pr0fane Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 Artist: Various Title: Set:4 Essentials – Compiled by Yuli Fershtat Label: Iboga Format: CD (Jewelcase) Style: Progressive psytrance Released: February 2005 Review: In collaboration with Danni Makov, Yuli Fershtat aka BLT released one of the most memorable albums in 2004, the tribal progressive/full on hybrid "Anything U Want", so when the news arrived that he would compile the next release from one of my favourite labels, Iboga, expectations where high from the start. The compilation features a good mix of old-timers and newcomers – mostly from Yulis homeland Israel, but also with a few European acts and Australias own FREq on the tracklist. Anyways, on here’s my impression of the release: 1. Ace Ventura – Cardiac Arrest [135 BPM] First track is by Yoni Oshrat known from Psysex, who recently has had a few releases in progressive circles. First he released a couple of dirty electro-tracks with his side project Schatsi on Hadshot, and here is his first release as Ace Ventura. It starts out with the sound of a beating heart, and then slowly progresses into a nice progressive journey – really sounding promising, but unfortunately ending with some quite annoying acid-sounds. Very nice up until then though. 2. Perfect Stranger – Nobody’s Perfect [134 BPM] "Nobody’s Perfect" is the first track from Perfect Stranger - a new project of Yuli of BLT fame, and like anticipated it’s a bit slower and less full on than on his latest album. The percussion-work is still top-notch though, the groove is intact, and he does a great job using a variety of different effects in the track. High quality work once again, by one of Israels most unique psytrance artists. 3. FREq – Lifeline [140 BPM] FREq doesn’t need much introduction – after a few releases on labels like Plusquam and Iboga, his album "Strange Attractors" hit the scene like a hurricane last summer, and quickly established him as one of the most popular acts on the progressive scene. "Lifeline" is more or less your typical FREq-stomper; huge bassline, phat synths and highly melodic. Not very original, but it does the trick and is certainly one of his better releases. 4. Yotopia – Believe [141 BPM] The Israeli duo Yotopia got my attention with their track on ZMA’s "Battle Royal", and "Believe" is yet another delicious track from the holy land. The uplifting melodies almost feel naive, but result in a very enchanting atmosphere, making me look forward to the upcoming summer. Sunshine music. 5. Sunseek – Jet Lag [140 BPM] Sunseek is Miki Ocheri, and "Jet Lag" is a very promising track from the Israeli newcomer. Somewhere between full on and progressive, with a pounding, rolling bassline and very powerful effects make this an absolutely smashing peak-time stomper – reminding me of some of the tracks on the BLT and Danni Makov album. I’ll definitely be watching out for this promising newcomer. 6. Cubica – Red Out [135 BPM] Cubica is the soloproject of Mikkel Calum of Frogacult fame, and "Red Out" is his first solo-release for over 2 years. There are very clear similarities with Frogacult - especially the groove - but unfortunately it seems like less focus was put on the atmosphere. It doesn’t have quite the same organic forest-atmosphere as Frogacult, and doesn’t touch me nearly as much as some of the highlights from the magnificent "Something For Sundays" album. 7. Aerospace – Scatter [136 BPM] "Scatter" is the first track I’ve heard by Aerospace – the solo project of Guy Shanti of Evil Drug Lords. Although some elements are promising, I simply don’t think it has the same high quality of most of the other tracks here, so I consider it a bit of a filler. 8. Pixel Vs. Ran Shani – Disco Nection [134 BPM] Pixel collaborates with Ran Shani on "Disco Nection", a track that was also featured on his debut album released a few months ago on HOMmega. With its low bpm it’s a quite unusual track for Pixel so far, but showing his big repertoire. Electro-sounds and utterly flawless percussion – this is a very solid groover. 