Behind Blue Eyes – Behind Blue Eyes

[pr0fane]

Artist: Behind Blue Eyes

Title: Behind Blue Eyes

Label: Iboga

Format: CD

Released: November, 2005

 

 

Review:

 

Straight from the Iboga lab in Denmark, undoubtly THE progressive psytrance label at the moment, comes a fresh album from the new and fairly unknown duo Behind Blue Eyes. The involved people are no newcomers to the scene though, one being Rene from the project Beat Bizarre, which is one of the most important acts in the Iboga roster, and the other being Banel - internationally acclaimed DJ, one of the co-founders and owners of Iboga Records, and also previously a part of Fabel.

 

The duos first and only release under the Behind Blue Eyes project before this album, was the track "Goose Bump" on Ibogas "Playground" compilation, and quite frankly I found it a bit of a letdown - let's see if the full length album can provide something more interesting.

 

 

01. Excerpts From Dreams [135 BPM]

Kicking of the album is "Excerpts From Dreams", starting with a short intro before the somewhat hollow bassline kicks in after around 30 seconds. The track is quite minimal with only a small hint of a melody, and with a groove that’s a bit too basic and static for my liking. As an opening track, I frankly didn't find it engaging enough.

 

02. Remember This [133 BPM]

"Remember This" is slightly darker than the opener, with a hard and slightly tribal, static groove. A simple melody starts after 2 minutes and 30 seconds, and unfortunately seems a bit distracting to me, being to harsh and dominant. Some almost oldschool pads enter around halfway through the track, and work quite well, but overall the track doesn't stand out among the best.

 

03. Shadow Environment [133 BPM]

Now, this is where the album really starts in my opinion. "Shadow Environment" feels much more complete than the two previous tracks, and the sound seems richer and with more depth. It reminds me of Beat Bizarres "Milk Tooth", but in a slower, groovier version, and with some really nice percussion. Definitely a mighty fine track.

 

04. Sunshine [133 BPM]

Well, the title of this track says it all really. "Sunshine" is uplifting from the first second with loads of bright sounds and naïve melodies, giving it a really cheerful daytime atmosphere. It isn't until the breakdown around halfway through it really starts to shine though, with the appearance of some very delightful pads. Yet another fine track.

 

05. Brumbasse [133 BPM]

"Brumbasse" (Danish for "Bumblebee") continue with the daytime/morning sound, taking it one step further with an even more trancy touch. There's less focus on the bassline than in the first 4 tracks, and the atmosphere is stellar, with stunning heavily reverbed synth stabs, beautiful pads and an utterly sweet piano-melody. A really awesome tune with an emotional, almost epic touch - definitely my favourite tune on the album.

 

06. As Sugar Dissolves [133 BPM]

A laidback groove keeps "As Sugar Dissolves" rolling nicely, and some sweet pads are present for most part of the track, but they really kick in, in full effect with around 3 minutes left of the track. Doesn't quite live up to the predecessor "Brumbasse", but is a nice track though - at times reminiscent of some of the material from Phony Orphants "Symphony" album.

 

07. The Epitome [128 BPM]

After some 4 good tracks, "The Epitome" slows things down, going into the slightly housier realm, yet maintaining the Behind Blue Eyes sound. It starts very deep and somewhat gloomy with a drone sound, and slowly develops and gets less and less dark. It never gets really appealing though, and to me it's one of the least interesting tracks here.

 

08. Rumble In The Jungle [135 BPM]

"Rumble In The Jungle" picks up the pace quite a bit, and is one of the most intense tracks on the album, with a fast, rolling tribal groove. The attitude is quite serious, leaning towards the dark and gloomy, and "Rumble In The Jungle" is a very appropriate title for this track - I can imagine it would go down quite well in a storming progressive forest set. Solid dance floor track.

 

09. Brumbasse (Emok Remix) [133 BPM]

To finish the album Banels partner in Iboga Records, Emok, member of Phony Orphants, take on the task of remixing "Brumbasse". Emok didn't change much on the remix though; it's more or less the same despite some polishing here and there, and generally giving it a slightly housier, groovier and less trancy touch - but it suits the track well, and is a great bonus to the album.

