DeathPosture Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 V/A – Far East Technology Hi-res cover: front + back Artist: Various (Japan) Title: Far East Technology - Next Generation Of Japanese Trance Format: CD (jewel case/digipack) Label: ELF Music (Japan) Cat. #: ELFCD 012 Distribution: QQS/Wirikuta Date: October 2006 Track listing: 01. 07’26” Kuromitsu – Beautiful Moon Rise 02. 06’58” Future Sonic – Black Sky 03. 07’42” Macotrax aka. Salem - Toluene 04. 08’26” Tri-Force – Place Of Dawn 05. 07’38” Drap Drop – The Clone Who Is Freakin’ Out 06. 09’11” Ten-G - Butterfly 07. 07’39” Savage Scream – Underground Shiva 08. 07’32” Paradigm Shifter – Dupe On Mad 09. 07’24” 11 vs. Symphonics – Space Criminal .m3u-playlist: http://tinyurl.com/tzyow (all tracks!) Review: Glowsticks & Sushi ELF Music has fast become one of the steadiest suppliers of high quality Japanese psytrance… They linger somewhere in between hard-hitting underground stuff like Slum, fluffier club trance like Tri-Force and nu-school goan psytrance like Phi and Drap Drop… I’ve liked the majority of their releases and after a couple of really excellent artist albums from Slum and Drap Drop it’s time for another compilation – the first since the brilliant from After 10 Years Of Japanese Trance from 2004. Again it’s a mix of upcoming talents and established Japanese artists… Let’s get it on! Let me take you thru the tracks… #01: Kuromitsu – Beautiful Moon Rise [138 BPM] Things kick off at a comfortable 138 BPM and a familiar Engrish spelling mistake (Beatiful)… This is my first encounter with the music of Youki Kuromitsu but with this kind of production talent I find it hard to believe this is his first released track… What we get here is a lovely piece of melodic morning trance seasoned with a bunch of psytrance elements… Stunning production and lush progression… Obviously on the clubbier side of things, but the old-school melodic structures are simply lovely and I can’t help it but smile when listening to this fine piece of trance – and I totally love the quirky breaks. Moonshine music a la 2006 when it’s best! #02: Future Sonic – Black Sky [145 BPM] The name Future Sonic might not ring a bell, but this project is a couple of experienced trancers. Hideyuki Mitsumoto (aka Sinister Association and one half of Joujouka with Tsuyoshi Suzuki) + Ali Murakami who has been involved in a bunch of techno/psytrance releases on Feedback Recordings. So these gentlemen are no strangers to the scene – and that fact does not go by unnoticed in this track. This is a relentlessly powerful, full-on track… A little bit on the cheesy sense – with the main focus being on huge melodic leads and dancefloor appeal. Wholesome dance music with a distinct Japanese flavour. Very well produced and incredibly danceable but also just a tad too clubby for me to fully enjoy it… #03: Macotrax aka. Salem – Toluene [145 BPM] Makoto Murase is also known as Salem – and I have absolutely no idea if he has released anything before this. What I do know is that he’s made a track named Toluene which is also known as methylbenzene or paint thinner. And yeah, I can see why. This gets much more deranged than the first two tracks… This is non-linear, complex electronica with more than a few surprises thrown in to mess you up… The old-school analogue computer game sounds work nicely alongside the twirling synths, the subtle acid and the fragmented rhythms… And in that sense this is much more a trip tool than a dancefloor track… It requires some advanced dancing at least. An interesting and VERY Japanese track. #04: Tri-Force – Place Of Dawn [140 BPM] Yashinori Saito released his debut album Entrance To Reality on ELF Music in 2005. And whilst it had its moments, it was too commercial for my taste. This track pretty much follows the same formula as the album: Uplifting, commercial club-trance with tiny traits of progressive and psy-trance… I’m all for cross-over, but I’m afraid this one doesn’t do much but bore me… Yawn! #05: Drap Drop – The Clone Who Is Freakin’ Out [145 BPM] “Oh, let the sun beat down upon my face. Stars to fill my dreams. I am a traveller of both time and space. To be where I have been.” Drap Drop (Diogo Yoshino & Tsunemoto Kobayashi) released their wonderful debut album Dropdead Gorgeous on ELF Music in April 2006. Definitely one of the most underrated albums of the year – I love it! And this track is another perfect example of just how talented these guys are. This is eclectic, hard-hitting, underground-pumping psytrance with a ton of quirky little turns and funny twists… The quote from Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir being one example. A wonderful track which works both for the feet and for the mind. Awesome! #06: Ten-G – Butterfly [146 BPM] I have limited info on the Ten-G project – but from what I hear Tats & Yozi are quite the talk of the town within the Japanese psy-community… And by listening to this track I totally understand why – this is a monstrous track! A kaleidoscopic and frantic tour de force covering many styles within electronic music… Tech-trance, drill&breakz, spugedelic sauna trance, hentai dub, anime plastic pop and of course a reasonable amount of shroom-a-delic psytrance… A huge old psytrance quilt knitted from the finest, most exquisite ingredients… Wooow! Prepare to be blown away! #07: Savage Scream – Underground Shiva [146 BPM] Savage Scream is nocturnal horror-trancer Mizuki Nishihata who has often scared the bejesus out of me with his vicious gut-wrenching tracks… He’s the Marilyn Manson of psytrance and this is another deranged, ferocious track of his… Pitch black, introvert horror trance destined to cause both nightmares and headaches… It’s all about deep bounding basslines, high-pitched acid-squelches and brutally grotesque