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Gaudium - Nordic Nature


DeathPosture

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I'm opening a new thread here, in the appropriate review forum as this thread isn't really a proper review...

-------------------------------

Gaudium – Nordic Nature

 

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Artist: Gaudium (Sweden)

Title: Nordic Nature

Format: CD (jewel case)

Label: Spiral Trax (Sweden)

Cat. #: SPITCD021

Distribution: Cosmophilia

Date: 26 Jul 2005

 

Track listing:

 

01. 08’14” Nordic Nature

02. 08’16” Sleepwalker

03. 08’12” Walking In Circles

04. 08’45” Muzzic

05. 08’45” PsychoWhiteChocolateDiscoDeluxe

06. 08’47” Phunky People

07. 08’46” Wunderschön

08. 07’36” Moxjo Depth

09. 07’37” Higher Zonez

 

Review:

 

Back on plastix!

 

Finally Spiral Trax is back with a new artist release… One of my fav’e progressive labels! It’s been more than a year since the release of the Atmos album 2nd Brigade… DJ Anti claims this break from releasing was due to ‘lack of interesting music in the trance scene’ and therefore he focussed on his progressive house label ACDC instead… Anyway, things shaped up and he scouted the talent of Swedish producers Denis Bajramovski & Andreas Wennersköld… Gaudium is the Latin word for ‘satisfaction’ and in the wake of all the hype this album has been getting since the release in July, I’m indeed hoping for some satisfaction…

 

Let me take you thru the tracks…

 

#01: Nordic Nature

The title track is already pretty known – and has been released on a couple of compilations already… And yeah, I can see why this is the reference track so to speak… This is progressive psytrance in its purest form: Groovy percussion, phat melodic pads and an overall reverb-groove that is hard to top… Kinda like FREq, only more uplifting… Yeah – this is wholesome, epic Swedish trance… Sweet!

 

#02: Sleepwalker

“You got to realize that you're dreaming in the first place. You got to be able to recognize it. You got to be able to ask yourself, hey man is this a dream? See, most people never ask themselves that when they're awake, or especially when they're asleep!” This track has also been getting a lot of attention this summer – and I totally understand that… This is a little harder than the previous, epic track – and I’m all about ‘harder’… Oh yes, this has a Tegma/Beat Bizarre/Atmos flavour to it – and the reverb is still very much in place… Just listen to those stabbing synths … They always send shivers down my spine! Also the Waking Life samples are nicely placed… Fuck yes; this is what I’m talking about! Uplifting progressive trance in the finest form! ...Solid track!

 

#03: Walking In Circles

Subtle, tribal intro here… I dig the deep, semi-polished metallic percussion used in this track… Yeah – the rhythm section fills pretty much the entire spectre of sound here… It’s a big, phat happy wall of sound… Loopy to say the least – hence the title! Epic, driving stuff… Reminds me of Antix or 12 Moons in some parts… The second half of the track – after the break-down – is really the best… A real crowd-pleaser… Another nice track!

 

#04: Muzzic

This was one of the very first Gaudium track to surface – it was released by Midijum Records in early 2005 on the SoulSeeker 2 compilation… I can see why this is popular – it’s very well-polished, uplifting, epic progressive trance with twirling little melodies on top… All very nice – but also a little predictable – and dare I say – boring? Also, I’m not too impressed with the low-pitched samples in the second half of this track! Anyway - this is a good track some variation wouldn’t do any harm…

 

#05: PsychoWhiteChocolateDiscoDeluxe

Haha – great track name here… Also, we’re finally getting a little variation now… The beats are cut-up and gritty – and some deepness was really welcome… I really like how this track builds and builds from start to finish… A very rewarding journey! Pounding as a jackhammer and tight as hell… Deep, driving, progressive trance – with a hint of underground! Just what the doctor ordered… Nice track!