 

 

Bottom line:

 

With the album "Behind Blue Eyes", the new duo will certainly establish themselves as a progressive psytrance act to look out for. The sound is very distinct, and has a raw and somewhat dirty, unique touch compared to a lot of progressive on the market - naturally it's fairly close to Beat Bizarre, but definitely brighter, more daytime-oriented and with some tribal elements. As an album it does have its flaws though, the biggest being the slow start with the two first, quite disappointing tracks.

 

All in all "Behind Blue Eyes" is a pretty good album though. It doesn't sound nearly as formulated as a lot of releases on the market at the moment, and contains a good amount of stand-out tunes. Certainly worth checking out.

 

 

Favourites:

 

3, 4, 5 (!!), 6, 8, 9

 

 

Verdict:

 

7,5/10

 

 

Link:

 

Iboga Records: http://www.iboga.dk

[krelmatrix]

I just got this one today and was quite surprised. It is minimal, droning, melancholy, trippy, deep and yet still extremely tricky. Something about the overall feel is resonating with me right now - not sure if it is the weather or my general state of mind, but the gloomy monotone sounds here are speaking to me. I'll have to give it several more listens to really dive deep into this one.

 

Big surprise for me.

[vitali]

Im going to check this, certainly.

[DeathPosture]

Behind Blue Eyes – Behind Blue Eyes

 

 

Artist: Behind Blue Eyes (Denmark)

Title: Behind Blue Eyes

Format: CD (jewel case)

Label: Iboga Records (Denmark)

Cat. #: IBOGACD35

Distribution: twohandsdistribution.com

Date: 23 November 2005

 

Track listing:

 

01. 08’04” Excerpts From Dreams

02. 08’09” Remember This

03. 08’17” Shadow Environment

04. 08’53” Sunshine

05. 09’07” Brumbasse

06. 07’11” As Brown Sugar Dissolves

07. 08’32” The Epitome

08. 09’11” Rumble In The Jungle

09. 07’42” Brumbasse (Emok Remix)

 

Review:

 

Sunglasses at night…

 

This debut album from BBE marks the 35th CD release from Danish label Iboga Records – and this time, the artist is Iboga label boss Banel (Michael Abel-Larsen) in cahoots with Rene Nielsen of Beat Bizarre fame… They’ve teamed up under the Behind Blue Eyes moniker, under which they’ve already released one track on last year’s Playground compilation… I haven’t heard that one, so I have no idea what to expect… Let’s find out…

 

Let me take you thru the tracks…

 

#01: Excerpts From Dreams [135 BPM]

The opening track is blunt, though playful… Minimal, yet groovy… Simple, yet multi-layered… WTF? Yeah, this is a puzzling track in all its complexity… I really like the laid-back progressive groove here… This is car music – for cruising around in an urban environment at night – wearing sunglasses! A nice track that took me A LOT of listens to become comfortable with – but now I totally dig it!

 

#02: Remember This [133 BPM]

“You’re my hiding place, my faithful escape…” As the title suggests, we’re digging deep in the retro-bag… And we’re getting a real dominant female vocal here… I’m usually not the biggest fan of singing in trance, but this vocal is pretty damn nice – and fits the track perfectly… The music is also something out of the ordinary – with a sharp contrast between the deep-as-fuck reverb and the light-as-a-feather naïve melodies introduced halfway through the track… Three very dominant elements in this track, but they complete each other very nicely… A very ripe, mature track – which I’m sure, will appeal to the cross-over crowd too…

 

#03: Shadow Environment [133 BPM]

This track is like a mix of the two previous tracks… The contrasts mixed with the multi-layered complexity… Actually it starts out pretty boring – and continues to be kinda dull throughout most of the track… It gets better towards the ending, but still there is nothing here we haven’t heard on a gazillion Ibiza-compilation before… I dunno, maybe it’s because of its Balearic decent I don’t really get anything from it? A decent track…

 

#04: Sunshine [133 BPM]

As the title suggests, we’re still in fluff-territory here… Only this track appeals to me in a much greater sense than the previous one… That’s right, I’m a sucker for a well-constructed rhythm-section, and that’s exactly what we get here… It all starts out tribal Etnoscope-style, but soon more layers are added – including some floating, uplifting melodious background pads… Oh yeah, this might be commercial too, but I actually like it… Sexy beach-house trance… Nothing ground-breaking, but nice nevertheless…

 

#05: Brumbasse [133 BPM]

We’re still rubbing shoulders with the most commercial tracks on this compilation, but this track is a definite step in the right direction… Devout of the most obvious cheese-pitfalls, this track is real sweet… Big syncopated reverbs + nifty little melodic pads + subtle percussion + the sweetest summer groove this side of the Atlantic… Oh yes, this is what I’m talking about… Progressive trance when it’s best! Brilliant track!