9. Zen Mechanics – Ground Control [136 BPM] Last track is by the one-man act Zen Mechanics from Holland, who had a few releases in full on and ambient circles the last year or so. This is his first progressive release though, and judging by this hit, he should definitely continue down this path in the future. Despite the relatively low BPM, the rolling bassline makes it feel quite fast, and I can imagine the dance floor reaction will be perfect in the peak of a progressive set. Marvellous finish to the compilation. Bottom line: "Set:4" is the best compilation so far in the "Set" series, and I personally find the mixture of progressive and full on intriguing. Yuli did a great job balancing the compilation between new and old acts, mixing faster progressive stompers and the slower, groovier stuff, so there should be something for both the progressive lovers and full on fans. If you liked the magnificent "Playground" compilation, "Set:4" will probably also be a release for your taste – a superb compilation, probably best suitable for the dance floor, but also a gem for home listening. Favourites: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (!!), 8, 9 (!!) Verdict: 8/10 Link: Iboga Records: http://www.iboga.dk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon00 Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 Have been playing this for a couple of weeks and really like it. I basically got it as i wanted the Freq track but have been enjoying the entire album. My favourites are 3,4,5,6,8,9 Iboga have had some excellent releases lately and this continues that trend... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basilisk Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamez_23 Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 I really do like this album but the more I listen the more it just sounds like slower full on. I think I prefer Playground to this release, although it is still a good one! Definitely recommended. Arrrgghhh - The David Bowie sample in the Zen Mechanics track really pisses me off ! "Ground Control ...... Ground Control" - what is it trying to say ? Is it Major Tom trying to contact us from beyond the grave? No, I didn't think so ...... Good track ruined for me by some random sample that adds nothing to the overall end product ....... Dig the Cubica track - great for mixing as it is fairly minimal ...... Thumbs up to Ace Ventura ..... Cool track - I actually quite like the annoying acid lick at the end ...... Freq - can't remember the track but I can be sure that it sounds like every other 140 BPM track he has done, no disrepect intended. I find that out of the 20 odd Freq tracks I have only a couple of them really do it for me ........ "We Communicate" totally rocks, but thats on a different comp so I'll shut up about that now ...... The Perfect stranger track is very nice indeed .... me likey !! Grooveh ! Neither the Yotopia track or the Sunseek track are really my cup of Chai but are still nice full power / proggy tunes ..... a bit like full on, but slower. Probably wouldn't spin them but enjoyable anyway. Aerospace track - its ok but the alarm bells started ringing for me when I heard the female vocal. There is some stuff on their Album that is quite nice though ...... Pixel track is very nice indeed .... heard that one played out a few times now ... Overall - this is an album that I have really enjoyed listening to & digesting ... a few real gems on there for sure !!!! Should appeal to a fairly wide psy audience too ...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest .::E.P Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Nothing much impress mere here except the Perfect Stranger track. It's very nice. I am sad to see Iboga going more and more toward progressive/full On these days. If they continue they will end up like all the rest of the labels out there. Boring and predictable. A bit more not so clean and Hi-tech releases (as they seem to release most of the time now) would be very cool in my opinion of course Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherlockalien Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 I didnt get curious about this release, and will probably not take my time to hear it... seems to fast and like EP said, prog/full on... I dont like that.. but I still believe in iboga... the ´playground´ compilation took a few listens, but I actually quite enjoy a few tracks there now.. specially the antix remix of the freq track.