PKS – Ear Pleasure

In conclusion, I feel that PKS has once again done a good job carrying out his task as a label manager, providing the scene with beautiful chill-out. The music featured here is so well-executed and well-produced that it renders a sort of polished touch to the CD in general, so if you know by heart that your taste in chill-out music might not feature polished such, you have at least been warned.

At any rate, this CD features nine groovy tracks and one which leans more towards beatless ambient, and I would like to emphasise that all of the tracks are to some extent very uplifting and positive. Thus the CD is a good companion to relax with this summer. Thumbs up and hats off.

Floatation device…

Norway’s leading downtempo outlet, Chill Tribe Records, is out with its 3rd compilation. As always, the roster of artists boosts a very impressive line-up of well-established and legendary artists… Label boss PKS has scoured the scene once again and has come up with what looks like the third consecutive chill dream-team… Time for another ambient excursion.

Let me take you thru the tracks…

#01: Robert Leiner – Beginning Of The End
The journey begins with a track by none other than The Source Experience himself. Legendary Swedish producer Robert Leiner has been in the game longer than anyone remembers and several of his compositions have risen to classic status… This track is a trademark piece of Leiner downtempo music with a distinct liquid flow, dreamy percussion and subtle floating pads… Extremely well-produced, but somehow it’s a little too cluttered to be a stand-out track here. It’s wholesome wallpaper though.

#02: Blue Planet Corporation – Gengis Khan Reverie
Frenchman Gabriel Masurel has become a Chill Tribe regular with stunning, genre-bending contributions on all three compilations – including this mean little chill-beast. This is stretching the definition of ambient with its murky, psychedelic nature… I really like the acid-bits and the high-pitched drilling FX… Something we don’t get very often in downbeat music, but it totally works wonders here… A lovely piece of electronica!

#03: Kris Kylven & Sub-Sonic – Forgotten Souls
On the next track Kris Kylven (UX/Syb Unity Nettwerk) is joined by one of his many alter-egos, namely Syb-Sonic. Scizophrenia? Anyway, this legendary producer has released a ton of fine music in different styles, and here’s another interesting take on downbeat. Drenched in subtle tribal beats and ethno-chants, this is maximal psychedelic downbeat with a digital edge… Really lush, potent stuff here… I can’t wait for the full album coming soon on Chill Tribe. Bring it on!

#04: Cosmosis – The Himalaya
And here’s another living legend. None other than Bilbo Bagginz (Bill Halsey) aka. Cosmosis. Bill has a gazillion releases under his belt and he’s one of my all time fav’e UK producers… He is most well-known for his full-on goa/psytrance tracks, but he has also impressed with his lovely, yet scarce chill-out productions… This track here is a gargantuan one – of epic proportions… Dubby and beautifully orchestrated downbeat stuff with a ton of uplifting melodies… Skazi killed my fondness of guitars in electronic music a long time ago, but when a track as beautiful as this turns up, I cannot help by fall in love all over again… The Arab vocals fit perfectly and they are the icing on the cake. Best track thus far.

#05: Digital Mystery Tour – Nemo
D.M.T. is the downbeat/ambient moniker for Total Eclipse founding member Stephane Holweck. On previous tracks and on both albums (Digital Mystery Tour/Twisted 2000 + D.M.T. Express/Sofa Beats 2005) Holweck was joined by several other musicians, but this track he made on his own. What we get here is the fastest tune thus far – upbeat electronica with lots of analogue synths and digital percussion. A nifty little tune that would mix perfectly with Jaydee’s timeless classic Plastic Dreams… Nice without being overly fantastic.

#06: Slot Machine – Quick And The Dead (Snake Thing Dub Remix)
Time for a little surprise. Slot Machine from Australia has some pretty prominent members, including old-schoolers Sean Candy (A.B. Didgeridoo Oblivion) and Nick Taylor (Snake Thing, Taiyo, Prana, Blissed). And now they’re releasing eclectic indie-electronic crossover stuff. Who would have thought? Anyway, what we get here is hybrid stuff fusing dub, trance and indie rock + emo punk… The result is a very unique, albeit odd cocktail of music… And no matter how interesting it might be, I fail to see its relevance on this compilation. At least right here in the middle. Sure it has some interesting moments, but it clashes too much with the rest of the tracks.

#07: Kiwa – Inside
Kiwa is one of the few non-Suomisoundi sounding acts from Finland. I’ve always liked Markku Louhio and Matti Elsinen’s versatile take on progressive trance… They always manage to incorporate surprising twists and turns, and this track is no exception… We’ve moved away from chill now, and we’re somewhere in between progressive trance, Japanese pop and future jazz… Totally freestyle, but with enough bite to keep me interested… A sweet piece of hybrid trance that should suit most open-minded listeners.

