Doof – Let's Turn On

It is OK enough, but the onslaught get tiresome after a while when Doof does little or nothing with the bassline, it just pumps in the same key throughput each track. It is a relief reaching the last track "Star Above Parvati (Bijli Mahadev Mix)"

Such a colorful and unique album. This came out the year I was born, but I didn't have to live through it or read his liner notes to pick up on a sense that each of these tracks has their own strong history behind them. While this is by all means a cohesive album, these songs are all highly individual and memorable in their own right. I can't help but feel like there is a lot of rock music spirit here in spite of the entirely electronic instrumentation. I think it's due to a combination of details in the acid textures, riff rhythms, arrangement and song structure. Green Nuns achieved something very similar on their album, to better explain what I'm talking about.

The production, while creative, is really quite simple if you listen closely. Most times I think that's for the best; other examples of this are Cosmology and Cyclone, although those are very different sounding albums.

Doof's tracks tend to sound very dense, with thick synth elements layered heavily and pushed into a tight room. His drum sounds are mostly very warm and probably based around what sounds like a 909, or something simliar, if my memory serves correct. This creates a tight and low center of gravity for the entire mix--with not a lot of overhead. So, when he starts stacking those thick synths it sometimes starts to sound a little too crammed, and can be impossible to really hear a lot of the drums, although you can still feel their presence. A track like Angelina is a good example; in the second half the drums just get completely lost. It's a minor critique, but I remind myself this is an album created between 94-96 on lots of analogue equipment and early computers, and in this case my enjoyment of the raw, organic, and natural culmination of these sounds much outweighs any nitpicks I might have.

The album has been issued on CD three times. The definitive version I think is the original TIP release with Doof's hand drawn layout. Then there's the Twisted repress which only has a 4 panel insert instead of an 8 panel. It also has glitches in the form of brief bitcrushing on a few of the tracks, which I think is really unwelcome especially during the peak of the title track. It was then reissued again by DAT Mafia with reworked art and colored discs which I think is gaudy and takes the life out of the original. I also must agree with people's complaints on the sound, which is unnaturally altered. Forget loudness, the EQ and stereo image is way off, ew. You can get this release for some rare DAT mixes and Doof's liner notes, but the best way to experience this imo is the original CD (or vinyl I guess but I'm not a vinyl guy so...)

Doof is one on my favourite artists from the heydays of Goa. I had only a couple of tracks from him and was long searching for this album. Finally I managed to make a bargain on the Twisted 2000 reissue.

Album kicks with “Let’s Turn On”. You probably have heard and read about this track already, so I'll just add that this put Doof and TIP Records itself on the “Top Of The TIP’s” :-)

Next comes the highly acidic “Mars Needs Women”. This does not have the powerful driving and hypnotic melodies as Let’s Turn On, but has an infectious 303 that will stick on repeating in your head.

Album continues with two tracks formerly released on Dragonfly Records, “Youth Of The Galaxy” and “Double Dragons”. Maybe not as good as the other two tracks but still very nice and very Doofy.

Next comes “Sunshrine”. This has a somewhat dreamy melody and is quieter than the tracks before. Following is the powerful “Secret Sun”, and then another hit “Angelina”. This is another highly acidic track with an intriguing female voice occasionally saying “Angelina”.

After this comes the track which has almost become my Doof favourite; “Destination Bom”. As the name says it’s a “BOOM!”. This is a very fast, very old-school yet very hypnotic and ruthless at the same time.

Album closes with an unreleased mix of “Star Above Parvati” The album version has along ambient intro, then a dubby kick drops. The original is “quite quiet”, this one even more. It closes this amazing trip in a great way.

A milestone in Goa albums.

The first CD by Nick Barber alias ´Doof´... Released in the prime-time of trippy, psychedelic Goa-Trance music, 1996.
This is the typical sound of that era... every track is a trip of its own. After a slow intro, the song becomes more and more complex with a lot of effects, 303 lines, staccato-beats, synths, voice-samples etc.---- The true definition of Goa.
Every track is brillant in its own way. Perhaps one of the best CD ever made in this genre.