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quark Posted March 17, 2005 Share Posted March 17, 2005 Iam listening to Puzzled now, and Iam finding it to be quiet good. I like it alot.. Set\4 is not my cup of tea YET! It might come later on.. Take care Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaySatanicHippie Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 Nothing much impress mere here except the Perfect Stranger track. It's very nice. I am sad to see Iboga going more and more toward progressive/full On these days. If they continue they will end up like all the rest of the labels out there. Boring and predictable. A bit more not so clean and Hi-tech releases (as they seem to release most of the time now) would be very cool in my opinion of course 231271[/snapback] Antix, Phony Orphants and Beat Bizarre are coming up, things will get better. Also Frogacult was really deep and cool. I dont know why, but even when Israelis do or try to do progressive, it always sounds superficial and plastic. Even though there are some very good tracks here, they somehow lack the deepness of euro/australian producers. Its all bubblegum music, tasty and progressive bubblegum, but still only bubblegum. Israelis seem to have heard so much fullon that they cant get rid of these influences. On the other hand there are good israeli house producers, like Moshic or the Flash Brothers, so its probably just those israelis from the trance scene. Im also quite disappointed by that Freq track, its very well done and all that, but its way to fast and noisy, it fits seemlesly with all the bubblegum here. someone should hack Freq`s Logic or Cubase and manipulate it so he cant go faster than 135 bpm any more, his slow tracks are always a lot better, like Return to the Masters or that Frogacult Remix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k1mm0 Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 me drooling over here... big time set:4 totally kicks ass. there isn't a single bad tune on this album. great dark prog in the era of cheesy upliftness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pedro Posted April 18, 2005 Share Posted April 18, 2005 I found Set 4 to be not quite as good as Playground. Still, it is a decent progressive compilation and am glad I purchased it. I found the second half of the CD more interesting than the first half. Favourite songs: 5,6(!),7,8,9(!) Incidently, I was not impressed by the FREq track - I thought his work on Playground was better. Pedro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathPosture Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 V/A - Set/4 _Essentials High-res cover: front + back Artist: Various Title: Set/4 _Essentials Format: CD (jewel case) Label: Iboga Records (Denmark) Cat. #: BOGACD28 Date: February 2005 Track listing: 01. 08’37” Ace Ventura – Cardiac Arrest 02. 08’06” Perfect Stranger – Nobody’s Perfect 03. 07’36” FREq - Lifeline 04. 07’21” Yotopia - Believe 05. 08’40” Sunseek – Jet Lag 06. 08’48” Cubica – Red Out 07. 07’39” Aerospace - Scatter 08. 07’24” Pixel vs. Ran Shani – Disco Nection 09. 09’29” Zen Mechanics – Ground Control Review: Bacon, Lettuce and progressive trance… This is the fourth opus in the Iboga Set series covering the broad spectre of rich, deep, progressive trance from all over the globe… This time it’s compiled by Yuli Fershtat known also as BLT – and the focus is mainly progressive trance from Israel, though there are also tracks from Holland, Portugal, Denmark and Australia… Anyway, let’s pop this baby in the player and check out the set… Let me take you thru the tracks… #01: Ace Ventura – Cardiac Arrest [135 BPM] The highly original name Ace Ventura (gulp!) is an alias of Yoni Oshrat – one half of PsySex… This however is far away from the typical melodic PsySex style – we’re on Iboga Records now, so obviously this is deep, progressive trance… After the initial cardiac arrest, we’re exposed to a very clean, crisp rhythm section… Smooth, funky and kinda wobbly – but still with an almost clinical sturdiness to it… The ‘climax’ @ 3’47 has a certain held-back charm to it making it irresistible… The floating pads are also sweet – just like the acid-ridden surprise ending… A very diverse track which seems to grow more and more on me… Sweet! ;o) #02: Perfect Stranger – Nobody’s Perfect [134 BPM] The stranger is BLT (Yuli Fershtat) who also compiled this compilation… I’m glad he didn’t stick to his previous declaration of not releasing anymore music – cause this is damn good! Crystal clear, tight percussion – with phat electro elements, tribal percussion and an overall organic atmosphere… There are no obvious climax or take-offs for the first six minutes, but @ 6’34 Yuli tears his goodie bag open… I could’ve wished for even more party atmosphere, but I’m sure that was never the intention