V/A - Peacemaker

DeathPosture · November 24, 2004

V/A - Peacemaker

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Artist: Various

Title: Peacemaker

Format: CD (jewel case)

Label: Ketuh Records (Portugal/Austria)

Cat. #: KTHCD006

Distribution: Arabesque

Date: 22 November 2004

Track listing:

01. 08’21” Gappeq – Birth of the Dragon

02. 07’21” Zebra-N – Mad Cow Disaster

03. 07’30” Shift – Nexus Overload

04. 07’45” Phyx – Ruby Blaze V.2.

05. 07’53” Killer Buds – Night Vision

06. 06’45” Insect Seeker - Bicicleta

07. 07’19” Tryambaka - Odyssey

08. 07’56” Spectra a.k.a. Shrink – Radio Telescope

09. 09’47” Cell – Scanner Constructions

Review:

Satisfaction in recognition…

After the hard-hitting and hard-selling compilations Suspended Reality and Sonic Pantomime, here’s the third compilation this year by the very productive label Ketuh Records. As usual P_Mac did the hard work of compiling this – a compilation of what he calls a carefully balanced cross of two genetic strands: a hybrid of night & morning trance… Right, let’s check that out…

Let me take you thru the tracks…

#01: Gappeq – Birth of the Dragon

“I had a dream. I saw-- You saw a dragon being born. It was amazing; life was exploding all around… So it should, you see when dragons are born they bring new magic with them. Magic is the life force of our world. It keeps nature and everything around us in balance!” First up is Mr. Jirka from the Czech Republic with a quote from the Dungeons & Dragons movie… He also had a track featured on the last Ketuh compilation which was pretty good… This track is even on the lighter side of night trance – or on the harder side of morning trance… A hybrid really – melodic and dark at the same time… I like the many changes in direction throughout this track… Not bad at all…

#02: Zebra-N – Mad Cow Disaster

Then we have Paul Elfferich from The Netherlands who also had a track on Doof Record’s second Electric Shock Treatment… He brings a raw and gritty sound here – the bassline is quite funky in a scary kind of way… And wait until you hear the weird, haunting synths and wicked metallic chainsaw… An overall very spooky atmosphere is created here… I like the little break in the middle that just intensifies the horror… If all that stuff hasn’t freaked you out yet - the mad cow will… I dub this ‘the scary moo track’.

#03: Shift – Nexus Overload

Shift is South African Chris Hoy, and my last encounter with him, was his supposed chill track on the Digital Psionics compilation Psionic Earth… But he’s not chilling here, as he’s not in most of his tracks… This is a raging acid-stomper in the good old sense… Spiralling synths, twirling acid-lines, crisp percussion and 4/4 bassline in full FX… Hoy puts forth an impressive outburst of energy and this track is massive sound wise… Not hugely original, but massive nevertheless!

#04: Phyx – Ruby Blaze V.2.

Phyx Phyx Phyx – and more Phyx! Ian Summs from South Africa seems to be involved in all compilations I’ve reviewed lately… Very productive guy – but as long as he maintains a high level of quality, I’m not complaining… And this sure is Phyx trademark quality material: thick, dark, distorted, acid-driven night-trance… Harsh, gloomy and with hints of gritty, industrial sounds – definitely not for the faint-hearted… Yeah, you know what you get when you put on a Phyx tune… Satisfaction in recognition! ;o)

#05: Killer Buds – Night Vision

Ketuh regulars Enzio, Tarcisio & Marcelo from Brazil grace our ears with another one of their funny, highly psychedelic tracks… Again it’s satisfaction in recognition, and this track is just as good as their tracks on the last two Ketuh comps… Full-power, stomping, galloping acid trance… Build up’s, breaks & climaxes are wonderful… Gets me every time - I mean, just check out the one @ 2’50 and the one after that… And… Brilliant!

#06: Insect Seeker – Bicicleta

And now – more buds… Insect Seeker is the side project of Tarcisio & Marcelo from Killer Buds… Yeah, the family tie is quite audible on this track… After a ‘lengthy’ intro part and some downright bizarre retro Speedy Gonzales sounds, the madness is finally allowed to rear its ugly head after 3 minutes or so… Hard-hitting & acid-ripping… Relentless & brutal … Crazy & entertaining… Brazil vs. Funland in the psychedelic Olympics… And Brazil is winning this one! Nice track, though the mastering seem to be lacking a bit (or is it just my copy?)…

#07: Tryambaka – Odyssey

“Kick him in the nads Beavis!” Tryambaka is Tiago Pimentel is a young, rising talent from Portugal… He’s obviously a Beavis & Butthead fan ‘cause this track is riddled with B&B samples… He seems to have picked up quite a few dirty tricks from his idols, and most of the time he does pretty well on this fast-paced, humorous night track… I like how the track all of a sudden turns into Hanson’s Mmmbop… Nice spoof for sure… ;o) Unfortunately this is the weakest track on the compilation and it seems this young padawan still has something to learn on structure and composition… It’s not a bad track per se; it’s just pales compared to some of the others…

#08: Spectra a.k.a. Shrink – Radio Telescope

Paulo & Oliviera are also Ketuh regulars and I also liked their stuff on the previous compilations… I should really stop sounding like a broken record…Ahem… This tune is less gritty than most of its predecessors, but it still has those ever-present Ketuh ingredients… Dark dancefloor-friendly melodies, evil basslines and rapid changes in pace and style… The first part of the track is nice and all, but I cannot shake the feeling of stand-still and parts of it seem just a little too well-polished and hollow for my part… But luckily the track is saved by the latter part… I really, really like the big epic wow-part @ 5’50 and onwards… Damn, that must sound amazing on a big-ass sound system… Creamy!

#09: Cell – Scanner Constructions

And finally… Cell!? Did you see that one coming? This is none other than famous French chill-out artist Alexander Scheffer… So yeah, this is upbeat ambient… Psychedelic ambient with a couple of beats thrown in – Ketuh style… Complete with flute, digital drops, electronic farts and an overall dubby atmosphere… Great for coming down of the trip… ;o)

Another Ketuh compilation comes to a halt… I have to give P_Mac and the rest of the Ketuh crew credit for being so productive and visionary… They are on a trance-mission of putting out high-quality trance music, and the schedule is planned down in every detail well into 2005 – with no less than 7 upcoming releases… Dance floor fodder in a steady stream in the time to come… Next one is A Little Lunacy due January 2004 …Sweet!

I dunno about this compilation being a morning/night hybrid though – it’s mostly night… But night trance done in the typical, well-know style that I’ve come to appreciate a great deal… This is the third Ketuh compilation I review over a period of 4 months – and besides a couple of mediocre tracks here and there, they have not let me down… The flow here is slightly better than Sonic Pantomime and with only a couple of minor glitches; this is a very nice compilation… I mean – wicked tracks by Gappeq, Zebra-N, Phyx and Killers Buds. Guaranteed to satisfy fans of darkish, twisted night trance with ripping acid lines and dance floor friendly mayhem… Enjoy!

Favourites: 1, 2, 4, 5(!), 8

DeathPosture

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