Darshan - Awakening - Flying rhino - 1998.
01. 08'14" Awaken
02. 08'47" Sun Probe
03. 09'32" Anja
04. 08'07" Transformations
05. 10'48" Neuroscanner
06. 08'07" ECG
07. 07'37" Kyma
08. 09'47" Electroplasm
For people who don't know this album, I tried to review it as right as possible. The music is dark here, and not really melodic, or dark melodic, but more melodic in background if you know what I mean.
Darshan's hihats and snares are really discrete, and the British guys definitely prefer creating psychedelic atmospheres than psychedelic sounds only. They are not fond of putting tons of sounds in their tracks, you can hear it in some tracks more than in others.
01 : Nice intro ! Typical Darshan's kickdrum, loud and powerful, subtle sounds, not really melodies, and dark and mysterious atmosphere. The track turns with more twisted sounds later, in the middle of the track, but Darshan always control their music very well. Little break down at about 5.45mn. Nice opener, soft and dark one, very well made. Not catchy but this track had to be like this.
02 : Perfect intro, a heartbeat... then a relaxing melody, it makes a worrying beginning. The samples are perfectly placed. The track is a bit more energetic than the previous one, and more melodic also. The whole track is definitely less dark than its intro, awesome break down and build up at about 5.30! Here Darshan do not abuse of sounds but nicely control them, this is how good goa trance has to be IMO. According to me, that track is really good, better than the first one, but it could be a bit longer.
03 : Awesome intro as always, Darshan love making the intros of their track, we can hear it. This track is more twisted, at the beginning. Welcomed break down at about 5.00mn, with a sublte melody, combined with a second one in the background. Lovely. Then a sudden burst but rapidly controlled. One last minute to finish the track perfectly. Dark track, atmopsheric and a little melodic. And awesome one.
These first 3 tracks managed to create a clear stunning and disarming dark atmosphere.
04 : Hehe, this is one of the most liked tracks of the British guys. I have to admit that it makes a good change from the first 3 tracks as the BPMs are really higher here! Like a “revolt” against the very atmospheric beginning of the album! Some of you might know this track, its powerful rhythm and it’s “a m a z i n g” break down at 3.25. "Late at night, my mind would come alive, with voices and stories I gave myself up to, longing for transformation". Stunning! And Darshan chose the right moment to make the album more dynamic. A killer. And a classic for me. A proof that Darshan can make crazy psytrance also. What a track! By far the faster, craziest and most spectacular so far.
05 : Ooo… the album turns soft again, no doubt about it. The longest track, the softest with the first track too. I love the kickdrum, muffled, yet damn powerful. Played loud this track is really impressive. This track can sound a bit empty, more “small” sounds are used, rather than spectacular ones. Intelligent and trippy track, kinda hypnotic. I dig it. Definitely a track that grows on you, and a clear intention to calm their music with a long piece of dark psytrance, and a long relaxing outro.
06 : Of course, this track is faster, in the same style as track 4, in less crazy at the beginning but it turns more and more twisted in the middle of the track. This one brings us out of our torpor. Catchy one IMO, above all when it constantly changes from the middle till the end, with a lot of nice psychedelic semi melodies. Much more spectacular than the previous track, and I dig it too.
07 : I like the intro a lot, it starts melodic. This track is softer, again I am really delighted by the relaxing break downs, and the samples are discrete and so well placed. Nothing new, only a surprising sound used at 4.45. Pretty melodic track but only semi melodies as always. Not really a favourite as the atmosphere in the track is not as deep as some other tracks before, but the outro is really well made.
08 : Oooo…this is a nothing less than perfect 1.15 mn intro, melodic vibes combined with a good sample. Then the track rapidly starts really energetic. A catchy track here, the BPM are higher to finish the album. What makes this track dark is its intro and its break down, otherwise the track is more twisted than dark, not melodic, but a bit acidish too. Oooo the breakdown at 5.30, and what a build up! The most entertaining track with track 4, no doubt about it. The track ends like it started, and it finishes this really nice album.
This album is dark and trippy goa trance. There is clearly cohesion from the beginning till the end. Some tracks are much softer than others. The whole atmosphere is good, but I would have prefered to hear the last track earlier in the album, to finish the album with a softer track.
One of my weaknesses for Darshan is that their music got personality, I mean you immediatly recognize their music when you hear their basslines and their muffled kickdrums, as well as their sublte small sounds. One of the main characteristics also is their "control" of their music, I mean it is clear that they want their tracks to sound harmonious, and not crazy as possible like Pleiadians use to do for example (just an example, the two bands are not comparable). It is clear that they want to make quality and not "maximal" psychedelic trance.
My favourite tracks are
02 - Sun probe,
03 - Anja,
04 - Transformations,
05 - Neuroscanner,
and 08 - Electroplasm.
8/10 from me, and a must have IMO.