 

#06: Phunky People

This track has just been released on 12” with an interesting remix of Walking In Circles on the flip…Anyway, this is another track which is a huge wall of sound… A relentlessly phunky bassline and reverbs all over the place… The breakdown is ok I guess – but a little too long… Also, I’m not the biggest fan of the ‘funky’ samples… A decent track…

 

#07: Wunderschön

And we’re digging deeper now, on this almost-minimal choon…The pace has decreased a little, and I guess the guys are experimenting a little now… I’m all for experimentation, but somehow I never really connected with the oddball parts of this track… I like the suave parts the most, but still… It’s mostly too boring for my taste… Another decent track…

 

#08: Moxjo Depth

Ahh – this is much better now… There’s indeed depth here… Oh yes, this one comes across as very FREqqy in some parts with harmonic synth-parts all over the place – and enough groove to go around twice… I like the electro-inspired little acid-parts here… And the breakdown works much better on this track… Oh yes, this is well-polished without being too damn clubby… I like it!

 

#09: Higher Zonez

We finish off with another semi-cheesy number… The intro is very Balearic – and it goes on like that for most of the track… Reminds me of Antix or Threshold Productions… Very uplifting and floating… Some would say beautiful – I say cheese! This one didn’t *do* it for me… Sorry to say so!

 

Lots of people have dubbed this the best progressive album of 2005 so far… I disagree! The Tegma, Jaïa, Phony Orphants and Beat Bizarre albums are all better… But don’t get me wrong – this is good album with some very, very good tracks on it… Unfortunately it also has a couple of mediocre, boring and predictable tracks on it… So, in my book the quality consistency level isn’t up to par with the amount of awesome, funky, butt-shaking tracks here… The funny thing is that if you took most of these tracks out of context, I’m pretty sure they would be stand-out tracks – but on this CD some of them drown in overkill… And that’s sad!

 

Let me stress once more though, that this isn’t a bad album at all… In fact, there are more good tracks than there are bad tracks… I just like my progressive trance to take more chances – and have greater variation… And you can say a lot of things about this album, but variation isn’t one of them… So, as good as this might be as a DJ tool, it’s not as good for home-listening… The good tracks are indeed good – and the weaker tracks are indeed weak!

 

The mastering by the Son Kite guys sound flawless as always and I like the clinic ‘cold’ touch of the artwork… It fits the music and the title perfectly… Well done! Fans of the more commercial side of progressive trance will most definitely like this, whereas fans of edgy progressive might easily get bored… But to conclude, this is generally a good album – but not among the best this year… Enjoy!

 

Favourites: 1, 2(!!), 3, 5, 8

 

DeathPosture

Posted Image

 

External links:

Gaudium: http://www.gaudium.se

Spiral Trax: http://www.spiraltrax.com

Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/release/490914

Saiko Sounds: http://tinyurl.com/dsa92

TranceShop: http://tinyurl.com/8phnl

Megastore: http://tinyurl.com/bslq8

Psyshop: http://tinyurl.com/c8j3o

Wakyo: http://tinyurl.com/be2bo

Chaos: http://tinyurl.com/7epd3

Cisco: http://tinyurl.com/ahtfn

 

For info on the vinyl-version, please check the Spiral Trax website…

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I'm opening a new thread here, in the appropriate review forum as this thread isn't really a proper review...

-------------------------------

Gaudium – Nordic Nature

 

Posted Image

 

Artist: Gaudium (Sweden)

Title: Nordic Nature

Format: CD (jewel case)

Label: Spiral Trax (Sweden)

Cat. #: SPITCD021

Distribution: Cosmophilia

Date: 26 Jul 2005

 

Track listing:

 

01. 08’14” Nordic Nature

02. 08’16” Sleepwalker

03. 08’12” Walking In Circles

04. 08’45” Muzzic

05. 08’45” PsychoWhiteChocolateDiscoDeluxe

06. 08’47” Phunky People

07. 08’46” Wunderschön

08. 07’36” Moxjo Depth

09. 07’37” Higher Zonez

 

Review:

 

Back on plastix!

