abasio

I'll sell you mine if you want....

While I would never pay the inflated prices that Extended has gone for it is almost worth paying so much for. I'm just glad that I was in time for Ultimae's Solar Fields pack where I could buy all the albums in one go.

Review of the double album

I heard bad things about goodbye, how do you think it compares to the other two albums?

Orchid-Star Birth + Re-Birth (Same Journey, Different Perspective) Liquid Sound (Design) January 2008 Tracklist CD1 Birth 1. Deep Down (8:10) 2. Mouse (5:08) 3. Passion (9:07) 4. Butterflies (8:19) 5. Khambhat (9:20) 6. The Heart Of Ibu-At (7:04) 7. A Day Out Of Time (8:08) 8. Wildflower (9:49) CD2 Re-Birth 1. Deep Down (Kuba Remix) (6:47) 2. Mouse (Youth Remix) (5:10) 3. Passion (Youth Remix) (9:10) 4. Butterflies (Youth Remix) (8:10) 5. Khambhat (Youth Remix) (9:18) 6. The Heart Of Ibu-At (Tripswitch Remix) (9:03) 7. A Day Out Of Time (Subsonar Remix) (8:34) 8. Wildflower (Pete Ardron Remix) (7:59) This release really came out of nowhere. I had heard nothing from Liquid Sound Design after the name change (to Liquid Sound that doesn’t sound anywhere near as good so I won’t use) and the last compilation Illuminations, which to be honest was a bit of a disappointment. That was the one and only disappointment on a label that brought us great compilations like Butterfly Dawn, amazing artist albums like Tripswitch – Circuit Breaker & concepts so sublime like The Kumba Mela Experiment – East of the River Ganges. So although I had never heard of Orchid Star it was impossible not to be curious. The fact that this debut album from Orchid Star is a double CD including their album & a remix CD (same journey, different perspective). Seeing as the remix CD includes remixes by Kuba, Youth & even Tripswitch this was in my opinion & must buy. Putting it in my CD player I was more than impressed by the end of the 1st CD & completely blown away by the end of the 2nd one. So many instruments from Glockenspiel to Violins & a range of vocalists, fantastic production & sounds that will really draw in the listener. I put it on my mp3 player & went out with it, it went perfectly with the emergence or spring here & when both CDs had finished I just had to start them over again. It’s very summery music, exactly the style & quality I was hoping for & I know that this is going to get a lot of play time come summer CD1 Birth 1. Deep Down My initial feeling when I first heard this song was “I’ve heard that vocal somewhere before” and I was understandably worried that this could be a retrodden sample ridden album like that of numerous psychill acts these days. But fear not this is not your average take a sample slap it on top of some dub crap, this actually a well made track with what I first thought was the sample (I still can’t place where I’ve heard it before) being an expertly placed and built around vocal from Myo. Marimba, glockenspiel & guitar all add a very natural touch as does the conga beat & tasty little bassline. A nice ethnic track without going overboard & becoming cheesy. 2. Mouse Seamless from the last track with same vocalist singing a jazzier tune. The beats are like a natural sounding breakbeat & what sounds like a vocal drone in the background really adds an atmosphere that makes it easy to float away & when the goblet drum comes in it’s absolutely mind blowing. Substance free I feel my brain hazing over at times listening to this. Under everything a tight bassline adds to the energy of it all. Very summery 3. Passion A different vocalist in this one. The deep sexy voice of Samanta Ray really fits the title passion. A more ethnic beat this time with nice jingly undertones. The softer tones feel almost vocal as well but like those of something ethereal coming over on a sea breeze. This whole track puts me on to a beach somewhere with a clear blue sea, sun beating down on me & without a care in the world. Just me and my lady enjoying the peace of summer far away from civilisation. A very nice bass carries more energy into the track making me want to move & dance with her. A nicely arranged track ebbs & flows throughout it’s nearly 10 minute length & stays encapsulating throughout. Beautiful. 4. Butterflies A very oriental sounding start with a nice modern touch with the bassline. It’s all like a little classical story, with the little short notes sounding like characters interacting & playing out a role. When the vocal comes in it’s a long soft wail of a vocal, managing to sound like a wind goddess blowing through the forest. The violin & the wind synth almost sound like they are conversing together at times only to be broken up by the celestial vocal which must be awe inspiring all in it’s presence. A very descriptive track, I can almost see the butterfly riding the wind like voice through the forest, over rivers, past the characters, through their conversation & up through the trees into the busy sky where there are thousands of the little winged pieces of art. 5. Khambat A twisted ethnic sample that sounds like it is going backwards really sets a more sombre atmosphere and the slower flatter beat adds to that feeling. As the beat becomes more involved though it picks up a bit more energy feels as if it’s rising into the sky. From the start I’m put in mind of a soul leaving it’s prison & being set free. At first it’s sad to have finished one step of it’s journey but as it feels itself rising it picks up more joy & when it gets high enough it is greeted by a choir of voices welcoming it to a place of beauty and sheer joy. This is a really really good track, the progression is amazing & really manages to paint a story for me. Building up towards the end of the track with sounds & melody coming from all around in a crescendo light warm music. 6. The Heart of Ibu-At I get a feeling of a lost city deep in the jungle. People untouched by modern thinking at peace with the natural world around them. Humans & animals in a harmonious mix. The melody is quite simple but very striking. It hits sharply & gets under the skin and under the brain. The flute adds a mystical feel where as the violins add a very serene atmosphere. A very busy but peaceful track that is yet again perfect for summer out in the greens it gets deeper like encroaching clouds right before the end. 7. A Day Out Of Time This darker feeling leads into this track which has a deep dark drone & rushing synths that sound like water in the air. The breakbeats kick in like a summer storm and the melody & vocals fall down with the downpour. All the sounds kind of swirl around nicely with a bassline pushing them forward as the beat spins them continuously round & round. Halfway in the track takes a whole new direction seemingly going up with a lot of energy, the feeling of rain has been left far behind as we race towards the sun & towards a party on the beach. Reaching the beach is like landing in the middle of an old school tie beach party when the jungle came on. Really nice bright melodies never get cheesy but just sound really happy. As the beats stop I find myself at peace, stunning track. 