ray of divine light and hope for all the lost souls who seek solitude within the realms of music.

Evan is no newcomer in the chill out scene with 2 albums “Prima Materia” and “Elementary Particles” released on the most respected Israeli electronic label “Aleph-Zero” run by Yaniv Shulman and Shahar, along with various tracks released on over 10 record labels worldwide. Evan also runs “Native State Records” which recently released their first compilation “Left Coast Liquid Vol. 1” compiled by the master himself, packed with eclectic creations by top notch producers providing a wide spectrum of sounds that have been appreciated all around the globe.

Evan has definitely redefined global production standards with his earlier works and the new album “Sines And Singularities” proves no less with crystal clear production mastered by none other then Yaniv Shulman.

Sines And Singularities can be described as a beautiful piece of sophisticated and exquisite down tempo music crafted towards perfection. The music is deep and colourful, always exploring new dimensions, with no dull moments. This is not just another lounge music disc, Evan’s music needs constant attention for one to understand the complexity of forever evolving textures and emotions that are reflected within the realms of his distinct style.

The disc begins with “Enter The Lovely” a proggy n groovy one that uplifts ones senses in the most subtle way. The next few tracks like “Leaving Winter Behind” and “Forgiveness” reflect upon the very fact that music is a mirror to ones heart when created honestly. Plunging deeper we stumble upon Evan’s interpretations of Shulman’s “First Came The Stars” and Pitch Black’s “Ape To Angel”, remixing artists like Shulman and Pitch Black who have set some of the highest standards within the industry can be one mammoth task, but Evan adds his bits to the music in the most ecstatic and elegant way, maintaining the originality while giving the listeners something new and refreshing.

Cutting the story short all I can say is that this was one of the most anticipated albums of 2005, the whole package right upto the artwork is mesmerizing, and all sounds blend into prefect harmonic innovation with no track similar to another. Each track stands out with a different style and diversity. With more then 78 minutes of blissful music which flirts in a humble fashion with the listeners mind and soul, I’m sure this ones going to keep me busy for a while, as every listen leads to a whole new perspective. A must have for home listeners and chill out

Having released 2 critically acclaimed in the past the Shulman duo need to introduction. Random Thoughts brings together a collection of various tracks that have accumulated in the Shulman studios over the years. The cd features 6 new tracks and 3 collaborations between shulman and the finest of chillout artist who have vaired and mystic backgrounds.

The opening track OMG, really lives up to its name showcasing brooding ambience to blissful beats along with the trademark dripping synthlines and the middle eastern influence in the form of arabian chants. Next track “Midnight Bloom” with US based “Bluetech” has a very haunting and mellow n’ glitchy IDM atmosphere along with the msyterious shulman sound, pure nostalgia. Getting a little deeper we find “Zero Degrees” which iam sure would be a super hit among the Indian audience with its flute, shehenai and blissful guitars, a true pagan wonder. “Ra Heya” originally by Israeli trance duo “Sub 6″ featuring Michael Adamson for some heavily fx’ed vocal bits generated quite a controvesy amongst shulman fans but honestly I love the original and the Shulman remix has added a totally new dimension and life to the track. Next track is Shulman’s remix to “Spaced” by “Entheogenic”, i like this version more then the original and the suprising jazzy hamond ending is something everyone should look forward to.

Shulman’s remix to “Ya Bouy” by “Omar Faruk Tekbilek & Steve Shehan” who are of arabic origin has a very upbeat chilled tribal feel with a phat groove that would get people dancing at the chillout, originally released on Aleph Zero’s first compilation its probably the oldest track on the disc. Nearing the end we are greeted back with 3 fresh Shulman tracks. “Look Honey Its The Vitties” is a totally crazy full power psychedelic rollercoaster, imagine locking up Aphex Twin and Shulman with a saxaphone player for days in a cramped room, we get everything from IDM, Jazz, to uptempo broken beats in here. Track 8 featuring female singer “Lee Triffon” isnt really my taste, its a very nice track in regards to the music but the vocals ruin the entire magic for me, but thats more of a personal issue. Ending the cd “Staring at the Abyss” is a very spacy and emotional beatless ambient track with an oceanic pulse, a very appropriate end leaving listener to anticipate a new full length Shulman album that would hopefully release sometime in 2007.

Shulman with “Random Thoughts” has really managed to transend all earthly musical boundaries, and show us the insides of a creative genius who can weave tracks with brief stories that engulf the listnener into a musical world of crossbreads between humans and aliens. A must for all shulman and downbeat electronic lovers alike. All I see here is high quality production, amazing artwork, extreme psychedelia and true emotions, the albums a steal. Aleph Zero hits the jackpot once gain leaving no stones unturned when it comes to releasing cds.

Native States Records run by US based Evan Bluetech and Naasko have suprised most of the traditional chillout lovers by their unique and mellow approach. Their previous chillout instalment “Left Coast Liquid” had a more Dubby and Chilled direction, while “Beneath The Surface” is a like a glitched and minimal ride across a vast and scenic plethora of sound textures. Native States has surely left me gasping for more with its futuristic yet antique approach.