 

Finally Spiral Trax is back with a new artist release… One of my fav’e progressive labels! It’s been more than a year since the release of the Atmos album 2nd Brigade… DJ Anti claims this break from releasing was due to ‘lack of interesting music in the trance scene’ and therefore he focussed on his progressive house label ACDC instead… Anyway, things shaped up and he scouted the talent of Swedish producers Denis Bajramovski & Andreas Wennersköld… Gaudium is the Latin word for ‘satisfaction’ and in the wake of all the hype this album has been getting since the release in July, I’m indeed hoping for some satisfaction…

 

Let me take you thru the tracks…

 

#01: Nordic Nature

The title track is already pretty known – and has been released on a couple of compilations already… And yeah, I can see why this is the reference track so to speak… This is progressive psytrance in its purest form: Groovy percussion, phat melodic pads and an overall reverb-groove that is hard to top… Kinda like FREq, only more uplifting… Yeah – this is wholesome, epic Swedish trance… Sweet!

 

#02: Sleepwalker

“You got to realize that you're dreaming in the first place. You got to be able to recognize it. You got to be able to ask yourself, hey man is this a dream? See, most people never ask themselves that when they're awake, or especially when they're asleep!” This track has also been getting a lot of attention this summer – and I totally understand that… This is a little harder than the previous, epic track – and I’m all about ‘harder’… Oh yes, this has a Tegma/Beat Bizarre/Atmos flavour to it – and the reverb is still very much in place… Just listen to those stabbing synths … They always send shivers down my spine! Also the Waking Life samples are nicely placed… Fuck yes; this is what I’m talking about! Uplifting progressive trance in the finest form! ...Solid track!

 

#03: Walking In Circles

Subtle, tribal intro here… I dig the deep, semi-polished metallic percussion used in this track… Yeah – the rhythm section fills pretty much the entire spectre of sound here… It’s a big, phat happy wall of sound… Loopy to say the least – hence the title! Epic, driving stuff… Reminds me of Antix or 12 Moons in some parts… The second half of the track – after the break-down – is really the best… A real crowd-pleaser… Another nice track!

 

#04: Muzzic

This was one of the very first Gaudium track to surface – it was released by Midijum Records in early 2005 on the SoulSeeker 2 compilation… I can see why this is popular – it’s very well-polished, uplifting, epic progressive trance with twirling little melodies on top… All very nice – but also a little predictable – and dare I say – boring? Also, I’m not too impressed with the low-pitched samples in the second half of this track! Anyway - this is a good track some variation wouldn’t do any harm…

 

#05: PsychoWhiteChocolateDiscoDeluxe

Haha – great track name here… Also, we’re finally getting a little variation now… The beats are cut-up and gritty – and some deepness was really welcome… I really like how this track builds and builds from start to finish… A very rewarding journey! Pounding as a jackhammer and tight as hell… Deep, driving, progressive trance – with a hint of underground! Just what the doctor ordered… Nice track!

 

#06: Phunky People

This track has just been released on 12” with an interesting remix of Walking In Circles on the flip…Anyway, this is another track which is a huge wall of sound… A relentlessly phunky bassline and reverbs all over the place… The breakdown is ok I guess – but a little too long… Also, I’m not the biggest fan of the ‘funky’ samples…  A decent track…

 

#07: Wunderschön

And we’re digging deeper now, on this almost-minimal choon…The pace has decreased a little, and I guess the guys are experimenting a little now… I’m all for experimentation, but somehow I never really connected with the oddball parts of this track… I like the suave parts the most, but still… It’s mostly too boring for my taste… Another decent track…

 

#08: Moxjo Depth

Ahh – this is much better now… There’s indeed depth here… Oh yes, this one comes across as very FREqqy in some parts with harmonic synth-parts all over the place – and enough groove to go around twice… I like the electro-inspired little acid-parts here… And the breakdown works much better on this track… Oh yes, this is well-polished without being too damn clubby… I like it!

