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Blue Planet Corporation - Blue Planet - 03-Mar-08 11:04 AM
"I have come to the unalterable conclusion that Man is unfit as yet; to receive such knowledge--such almost limitless power."

I feel that the above quote--featured in a recurring sample on this album, and taken from one of the best sci-fi's ever made--in which Dr. Morbius refers to the unlimited power prominent in the machinery of the Krell, has somehow managed to become incorporated into this album. Tightly packed, reality-altering bursts of pure energy, which is available for tapping into every time this album spins in your player.
(just keep an eye on those dial levels! ;)

To call this album a psytrance masterpiece would be a gross understatement.

As other reviewers have noted, the energetic buildup that takes place during the first three tracks--'Apex' (which provides a great opening to the album; discreetly portending things to come) & 'Crystal' (which instantly transports you off to some immaculate island formation in the South Pacific), and finally culminating in the spine-chilling 'Alidade'; ensuring instant elevation for both listener and possibly even equipment--when things get pushed up several notches beyond apex; or what would otherwise be deemed safe levels.)

'Open Sea' is also a noteworthy piece which I feel brings you back to the same thematic environment as 'Crystal', but with a more defined--edgier--presence. Undoubtedly the third best track on this release.

The subsequent soft landing provided by 'Atoll', 'Roma' & 'Arcana' brings the album to a perfect conclusion and ensures excellent flow throughout. (and without whose presence I believe the listener would be left suspended in mid-air.)
The reason I have not talked much about 'Micromega' and 'Dialect', is that they do not in my opinion exhibit the same degree of quality as the rest of the material on this album (and seem somewhat out-of-place considering the context and overall flow provided by the others), but are decent tracks nonetheless.

As to the favorite track on the album, I am genuinely torn between 'Crystal' & 'Alidade'. The former is such a luxurious uplifter with its goosebump-inducing seabreeze effects. It truly delivers every time. But as far as true rawness goes, it pales in comparison to 'Alidade', a track which prospective listeners can risk sending their speakers into orbit unless proper restraint on the dial is exercised. Its spine-rippling force is not diminished despite how many times one listens to it.

The only other work from this artist that can compare to the flawless symbiosis of these two is the delicious 'Lubiantia' on the Second ep (and yes, I am including Overbloody Flood in that comparison.)

All in all, a very high quality piece of work that will certainly not be eclipsed in its genre; and probably not in any other for that matter. (Man, do I love declarative statements!) ;)

Various - Nataraja 1 - 19-Oct-05 05:36 AM
A representative -- and quite good -- selection for this labels' first compilation. Nearly every track stands on its own, and there is a distinctively French feel that is maintained throughout. Originally released back in '95, this record easily stands the test of time. On the cover it boasts "only exclusive & unreleased tracks". How accurate that claim is, I leave to the experts; but nevertheless -- the tracklist is very decent. Some tracks on this disc, like 4 & 8, are also (to my knowledge at least) not featured on other compilations.

Personal favorites on this disc include:

#2. Blue Planet Corporation - "Antidote".
Ahh. One of the real genre-defining masterpieces here from BPC (Gabriel Masurel) with his trademark proggy synths and energetic buildups & backcurrents. Despite also being featured on numerous other compilations, this is one that is hard to get tired of listening to. As with his out-of-this-world debut album, this track features the kind of goosebump-inducing feeling that this artist is unique in delivering the listener.

#4. Man of the last 3rd - "noname".
Real melodic & dreamy trance effort in this rather unimaginatively named track by Ingo Schnorrenberg.

#8. Magnetic Pulstar - "Pulse" (Man of the last 3rd remix)
Solid techno/acid trance track. One of the disc's best.

#9. Emmanuel Top - "Tri-Cid". Although strictly speaking it doesn't belong in the psy-trance category, this wonderfully minimalistic (and quite repetitive -- in a good way, that is;) techno classic really is one of my favorites. Clocking in at over 11 mins, this is a perfect choice to round off the compo with.

Zen Paradox - Eternal Brainwave - 17-Oct-05 09:16 AM
Some of Zen Paradox' (Steve Law's) best work. Most tracks are melodic & dreamy, with some very nice transitions in between (Lambent Interlude I & II). There are also parts where it borders on hard trance ("Vicious Cycle", "Biomechanical Psychosis"), and there are somewhat more pounding psy-trance elements present in "Fornicator" and "Lysergide Induction" (check out the live album for an awesome minimalistic, yet experimental remix of L.I.)

Generally a very nicely done production; ideal for relaxing/chilling out to. The harder trance-tracks are beautifully intermixed with the rest of the dreamy, melodic parts.

It starts off beautifully with the initial opening track, which floats into "Say Goodbye To The Dark Place"; an indication (in both title and sound) of the dreamy soundscapes you will soon voyage into.

This sound is then offset by the harder "Lysergide Induction", which moves into the first nicely done transitional part "Lambent Interlude I". The four tracks that are to follow all have a more progressive trance/psy-trance sound -- "Thanatos Awakening", "Fornicator", "Vicious Cycle" and "Biomechanical Psychosis". This section rounds off with part II of "Lambent Interlude".