with this track… A nice little groover nevertheless! #03: FREq – Lifeline [140 BPM] I always introduce Aran “FREq” Gallagher as one of the progressive trance-acts I enjoy the most... And that hasn’t changed…The quality level is impressive, and this is another sweet, sweet funky choon… Again Aran generously sprinkles big, massive melodic leads into the tune – this time with a serrated edge and a pinch of reverb… I can’t wait for Set/6 compiled by FREq + his third album coming in early 2006… Brilliant track! #04: Yotopia – Believe [141 BPM] Yotopia is Yoni Rimon & Tomer Dayan from Portugal and they’ve released quite a few tracks on compilations so far… They kick things in gear with a tribally inspired rhythm-section accompanied by razor-sharp synths and playful little melodic pads… A very joyous combination - and ‘joyous’ as an adjective pretty much sums up the feeling of this track… Good, but not amazing… #05: Sunseek – Jet Lag [140 BPM] Sunseek is Miki Ocheri – an upcoming producer from Israel… And damn, what talent this guy possesses… The promotional info describes this as ‘a mixture between psytrance and progressive’ and yes, the cross-over appeal is huge! We get the steady, driving, melodic forces from psytrance – combined with the rich, groovy phatness of progressive trance… Awesome combo! The break-down is no less than amazing – I dare anyone not to move to this! Flawless track! #06: Cubica – Red Out [135 BPM] Cubica is Mikkel Calum from Denmark… I remember his brilliant debut EP + live show back in 2001 when he was signed to Ayahuasca Records… Also he’s one half of Frogacult who’ve released quite a few progressive stompers + the debut album Something for Sundays on Iboga last year… Anyway, this track is more stripped down than its predecessors – blunt, cold beats and an almost minimal atmosphere… The track itself is ok, but it seems oddly out of place here… AND the 40 seconds of silence before the next track doesn’t do anything to improve the flow either… Wtf!? #07: Aerospace – Scatter [136 BPM] Aerospace is the progressive outfit of GuyShanti from EvilDrugLords… The scatting intro is fun, but the rest of the track doesn’t really do much for me… It’s simple, laidback progressive trance – but unfortunately not much happens… Decent track! #08: Pixel vs. Ran Shani – Disco Nection [134 BPM] Pixel is Eli Biton and he released his debut full-on album Reality Strikes Back on HOM-Mega in 2004… This track was also on that album, but it’s notably different from the other tracks… He’s joined here by Ran Shani on a hybrid choon somewhere in border country between progressive, electro and full-on… I really like the cut-up Shpongle-like voice samples and the overall playful electro bits here… A hybrid track – and a good hybrid track! #09: Zen Mechanics – Ground Control [136 BPM] Ahh, ZM is Wouter Thomassen from The Netherlands… I really liked his spacey chill track on last year’s Aleph Zero compilation Natural Born Chillers… This is his first venture into progressive trance though – and let’s hopes he keeps it up… This is good! I dig the slow, lazy beats and the well-programmed percussion… I definitely recognize his chill-background, as this track is soaked in atmospheric world-music influences… The vocals are awesome here - rumours have it that it’s Bowie!? Brilliant track to finish of a brilliant compilation! Another fine Iboga compilation here… Not the best I’ve heard this year, but its high quality nonetheless… There are a handful of very nice tracks here – unfortunately the flow is kinda lost for a couple of tracks halfway through – and the 40 seconds pause is really weird!? But generally this is good, high quality progressive trance – with hints of psy, electro and world music tossed generally around here and there… Nice! Iboga fans will not be disappointed – neither will fans of cross-over progressive trance… It will come in handy both as a DJ tool and for home-listening… Check out this compilation if you haven’t already… It’s well worth it! Enjoy! Favourites: 1(!), 3, 5(!!), 8, 9(!) DeathPosture External links: Iboga: http://tinyurl.com/bvoom Juno: http://tinyurl.com/8acsm Loud: http://tinyurl.com/bdgv9 Saiko: http://tinyurl.com/8w9xv Chaos: http://tinyurl.com/b677h Ajuca: http://tinyurl.com/7e6wl Wakyo: http://tinyurl.com/96zon Psyshop: http://tinyurl.com/7azkp Wirikuta: http://tinyurl.com/9w38s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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