 

#09: Higher Zonez

We finish off with another semi-cheesy number… The intro is very Balearic – and it goes on like that for most of the track… Reminds me of Antix or Threshold Productions… Very uplifting and floating… Some would say beautiful – I say cheese! This one didn’t *do* it for me… Sorry to say so!

 

Lots of people have dubbed this the best progressive album of 2005 so far… I disagree! The Tegma, Jaïa, Phony Orphants and Beat Bizarre albums are all better… But don’t get me wrong – this is good album with some very, very good tracks on it… Unfortunately it also has a couple of mediocre, boring and predictable tracks on it… So, in my book the quality consistency level isn’t up to par with the amount of awesome, funky, butt-shaking tracks here… The funny thing is that if you took most of these tracks out of context, I’m pretty sure they would be stand-out tracks – but on this CD some of them drown in overkill… And that’s sad!

 

Let me stress once more though, that this isn’t a bad album at all… In fact, there are more good tracks than there are bad tracks… I just like my progressive trance to take more chances – and have greater variation… And you can say a lot of things about this album, but variation isn’t one of them… So, as good as this might be as a DJ tool, it’s not as good for home-listening… The good tracks are indeed good – and the weaker tracks are indeed weak!

 

The mastering by the Son Kite guys sound flawless as always and I like the clinic ‘cold’ touch of the artwork… It fits the music and the title perfectly… Well done! Fans of the more commercial side of progressive trance will most definitely like this, whereas fans of edgy progressive might easily get bored… But to conclude, this is generally a good album – but not among the best this year… Enjoy!

 

Favourites: 1, 2(!!), 3, 5, 8

 

DeathPosture

Posted Image

 

External links:

Gaudium: http://www.gaudium.se

Spiral Trax: http://www.spiraltrax.com

Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/release/490914 

Saiko Sounds: http://tinyurl.com/dsa92

TranceShop: http://tinyurl.com/8phnl

Megastore: http://tinyurl.com/bslq8

Psyshop: http://tinyurl.com/c8j3o

Wakyo: http://tinyurl.com/be2bo

Chaos: http://tinyurl.com/7epd3 

Cisco: http://tinyurl.com/ahtfn 

 

For info on the vinyl-version, please check the Spiral Trax website…

358274[/snapback]

 

nice review, exactly my opinion, good but boring, if that makes any sense

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nice review, exactly my opinion, good but boring, if that makes any sense

358284[/snapback]

I can't believe you quoted the whole thing! :blink:

 

Hehe... But yeah, that pretty much sums it up... Good, but too many boring, predictable parts...

 

/DP

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one of my favourits too and indeed one of the best 2005 brought us so far...

 

very subtle smooth slight melodic progressive trance... with a humble drive, everything at the right place and very but very crystal clear ^_^

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Let me stress once more though, that this isn’t a bad album at all… In fact, there are more good tracks than there are bad tracks… I just like my progressive trance to take more chances – and have greater variation… And you can say a lot of things about this album, but variation isn’t one of them… So, as good as this might be as a DJ tool, it’s not as good for home-listening… The good tracks are indeed good – and the weaker tracks are indeed weak!

 

DeathPosture

 

358274[/snapback]

couldn't agree more, well said...

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Well, I'm one of those who dubbed this the best proggy-release of 2005 (so far) so I feel obliged to reply :P Not to get into a-fight-about-music-on-the-internet, but just to give "a second opinion"

 

For me this is everything BUT boring ;)

 

Just like Freq's "Strange Attractors" this album is of such high quality that it seems to lack 1 or 2 stand-out tracks. It's more like a 60-min-song at first & that might put some ppl off.

 

I just love the percussive details in the tracks, small sounds that don't really surface until you've heard the album over 25 times (I'm well beyond that now) Like the hammering sound in the beginning of Sleepwalker that echoes & fades away in that dubby way.