8. Wildflower A slower but heavy beat with a heavy bass & glockenspiel melody all sounds good & the vocal while a little on the cheesy side is a pleasant one that manages to bring a smile to my face when I hear it. The heavy piano cords & violin add a real feeling of some old tale told to kids long ago to send them to sleep with a happy heart and sweet dreams. A nice colourful end to the journey culminating in a brilliant melody full of heart & a bassline full of soul. Not that many albums at this tempo manage to be quite as descriptive as this. Liquid Sound Design though seems to have a knack of finding artists that can fit the storytelling ambience into a more uptempo groove that fits anywhere & anytime. I can listen to this out in the sun, in bed first thing in the morning, at the beach, on the train, at work, at home, in a restaurant & it always fits my mood. It can really be focused on & take you on a journey or be played as party music with friends. Quite a versatile album to say the least & it always brings a big smile to my face. CD2 Re-Birth 1. Deep Down (Kuba Remix) Crisper beats with a slightly more reggae feel than the original. Somehow manages to sound even more like a summer day. The bassline is a body mover & the extra little sounds both melodious & scratchy just make it a little funkier but slightly less involved & dreamy than the original. Another set of vocals doesn’t fit quite so well but still leaves this as a very enjoyable remix. 2. Mouse (Youth Remix) This remix is more fluttery. The sounds around the original are very slick and they slip & slid all over the track like water over stepping stones. The bassline is a little deeper & sharper at the start of each cord. The beat sounds more regualr breakbeat than the natural sounds of the original & the electric guitar (?) at the end adds a glitchy feel. 3. Passion (Youth Remix) All the elements are the same but the structure is a little more regular & a little less ambient. The story element is gone but the same feeling is still there, like looking at a picture of the story but without it moving. Once again the vocals are beautiful but they are a little more reserved in this version. Still very sultry though and while this is not quite as good as the original is pretty nice. 4. Butterflies (Youth Remix) The oriental feel is played down & there is a scratchier feeling to it at the beginning. More descriptive of the butterflies than of the forest. I can see the little things flapping about in front of me in a more erratic pattern. Slower & darker than the original not quite as good but different is good with a remix. 5. Khambhat (Youth Remix) The same sombre feeling as the original but a glitchier beat, in a more random IDM style, grounds the soul rather than letting it fly as before. The soul instead of rising high into the sky instead moves effortlessly along the ground but is still met by the choir & welcomed into the beautiful peaceful place. The welcome is less vigorous but just as rapturous as before. A similar progression to before as well with the sombre feeling being cast aside for a more upbeat and happy ending. 6. The Heart of Ibu-At (Tripswitch Remix) This remix is so much better than the original & I quite liked the original track. This is deeper & focuses more on the piano at the start. The clear melody is a melancholic one & sounds so beautiful that I don’t want it to end. The voices coming in are small and imp like and the new melody chimes away double edged beauty. The strings can be heard more clearly & have a distinct purpose and the bassline moves the body while the rest touches the mind. Just close your eyes & let the music take you deep into the jungle tribe’s village during a celebration of summer. When the techy bassline comes in, it seems to thrust the tribe into the 3rd millennium & the oscillating synth manages to sound space aged while still fitting in with the original tribal feel, like the tribe is used to spaceships & aliens & is regularly visited by them. I am so looking forward to Tripswitch releasing a new album in the future as all his compilation tracks & this remix are even better than his amazing album Circuit Breaker. 7. A Day Out Of Time (Subsonar Remix) No dark feeling at the start of this one, no rushing wind or rain spinning the music around just straight out sunny beach music. Break downs and kicking back in beats all remind me as the original did of a Thai beach party but this seems later in the evening as the day of chilled dance draws to a close & there is a little bit even calmer music before the stomping trance begins. It’s a really nice continuation from the end of the original track. Beautiful melodies seem to fall out of the sky towards the end before the synths give another slightly sci-fi feel. I’m left wondering what happened to Subsonar’s album that was announced some years ago but never seemed to materialise. 8. Wildflower (Pete Ardon Remix) A deeper drone in the background and softer beats make way for more prominent vocals this time chopped up & splattered into the track. This manages to make it sound less cheesy while still retaining the ability to make me smile. A more relaxed end to this journey from a different perspective, the beauty is still there as is the heart & soul but it’s harder to find and needs more attention than the original. Quite different & in the end an excellent remix. So in the end the remix CD is a great bonus but not as good as the original album. Surprisingly it’s Youth’s remixes that don’t sound as good as the originals with the last three tracks just as good or better (Tripswitch). If you have ever been a fan of Liquid Sound Design’s sound then you will definitely want to check this out. It’s a great journey into an ethnic wonderland without treading over old ground. It’s got everything that made me fall in love with the label in the first place but all still sounds fresh & interesting. Any fan of summery downtempo should also look into getting this stunning album.