 

#06: As Brown Sugar Dissolves [133 BPM]

Right – I take, it this is not a reference to heroin or subsequently The Rolling Stones… Whatever it is, this is a pretty harmless, laid-back track… Cruising at a comfortable 133 beats per minute, and generally sounding pretty nice… Nothing that gets me too excited though!

 

#07: The Epitome [128 BPM]

But wow – now we’re getting somewhere… This is definitely the most hard-hitting track of the album – despite the lowest BPM… Oh, the irony! Anyway, this is one bleak panzerfaust of a track… Minimal in structure at first, but slowly develops into something that bears closer resemblance to the previous tracks… I really don’t like the vocals here, but they don’t last too long so I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear ‘em… Generally speaking, this is on hell of a track – experimental and edgy… And I’m all about edge! Sweet track!

 

#08: Rumble In The Jungle [135 BPM]

‘The Rumble in The Jungle’ was a historic boxing event that took place on October 30, 1974, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It pitted then world Heavyweight champion George Foreman against former world champion and that time challenger Muhammad Ali. Ali won! Enough sidetracking now – let’s talk about this track… The intro is maybe a little too long for my taste, but when things finally happen they happen with a blast… Yeah, this is also pretty rough around the edges, but with enough uplifting elements to ensure a safe passage… I like the huge pads that surface once in a while maxing out the entire sound-spectre… Well done! A majestic tune!

 

#09: Brumbasse (Emok Remix) [133 BPM]

Emok (Mikael Dahlgaard) from Phony Orphants ends the album with a remix to Brumbasse…He re-arranges the track into a slightly more electro-ridden house-tune… The melodic lead here doesn’t do much for me… It’s not bad at all, but frankly I prefer the original…

 

Right, so I actually have pretty mixed feeling about this album…There are no bad tracks here – not at all… It’s just that some passages are a little too dull for my tastes… But hey, I do not despair, as there’s a handful of track here which are really good… Three of them are even VERY good… And I’m happy to say, that the good tracks easily outweigh the less-good tracks… ;o)

 

The best tracks are the edgy ones… The ones taking chances and playing around mixing up opposite elements… I like that, and in that sense this album is brilliant… If only it wasn’t for the few close-to-generic tracks here… Anyway, it’s still a pretty damn nice debut album. So, to clear up the confusion: Generally I like this album, but it’s not among the best I’ve heard this year… It’s still Iboga though, which guarantees a high level of quality! Progressive fans will definitely take well to this, and I’m sure certain tracks will cross successfully over into more commercial scenes too… Enjoy!

 

Favourites: 1(!), 2, 5(!), 7(!), 8

 

DeathPosture

 

External links:

Iboga Records: http://www.iboga.dk

Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/release/559736

Saiko Sounds: http://tinyurl.com/br8bs

TranceShop: http://tinyurl.com/aggya

Beatspace: http://tinyurl.com/9v87u

Psyshop: http://tinyurl.com/cyz2k

Chaos: http://tinyurl.com/bclub

[vitali]

From the band with such fascinating name "Behind Blue Eyes" i expected more profound and dark music. Their sound is not bad at all, but very typical scandinavian prog. Tends to be more commercial than psychedelic.

Nevertheless, as DeathPosture has said, it is not bad for the debut album.

 

And I liked track #4.

[DJ.Zero]

Damn ...i just Really love this album, Iboga 100%

this album is pure quality i like it alot

[alleycat]

love it, cant see why youd call it commercial though, I have yet to hear anything like this. Sure theres others which use similar bass structure, but so what? Mozart, Bach, Vivaldi, they all used the same instruments.