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[Basilisk]

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[Guest Le Lotus Bleu]

Hey Basilisk, same thing as for your R.A.M's review, you could have check before if a post already exist or not before creating anew one but nevermind

http://www.psynews.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=20928

V/A - Vibration 5 [Midijum 2004]

 

Midijum is back with the fifth release in their Vibration series... this time the label is offering up a set of hybridized tunes - heavy progressive or sublime full-on psytrance, depending on how you look at it. This sound mixes nicely with the new breed of deeper psytrance that you will find on labels like Z.M.A., Candyflip, and AP.

 

Opening the compilation is Gaudium's Liquid Frequency, a rumbling progressive-styled tune with carefully placed effects and sweeping atmospheres. This is more on the minimal tip with sparse elements, lots of atmosphere, and a repetative grumbling bass noise throughout. Such a low-key tune is sure to have some fans, though I don't find it to be exceptionally noteworthy.

 

Submit from Symphonix is next, and this one sounds a bit more on the clubby side of things to me with the deep vocal sample erupting every once in a while: "you must submit" and "don't be afraid". The beat is a little clunky, grooving along without being too deep... the methodology is progressive once again, with a focus on atmosphere and mood. The first big break introduces a sampled symphonic flourish and kicks the beat off again, followed by these grinding sort of melodic moods and a few snappy snare drops. These elements are re-used in different combinations for the rest of the tune, and the result is something of an eighties-flavoured progressive sound.

 

Casui's Air on a G-String caught my ear very early on... I suppose I just have a thing for rich tunes like this with some stringed elements. Progressive though it may be, snarling little noises keep this one firmly within the psychedelic realm. Thrumming bass is used to great effect here, and lush and sensual strings rise to a glorious prominence, fading in and slowly developing as the rumbling beat kicks back in. Half way through an effortless breakdown slides in, returning with subtle melodies and the ethereal strings, which continue to lurk in the background. Another break and the song start to drift with less of a driving character and more focus on the very slow development of those strings again, letting them hide nearly out of reach but still imminently audible. The big break comes with a few music box melodies tinkling delicately in the background, and then those strings start to really shine as the beat builds and lets loose. The outro is dissonant and makes for tough mixing, as the music box melody fades in a non-mathematical fashion. Overall, a lush and gorgeous tune very expertly composed, one of my favourites from this album.

 

Picking up where the last song left off, M-Sphere's Stonewashed is another example of why I really enjoy the work of this producer... the sound here is very bass heavy and rich in atmosphere, drips and drops echoing around as if inside a cathedral. Ethereal voices coming out of the darkness every once in a while, and small noises, like rats scurrying across the chamber floor, echo throughout the song. A very spaced out string sound giving the song a slightly gothic feel. After a break with more choral voices emerging from the ether the moody beat kicks back in and a processed guitar can be heard wailing sweetly into the night sounds... near the end, a subtle acid line becomes present, while all the elements of the song making a resurgence, held in balance, right up to the end. Very nice and subtle throughout. It will fit into progressive sets as well as night-time journeys.

 

Cosmic Tone presents a remix to Execution... taking some obvious cues from Cosma but never excelling to that level, I haven't been a big fan of his work in the past. Nonetheless this is certainly one of the better offerings from this Israeli artist... catchy harmonies flowing over a rolling full-on bass line. Not too much to it however, and the bass line remains so prominent throughout the track that it takes something away from the flow of the track. The melodic progression is nice and serene however, so it's a bit of a toss-up. If you enjoy the bass line, chances are you'll like the track as a whole. I find it reasonably good, and as I said - one of the best from the artist.

 

Next we have the first of two from Mandylion, a fresh artist who provides a menacing slice of progressive psychedelic trance. After Dark is over ten minutes long, quite a journey. Evocative atmospheres conjured by liquid sounds and something like pan-pipes, soon backed with light sparkling melodies. The bass and kick combination here throbs along, with a few breaks laden with moody sounds and dark noises soon giving way to more prominent melodies. This track grows and grows, every now and then falling back to just that liquid combination of kick and bass, often soaring with melodies that gain electric energy over time. Nice building progressive song with that dark flavour to it.

 

The next one is Nocturne, similar in style but immediately somewhat lighter in character. Another rumbling beat combination with delicately developing atmospheres and subtle melodics develops towards full energy over time. Delicate sounds envelope the driving percussive riffs to good effect, and the half-way point is marked by a wryly used sample from Bram Stoker's Dracula: "the children of the night... what sweet music they make". On it drives towards the finale, without too many deviations from the set pattern. It's a decent piece of work, not quite as good as After Dark though.

 

Lastly, I.F.B. present the perplexing Timebender, fastest track on the album (145), full of grinding melodies and hard beats. I might relate the approach here to old school German hard trance as it has some very smashy percussion going on, and there aren't really any burbling effects going on until the lead enters. This dirty and distorted main melody grinds its way through all that smashing percussion to give this track a lot of raw energy. By psytrance standards this is severly lacking in elements... but let's for a second consider this to be a bit of a tongue-in-cheek tribute to an old school style. I find it charming, but others might not.

 

Casui, M-Sphere, and Mandylion shine on this somewhat dark progressive compilation... while it isn't the best compilation to be released this year, it is a fairly solid offering of songs with a characteristic German feel to it. If you've got a special appreciation for the sounds I've described it's well worth a look, and aside from that it could appeal to some fans of darker progressive psytrance. What this lacks is one brilliant stand-out tune, although Stonewashed comes close. For this reason I rate it as average.

 

Faves: 3, 4, 6

Rating: 5/10

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[Basilisk]

Hmph, I did check for both. Search must be on the fritz...