The first track by “Irwin’s Conspiracy” is nothing short of a cinematique expression making way for beautiful things to follow. The compilation is all about morphing textures which is exactly what “Ice Forming on Glass” brings with its indispensable creaky and melancholic Bluetech vibe. Next we have label manager Naasko and Canadian artist Noah Pred aka Shen with their project “Sympath” giving us a deep and dubby track suitable for night time pondering. “String Theories” a project by “Bluetech and Rena Jones” brings us a antisomatic track that once again highlights the melancholic Bluetech vibe along with
some beautiful violin work by Rena, this ones a excellent piece of art. “Building And People” by “Marconi Union” has a very organic texture with a urban feel, just like the title suggests. “Krill.minima” with “CatDinR42″ experiments with Ambient and glitchy IDMish overtones with a overall night time pulse, a scenic journey that givies us time and space to let our conscience travel many depths. “Porcelain” by West Coast producer “Steve Nalepa” is one of the fastest tracks on the compilation packaged within a very experimental fluid and glitched out beats, a definite highlight.

Ganucheau’s brings us another highlight of the compilation with a hypnotic n glitchy atmosphere that crawls over broken and scattered beats, with a very ethereal piano solo somewhere in the middle. “Rena Jones” who’s solo album is lined up for release in the month of september has a very unique style of fusing classic and symphonic music with modern electronic soundscapes, after listening to “Aurora Borealis” I cant wait to see what we have in stock for the future. “Desert Dwellers” have a certain way with their music that makes me feel really gloomy but in a good way, Iam probably not making sense but its a feeling I find hard to describe. “Bluetech and Shulman” is a duo that cant go wrong, “Midnight Bloom” sends a shiver down my spine whenever I hear it, I wont say much about this track just go and hear this one and iam sure you wont be disappointed.

Ending the complilation we are greeted by hypnotic and static ambient sounds by “Aerostatic” and “David Last” that reminds me of “Selected Ambient Works” by “Aphex Twin” which could be beacuse of the dirty beats on “Continous”, both the tracks are not really ground breaking or stellar but are perfect for winding up the compilation.

Evan and Naasko have once again done a splendid job covering so much ground in terms of experimental electornic music thats truely worth a stand up ovation.

Favourites - 4,5,6,7,8,9,11

After a brief period of inactivity in terms of releases since the debut album "Phonic Peace" by French act Cell aka Alex Scheffer, Italian based Indica Music run by DJ Edoardo who is also well known in the psytrance scene with Neurobiotic Records have come out with a spanking new Chillout release featuring mostly globally well known artists and a few new and fresh acts who are on the Indica rooster. Compiled by Josko who is also the Chillout DJ for Indica "Vajra" is a release that cannot go wrong with its massively chilled lineup .

Opening track "Lunar Patchouli" by dub and world music mastero "Gaudi" as the name suggests has a spacy feel with a Earthly dubby vibe, a perfect way to start the trip. Next comes Cell with "Idea Spiral", this one has a phat tribal dub groove to it with generous doses of ethnic chants. "Tripswitch" whose album "Circuit Breaker" had everyone gasping for more gives us a epic piece of downtempo electronica with sharp blips and bleeps progressing into a 4x4 structure keeping the tribal groove intact, the break on this one is simply breathtaking with all the elements of the track popping up randomly along with a soft piano solo. Maurizio Liguori with his project "Mauxuam" is the best thing that could have happened to the chillout scene in
recent times, "Sounds a lot" takes the BPM a litle higher treating us to a highly psychedelic ride, undoubtedly one of the best tracks ive heard this year!!!!

We get a change in direction into tracey 4x4 chillout territories by Vincent Villuis aka AES Dana who is even one half of H.U.V.A Network and a regular on Ultimae Records, I can visualize "Opalin (Sonica Edit)" doing some serious mind elevation tricks on listeners if played at the right time, once again we get a highly psychedelic track. Next is Indica's in house artist "Scene" with a psyfx splattered track full of jazzy and funky twists and turns, keep a look out for his debut album on Indica that should hopefully be released sometime this year. We seamlessly flow into the next tarck by Brazilian artist "Trotter" serving us a upbeat dub track with a very funky structure, another highlight which i have personally tested on the chill floor.

Nearing the end we are greeted by "Le Bonne Etoile" by "Tikal" who is a well established act in the trance as well as the chillout scene, the track dosnt quite grab my attention but has a very melancholic vibe with loads of vocal samples ranging from ethnic chants, movie smaples and a lady singing in what seems to me as French or Italian along a breakbeatish tune. Closing the compilation is the fresh Portuguese act "chilled c’quence" who released their highly anticipated debut album "Magic Sense" this year, a good track with excellent use of funk guitaring but nothing too groundbreaking.

As mentioned earlier "Vajra" has something for everyone and would go well with seasoned chillout listeners as well as the occasional ones. A must for every chillout DJ.

Favourites - 2,3,4,5,7