For a fun clubbier sound go for Astral Projection - In the Mix For a more mature sound that just drips psychedelic greatness go for Etnica - Alien Protein Both readily available in shops & online Buy both

Yeah I am loving the double album Birth/Re-Birth recently released on Liquid Sound. There are a few retrodden samples in there so those slagging of the ethnic samples might want to steer clear but I think they are done really really well & the album is perfect for the emerging spring we have here. Check them out for sure

A high octane guy? I quite understand, I used to be just like you. All chillout bored me to tears. then my bubble burst, the weight of the world was thrust upon me & my tastes got more & more chilled as the years went by. It's nice if this never happens to you but the music is really deep & really really psychedelic. IMO ambient is much more psychedelic than any uptempo music

maybe you should look at other progressive house/trance artists. also look at techno & ambient if you want some trippy psychedelic stuff.

Why do you get nervous listening to it? Is it too grand for you?

Kilowatts - Ground State

Carbon Based Lifeforms - Mos6581

The Answer is one of the best tracks ever

Coffee shop Jazz

Thank fuck most people in the world are actually decent, you just don't usually here about them

Pure Class

Yeah, I haven't heard anything about this until this thread

Cymphonic Phonema Sacrata DataObscura April 2006 Tracklist 1 The Longest Night (9:22) 2 Creatura Aeterna (3:42) 3 Levarian Time (6:04) 4 Unbestimmt (5:06) 5 Empty City 2012 (6:50) 6 Submersion (3:37) 7 Mountain Stairway (6:58) 8 Cloaked Personality (11:33) Cymphonic’s 2007 release Strataradialis was in the end my favourite release of that year. The ambient was among the most descriptive I’ve ever heard & when I saw this earlier release on the DataOscura label I knew I had to have it. I was treated to an amazing story. The Longest Night Starting off the journey walking briskly under a clear night sky. The stars rain down in the sky like it’s on fire. Next to my path is a forest of tall trees. From inside the trees I can feel a presence, something big. There is something else in the forest people in a ritual of some kind, celebrating the dark malevolent force. As they dance, the power grows and grows. Almost oppressive sounds come out of the forest to one side but to my other there is the pure calm of the night. Overhead the stars seem to be moving in time to the dance in the forest. As the tribal drums start the sky explodes with cold light then fizzes back into nothingness only to explode again in a crescendo of drumming & chanting coming from the forest. All of a sudden the world is open to me, the trees, the grass, the rocks even the night dew seems to have come alive for the first time. Creatura Aeterna One voice from the chant has singled out into a clear solo. It feels dangerously close now. The sound of a guitar that is not a guitar sounds throughout the air seemingly coming from every direction. The stars are falling all around me like a shower of fire but it does not burn only enlighten. As I lie on the grass now, unable to stand I notice the steady hum of the insects tonight. The air seems thick with them but I can only sense their sound, they remain invisible to me but their presence is thicker than I’ve ever experienced. Lavarian Time I manage after quite some time has passed to stand & continue on my journey. I have forgotten where I was going but I feel the need to get there. The forest has quietened down but now from the other direction, over the river I can hear the faint sounds of a piano being played. I try to cross the river but as I set foot on the bridge a voice sounds from behind me in a strange foreign tongue. I turn around but there is just a puddle of brown water on the ground behind me. Turning back to the sound of the piano I make my way over the bridge. The river is running high tonight & water splashes up onto the path in front of me. As I walk over the bridge I can hear muttered conversations coming from underneath me but as I look down I see that the water comes right up to the bottom of the bridge so I can’t see what is talking. I make it to the other side just as the piano stops. Unbestimmt The grass is always greener on the other side & it looks so green from where I’ve come from. The river is so high no it covers the bridge, my only way to retreat back to whence I came. The beautiful sound of the piano was nought but a psiren’s call to get me over to this side. No