The rhythmic nuaces that give a tribal-touch to something that started

out as a clubby tune.

 

The vocal-samples might seem easy or commercial to some, but never sound cheap to me... In fact there's 1 track where the sample is repeated like an matra that's not to be understood but who's sole goal is to hypnotise the listener.

 

I would like to describe Gaudium as a synthesis of some other Spiral Trax-artists. It's subtle like Atmos, epic like Vibraspehere & playful like Human Blue, all at the same time. This might sound like they're ingenious copy-cats, yet they fully manage to craft their own style out of it (imo)

 

Gaudium also get a thumbs up for not recycling sounds other artists already used (apart from the vocal samples ofcourse) , but creating their own arsenal of sonic equipement.

 

Anyway, should you buy this & get bored, be sure to put it back in your cd-player after a week or 2. You might end up like me & do it again&again&again&again...

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Gaudium also get a thumbs up for not recycling sounds other artists already used (apart from the vocal samples ofcourse) , but creating their own arsenal of sonic equipement.

361225[/snapback]

Being a (very) amateur producer myself, I can say that this album is very heavy on samples from various sample-CD's. And many of them I've heard in other productions as well. That doesn't mean it's bad though, I just had to reply to your comment ;)
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its not that i dont like it, it sure is good, nice sounds, well crafted, and im using some songs in my mixes quite often, they always work well and mix well, actually, they mix too well, it blends with everything without providing the "what track is that?" feeling.

 

The thing is, If this CD would have been released two years ago, I would have been stunned, but now in the meantime i have heard too many similar sounding tracks, and I need more surperises to keepme interested in the long run.

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its a great dj tool .... not so good for home listening ....

 

the tracks rock on rig and fit really well in the mix with other stuff in this genre ....

 

I cant listen to it all way through myself ...... but still think it is a really good buy / cd .....

 

hmmm

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GAUDIUM rules and Nordic nature is an awsome debut imho...

 

i don't agree with the folks who say it's boring,their tracks sturcture is quite minimal,but the production is full power and loaded with fat sounds.

 

i've played some of it and in the right places it works very well....but indeed it flows greatly @ home as well,because it never shouts too much and its craftly mixed and mastered.

 

what a nice return from the darkness for Spiral trax!

 

Favorite track...walking in circles ! :ph34r:

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I just like my progressive trance to take more chances – and have greater variation… And you can say a lot of things about this album, but variation isn’t one of them…

Agreed.

 

The sequences and sampled sounds seem to be of the same origin, slighty differing due to effects. But the complexity of arrangements and implementation/arrangements stand out. Excellent to mix within a set, but not very wise to mix these tracks back to back....

 

Still, I see this as another quality progressive trance album! :ph34r:

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nice album, agreed with the comments about variation (i was a bit disappointed about the lack of variation). am still trying to work out how close to the cheese barrier this album skates

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  • 1 month later...

This album indeed skates very close to the cheese barrier in places. The tracks combine elements of this with the now standard issue smooth prog sound. The results work sometimes but not always.

 

I got this based on samples and some of the more positive reviews above with hopes that it would be good. It's allright but nothing I'm compelled to pull out and listen to often. I think I'll sell it if I ever get the time to put a bunch of stuff on Ebay.

 

As a DJ tool... maybe. I'm not qualified to judge on this point.

 

For home listening... not outstanding but listenable.

 

5.5 to 6 out of 10

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  • 1 month later...

This album indeed skates very close to the cheese barrier in places. The tracks combine elements of this with the now standard issue smooth prog sound. The results work sometimes but not always.

 

For home listening... not outstanding but listenable.

 

5.5 to 6 out of 10

406179[/snapback]

It's best for the kind of activity where you drift in and out of active/passive listening. I gave it to my massage therapist, it's wizard in that context. Or for acupuncture, for example, it'd work a treat.

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