The album then reaches one of its melodic peaks at track 10 - "The Light At The End...?", continues over to a more psy-trance sound in "Emerald", and returns to another of this album's best dreamy tracks "Floating Without Chemistry". Your listening experience is nicely rounded off with "Evening Calm".

One can note the influences Ollie Olsen has made on tracks 3, 5 & 11 ("Lysergide Induction", "Thanatos Awakening" and "Emerald", respectively). Apparently the collaboration between him and Law came as a result of Psy-Harmonics wanting a trancier (as in psy-trance) sound to the album; as opposed to the experimental, minimal/melodic style Law had used previously (check out the "Experiments In Emotion" album for a more accurate representation of the very beginnings of Zen Paradox.)

Various - Re:Evolution II - Time - 11-Oct-05 12:54 PM
I'm not really into gargantuan 3-4 CD compilation efforts, since those tend to offer perhaps a half-dozen decent tracks, but this one is of surprisingly high quality -- not to mention variety.

Perhaps this fact can be attributed to the persons behind it ;) Cass (of Cass & Slide), James Monro (of Bumbling Loons, Technossomy et al.) & Dominic Lamb (of Slinky Wizard fame.)

Although this release emerged near the tail-end of the famed Flying Rhino's golden era, it is still a very decent effort.

Obviously, since this is a release comprising a total of 32 tracks, I will not bore you by delving into the details of each one.

The lowdown:

CD1 (Monro) is an all-out laid-back experience, with a selection of tracks from this label's and sister label Flying Rhino Freestyle's offerings. The mix exhibits a good dose of chilled-out-ness and also touches on dub and trip hop; while offering portions of phat basslines throughout. Favorites on this one include Gus Till/Paul Jackson's "Monkey in the Black Sky", Atmos' (Tomasz Balicki) "Always in Control" and Darshan's (Grant Collins, Mark Robinson) "Spectra". However, this disc also has one very out-of-place (IMO) ethnic-ish element in Red Seal's "Cool Down" track which - unfortunately - is an immediate skip for me. Probably the reason I don't listen to this one as often as the other two.

CD2 (Cass) serves as the classic techno/house/breakbeat mix of the three. It has now risen to become my favorite of the bunch (previously CD3 was the one most frequently visited; but both this one and CD1 grows on you.)
The stand-out track on this one is Corellian's (Grant Collins) deliciously chunky piece "Fathoms" -- which is offered in two incarnations on this disc; the original "Bed Rocker" release (only 2:50) as well as a longer reprise edit on track #9. Other favorites include Son Kite's (Sebastian Mullaert & Marcus Henriksson) "Unfamiliar" and Digitalis' (Sebastian James Taylor) "Fuck The Siren" & "Untitled Breaks Tune", and the Bumbling Loons remix of "Desire" (by ManMadeMan).

CD3 (Lamb) is probably the one many progressive trance (or "GOA") -heads will hang on to after an initial listen. As with all CDs in this package, selection and quality is very good. Personal favorites on this one include Atmos' "Bad 2 The Bone" and 12 Moons' (Michael Andresen) "Smell of Spräck".

For those interested in an extremely diversified selection of Rhino's more recent selections, I'll recommend you give this one a try.

Autechre - Gantz Graf - 10-Oct-05 10:56 AM
Since it's beyond my abilities to formulate this in a way so as to not offend any parties where this EP might have been well-received, I'll just proceed in unfiltered mode.

As a person who appreciates many types of electronica, and who holds Autechre's "Amber" in quite high regard, I can safely say that this release is by far the most closed, overly "weird-for-the-purpose-of-being-weird", über-experimentalizing and inaccessible release that has ever managed to pass through my stereo.

Naturally, I was not totally unprepared for what was about to rampage through my hifi equipment, but..

Sweet jumping Jesus in an elastic pink rubber suit; this really is something to listen to if one were to grasp the whole concept of sonic warfare using randomized noises, coupled with elements of incomprehensible screaming static, superimposed on a background of delicious raw bitstream noise (except the fact that regular background noise is usually far more pleasant.)

First off, the title track. This is the least accessible of the three. If I ever were to try to torture (or kill) a prospective listener, this would be my track of choice. Actually, in addition to encouraging internal hemorrhaging in the victim, it would probably also do a pretty good job in obliterating a couple of vintage high-end tube-systems, as well as a wide selection of speaker systems. But enough about that.

If you were lucky enough to make it through the first track, the second - "Dial." - is actually melodic in comparison. Which is not to say it has any real rhythm or conceivable structure to it; however far-reaching interpretations of sound/melody/noise you would choose to apply to your particular definition of musicality.

Lastly, "Cap.IV". This one is an excruciating mesh of unconnected noises and static that seem to be playing backwards at around 170% speed. On the positive side, your torture session is now almost over.

The fact that someone actually tries to explain this CD in a conventional, approving manner, and in doing so attempts to justify it by employing a "pushing the envelope" kind of rationale, shows the willingness of certain individuals to try to distinguish themselves as self-proclaimed "elitist" listeners.
In my opinion this CD serves the sole purpose of creating such people who (in their mind) have the capacity to define structure where it does not exist, and thereby placing those listeners in a league of their own.

But for the rest of us: caveat emptor.