I am here it is cold & dark & the stars are obscured by ominous clouds. The air feel oppressive & the sounds of the insects is less a harmless swarm nearby but that of many single insects hell bent on biting as much as possible. Through the sound of this I can slightly hear some human interaction but it is all blown away by an alien melody that seems to come down from the sky, like a white night come to rescue my sanity. It destroys all the bad feeling as it comes dissipating all but a few of the bugs. Empty City 2012 The white knight turns out to be an alien spaceship. Failed attempt at human language come through to my brain but in my ears is just the oscillation of the spaceship. The ship gets bigger & bigger in my vision until it fills everything. Legs extend from it creaking as they go & more alien voices come from within, not trying to sound human this time, this time it is purely extra terrestrial. The ship continues to oscillate as they try to communicate to me again through some sort of telepathy, I cannot hear the sounds but garbled messages get through and slowly make more sense, not fully but a few words get through. Suddenly the ship starts to buzz with an intense noise like it’s about to explode & the voice still making no sense seems more hurried to get it’s message across. Submersion Finally the ship stops moving and becomes quiet. A few final noises burst out of the ventilation shafts but other than that is just the dull roar of the river behind me & the biting sound of the insects that have enveloped the alien spacecraft. The roar of the river becomes more intense as it bursts it’s banks and comes slowly this way. The pops in the air are that of the insects exploding as they get to near the craft. Mountain Stairway The overflowing river is worsened by the sudden downpour. The rain is so strong it melts away the alien ship. Slowly before me the metal runs like a water painting. In a matter of minutes it has completely bled into the surrounding mud & I feel as if I am myself blending into the countryside. My physical body is being washed away by the water pouring down from the heavens & being collected by that covering my feet. I feel peaceful with my body disappearing, I feel like my mind is sharper & all the elements that seemed so alive for the first time have burst into my senses even more. The colours seems to be only the beginning as now I feel at one with everything understanding it to it’s core. Cloaked Personality I wake to the smell of grass, inside though I am I can smell the grass & the trees all around me. A whispered voice seems to come from too far away to understand & I fight my awakening. Somewhere someone is playing some traditional Asian instrument but I struggle to recall which one. The fight against my awakening is a losing battle & all that preceded it feels like so long ago. I open my eyes & gaze upon the strange room I am in. Only straw mats on the floor & wooden walls surround me. The howling wind outside is not masked at all by the walls, although I do not feel it’s cold bite the sound of it is as strong as if I was out in it. As soon as I feel I am fully awake from my dream state the walls of this new home come melting down & I am stood right back where I started, the forest to my side has a dark ominous presence & the stars are shining brightly down. A woman’s voice comes to me from everywhere & echoes in the air. I wonder briefly where or what it might have been before the forest comes alive with the dance once more. The tribal beats are this time accompanied by a female chant & again the stars are in sync with the dance. And as the dance fades into my memory so do the stars leaving me with cold nothingness. Even better than Strataradialis as this has much more of a story element to it. All tracks blend into the next & it creates a very special atmosphere like that of unnatural nature. A think this is a must in any ambient fan’s collection. Fantastic album.

I think that's what mine looks like. Was wondering what the mistake on the tracklist was.

I nearly crapped myself with excitement reading this

There are some pretty good (and hard to get) stuff there. Just check through their album list :ph34r:

So, how do you like it?

Lammergeyer - Borders & Barrens Very nice atmospheric ambient, lot's of natural sounds, water, wind etc & soft trippy vocal samples you can barely make out

I had just about given up on this album. It took so long to come out that I lost all interest in it. after such positive reviews though I might reconsider.