#08: Highpersonic Whomen – Free Space
The next act is also from Finland – and Markku Louhio from the above-mentioned Kiwa recently joined the Highpersonic Whomen project together with founder Tommi Sirkiä (Haltya). On this track we stay in the progressive trance lane – though with a massive twist… This is deep and pounding dub with various trancy elements + breakz + the odd instrument thrown in here and there for good measure… Sauna drum and bass really. Pretty nice.

#09: Bluetech – Embrace
US-based producer Evan Marc has always been the master of melancholy, icy ambient – and I don’t think anyone is ever in doubt when they listen to a Bluetech tune… The bittersweet, emotional melancholia has fast become Evan’s trademark… I’ve often been torn between utter boredom and utter ecstasy when reviewing Bluetech’s music – some of his stuff is excellent and some of his stuff is too pale for my taste. This track is somewhere in the middle. I like the melodies here, but there’s also a certain sense of blandness here that I cannot seem to get past. A decent track.

#10: Zen Lemonade – Island Of Forgotten Dreams
To finish things off, PKS has dusted off Gus Till and Super Cozi (Yukimi Yonezawa) aka. Zen Lemonade. Everything I’ve heard from this couple has been ace, and this ambient tune is pretty lush too… It’s the last track, so things have come to a halt and what we get here is dreamy, floating, beatless ambient…Deeply atmospheric and smile-inducing… The sampled children-sounds are a fun addition and generally I like this tune. Squeeze your karma!

Yup, Chill Tribe Records did it again and released a really lovely compilation. It doesn’t quite reach the awesomeness-level of Quality Relaxation or Relaxed Journeys, but it still has a handful of really excellent tracks… I’m pretty old-school, so the general flow in a compilation is important to me – and I think the flow is off here… I’d much rather start with the chilled tracks and then raise the tempo – instead of this CD which peaks in the middle. But since it’s not a mix, I guess I can’t really complain.

Once again I’m impressed by the work that PKS has put into this. Not only has he (once again) managed to scour the scene and has handpicked another batch of legendary artists, but he has also made a very informative booklet. The lovely artwork by Are Marmelade is in the usual high-quality Chill Tribe style. All in all a pretty nice compilation. Not the best from Chill Tribe, but lovely nonetheless. Recommended to both veteran chillers and crossover pioneers. Enjoy.

Favourites: 2(!), 3, 4(!!), 7, 10

Finally! Chill Tribe Records' 3rd release is out - named "Ear Pleasure". Let's get things straight, first of all; what is an ear? It's a receptive organ in the human body. Allright, now what is "pleasure"?
Well, in this context it would be something like "the pleasing effects of excellent music". So, where do we turn in the search of this excellence of dilligently compiled music? Well, Chill Tribe Records has proven to be a more than reliable source for just this, and all the more reason to be excited for their most recent compilation. When I first saw the album cover, I had an inkling as to what I would experience for the next hour or so, as previous musical experiences with some of these artists have proven memorable. See, whenever I learn there is a new album released from Chill Tribe, there is
always few surprises and cliffhangers when it comes to artist lineup. Whatever reputation and fame might follow these names becomes irrelevant. The pleasuring of the ear this time around comes from the mixture of all these different songs into a general feel - a journey - a state of mind, if you get properly carried away. I'm happy to say this album is an expression of the rising trend of going away from the popular, yet more or less pure synthloops with conga drums in the background in straight as an arrow 4/4 rythms featuring "aah aah" vocals for nine minutes with a more or less random name slapped on it, calling it "psychilled dub" or some other extravagant made-up word. Ear Pleasure clearly features artists who've integrated other instruments and effects together with varied inspirations, to create impressively original sounding tracks, all in the name of downtempo and dub. This is one of the things that strike me the most after having listened through the album a few times. Ear Pleasure is more laid back and "nonchalant" than the previous two albums. It's the absolute perfect album to run through on an early saturady morning just having woke up and realizing the gravity of the weekend.. Zen Lemonade - Island of Forgotten Dreams hit the spot beautifully. And, if you're a bit of a tech geek like me, you'll find the technical properties to be fully intact when it comes to quality of recording, resolution, field of sound and effects, you name it. If you have floorstanding loudspeakers, you'll enjoy this album to its fullest.

Be sure to check this album out if you're into dub - Chill Tribe style!