graveyard antics… On paper that might seem simplistic, but this is very well done and I’m entertained for the most part here, though it tends to get somewhat tedious for a while. But still an efficient, powerfull track. #08: Paradigm Shifter – Dupe On Mad [146 BPM] “Everyone’s on fire!” Kagetoshi Nakamura is perhaps better known under his Noise Gust alias… And where the previous track was dark and distorted, this is darkish and acid-driven… Oh yes, this is where the acid flows freely and the 303 gets a workout of a lifetime. It’s a bona fide synapse bomb of epic proportions… The knob-adjustment here is like a mix of ‘Phi meets GNOTR meets Phyx meets Josh Wink’… Oh yeah, that’s a whole lot of acid right there…But it totally works here… This is fun-filled, action-packed, value-for-money acid-trance… And I’m totally loving it! Lovely! #09: 11 vs. Symphonics – Space Criminal [145 BPM] After the tragic death of Shinnosuke Masuo (former member of Phi) in March 2005 some of his tracks were picked up by friends and released as tribute to him honouring his legacy. This is one of those tracks finished by 11 (Jyuichi). Style wise we’re somewhere between psychedelic polka and fast-paced space rodeo-techno – with an influx of spongeadelic synth-pop… Hard to describe really – but that doesn’t make it less good. This is excellent crossover material… Very driving, deeply eclectic and totally trippy! The perfect requiem for Shinnosuke. Rest in peace! Another VERY fine ELF Music release comes to and end. The psy-samurai sacrificed another one of his nine lives to dance with geishas, party hard with the Yakuza and smoke it up with Confucius. Two years down the road from After 10 Years Of Japanese Trance I cannot think of a better snapshot of the current state of Japanese trance affairs, than this excellent compilation. It ranges from fluffy club trance to the hardest, most deranged underground psytrance imaginable. So whilst the flow might be a little off, the sheer magnitude of music more than makes up for that. The first half of the CD has a couple of cheesy club trax which didn’t really please my taste buds, but the second half excels with one sure-fit mega-hit after another… The level of experimentation is impressive and I cannot even begin to describe how amazing the second half of the CD is… Those five tracks are worth every single yen you have to pay for this CD. The Monty Phyton-inspired artwork work is also very nice and fits the music perfectly. Trust me on this one; if you haven’t heard this CD you’re missing out… Big time! Recommended to all fans of eclectic, electronic music in all its guises…. Enjoy! Favourites: 1, 3, 5(!!), 6(!!!), 7, 8(!), 9(!!) DeathPosture External links: ELF Music: http://www.elf-music.net Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/release/795611 Saiko Sounds: http://tinyurl.com/y2ctq2 Beatspace: http://tinyurl.com/y7mw28 Wirikuta: http://tinyurl.com/uwxcu Psyshop: http://tinyurl.com/y8j4v9 Wakyo: http://tinyurl.com/y4jrwl Cisco: http://tinyurl.com/y78cko Juno: http://tinyurl.com/yyvabz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abasio Posted December 4, 2006 Share Posted December 4, 2006 Some very fine tunes here. All the way through the music is really really cool, sometimes the style changes which is good. Standouts for me are Kuromitsu - Beautiful Moon Rise Future Sonic - Black Sky 11 vs Symphonics aka Phi - Space Criminal <- this is so cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pedro Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Nowhere as astonishing as "After 10 years...", Far East Technology is still a fun release. Several tracks are on the borderline as far as the clubby and cheese factors are concerned (e.g. the first four tracks are on the wrong side), but there also some stuff that will put a smile on your face, like tracks 6 and 8. Tracks 5 and 11 are also enjoyable. There is a definite feel-good vibe throughout the CD. I give this CD a moderate recommendation. I bought it and am not sorry. Pedro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkumaSama Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 I liking this album very much more better than the last KURO album or Phi - Phinalizer high reccomend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELF music Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 DRAP DROP compiled to this CD co-stars with INFECTED MUSHROOM at the party of VISION QUEST. http://www.visionquest-tokyo.com/vqdev/eve...vision_2007.php Check it out！ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alleycat Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 got my copy the other day, and......... WHOA!!!!!!! Fullon LIVES!! SUCH a high quality release! REALLY well done! Favorites: Future Sonic-Black Sky- this track appeals to me as a trance (not just psy) fan. Its like really good Epic trance. Silent Scream-Underground Shiva-while it may be considered dark, and I dont want to get into what I feel about that term, I think this is a really trippy and powerful track. Pure Silent Scream style, that Ive personally come to know and love! Hooray!! Nippon no toransu wa daisuki desu! Arigato gozaimasu, ELF music! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELF music Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Thank you for your great words! > to all! Ten-G "Dance of the long‐nosed goblin" Now on air @ YouTube Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELF music Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 "Drap Drop – The Clone Who Is Freakin’ Out"(Track 5 in album) was licensed by compilation "Goa Vol.20" released from Yellow Sunshine Explosion. http://www.psyshop.com/shop/CDs/yse/yse2cd132.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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