Shulman – Random Thoughts

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.

As usual, Shulman’s music brings up a lot of emotions within me. First, I perceive this album not as trippy as their previous ones. This is still music which triggers feelings and brings mental peace one way or another. At one hand, this album might feel more “mature” compared to the other two, yet it is more playful with the segments of jazz excursions for example.

All-in-all, it makes a good third piece in Shulman’s discography and a worthy follower of the masterpieces, counting the debut on Shaffel and the follow-up on Aleph Zero. I wouldn’t say I enjoy it as much as I enjoy the other two and it may be wrong to compare them as much as I do despite how much I’d like to see it as “one” and “one only”.

An easy conclusion to draw though is that this record will bring joy to a lot of homes and to a lot of people. I’d also like to add that the artwork is awesome. I may sound like a freak who is unwilling to see flaws due to my admiration of the duo as I’m not really pointing out anything I feel could’ve been better or what could be a typical evident flaw. But what can one do if the music is as good as it is? Well done guys, and thumbs up for Aleph Zero.

Favorites: 2(!!), 5 and 7(!).

Shulman re-animated…

Ever since the release of the debut album Soundscapes And Modern Tales in 2002, the Shulman project (Yaniv Shulman & Omri Harpaz) has been a fav’e of mine… The follow-up In Search Of A Meaningful Moment was almost as good and ever since I’ve followed everything coming out of the Shulman/AlephZero labs in Israel… Yaniv Shulman and his mates have yet to let me down with their hi-quality phat productions… Now it’s time for the third album which seems to have a couple of familiar tracks… Let’s find out what that’s all about…

After the release of this third album, people were quick to condemn it because of the three previously released tracks… And in all fairness, I think everyone would have preferred all exclusive material… But when stuff this good is ‘re-cycled’ I can’t really get worked-up… All three tracks are wonderful and they deserve their place besides the new Shulman tunes that we also get here…

The new tunes seem more diverse musically than what we heard on the first two albums, but they are all very good and very Shulmanny! And when it all boils down to the most important factor, the music, I think most people would agree that this is a VERY fine collection of downbeat tunes… The quality level is impressive as always and I even like this better than the Bluetech album… I’m not sure how well I like the androgynous person of the cover, but hey, the fish rocks!

To conclude, this is a wonderful album that’s almost as good as the previous two… My respect and admiration for Shulman is greater than ever and I’ll recommend this album to all fans of eclectic, diverse, well-produced, psychedelic downbeat music… Enjoy!

Favourites: 1(!!), 3(!), 4(!), 5(!), 6(!), 7, 8(!)

One of my absolute favourite artists, Israeli Shulman (Yaniv Shulman & Omri Harpaz), is out with their third album on Aleph Zero Records. Something I have really been looking forward to! This duo has shown better and better skills when it comes to the psychedelic side of chill out, ambient and downtempo music. This time we get some kind of compilation, where they have collected various tracks they have released on compilations, remixes and a few new unreleased tracks. With other words, the album title Random Thoughts fits it perfectly well.

Variation is something we get a lot of in this album. It starts off with my favourite track on this album. A deep, floating psychedelic ambient track with beautiful ethnic vocals. One of my all time favourite Shulman tracks for sure. This one is also previously unreleased. Track 2 is a nice collboration with Bluetech who has released his albums on Aleph Zero. Nice track, with typical Bluetech elements and deep Shulman ingredients. Track 3 is another unreleased track by Shulman. Slow, easy listening, with some ballearic vibes perfect for summer relaxation. Track 4 is originally a trance track done by Sub6, with vocals by Michele Adamson. Here in a Shulman remix. This track was also released on a Sub6 cd single. I didn’t really like the original, but Shulman brings it up to a high level of psychedelic chill. Still, there are some ingredients from the original that I could live without here. Track 5 is originally by another master duo in psychedelic electronic music, Entheogenic. Here we get a Shulman remix, also released on the remix album released on Chillcode Records last year. Deep, mystic, psychedelic and relaxing track. Fantastic!

Track 6 is a Shulman remix of a classic by two masters at arabic world music and jazz, Omar Faruk Tekbilek and Steve Shehan. This track is also released on the Natural Born Chillers compilation on Aleph Zero in 2004. Nice tribal vibes mixed with electronic music. Track 7 is a nice little surprise. Here they have tried out the jazzy side of lounge chill out. This one reminds me of Flexitones and Hi fi companions. I get some kind of 60-70’s jazz feeling by it. Interesting mix of jazz and electronic music. Perfect for an eclectic dj set. Track 8 is another favourite on this album. Totally floating track with really beautiful female vocals. A track that shows that Shulman can work really well with singers too. The last track we get here brings us into totally chilled ambient. Deep, mystic and floating vibes, which reminds me a little bit of Ishq. Nice finish on the album.

Personally, I have got several of these tracks on other compilations etc, but we also get several new unreleased masterpieces here. Pure, high quality chill from beginning to end. An album of random thoughts, showing several sides of chilled electronic music, ranging from deep psychedelic sounds to happy, jazzy vibes for your coffee break. Recommended!