Ecliptic - A Fissure In Silence

DeathPosture · December 23, 2005

Ecliptic – A Fissure In Silence

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Hi-res cover: front + back

Artist: Ecliptic (Mexico)

Title: A Fissure In Silence

Format: CD (jewel case)

Label: Maia Records (Mexico)

Cat. #: MRCD07

Distribution: Arabesque

Date: 12 December 2005

Track listing:

01. 07’52” The Oompa Loops

02. 07’32” A Fissure In Silence

03. 08’34” Illegal Frequency

04. 07’20” Think Funky (Remix)

05. 08’26” Oversoul

06. 07’30” Equilibrio

07. 07’20” To Pass Over Thoughts

08. 08’12” Reveillon

09. 08’16” Mascarade

10. 05’31” Zero Point (Lunar Sound Remix)

.m3u-playlist: http://tinyurl.com/9ytk2 (all tracks!)

Review:

The great circle representing the apparent annual path of the sun… The eclipse!

Mexican full-on label Maia Records is out with the debut album by Ecliptic. This Mexican duo consists of Raul Mejia and Juan Carlos Navarro and they’ve been producing music since 1999… I’ve only recently become aware of their talent - and I really liked their track on the Build Your Own Reactor compilation released on Liquid Records in 2005… I dubbed that track the Zombie Nation of psytrance with its unique, edgy, futuristic morning trance appeal… Interesting stuff and I hope this album will be too…

Let me take you thru the tracks…

#01: The Oompa Loops [143 BPM]

“Oompa-Loompas! Well, they can’t be real people. Of course they are real people!” Forget about cacao beans, these are Oompa Loops – not Loompas… Anyway, what we get here is a very fragmented full-on morning track with a pretty solid kick-drum… Riddled with all kinds of samples – both familiar and fresh ones… And it really works; this is high-quality full-on… I totally dig it!

#02: A Fissure In Silence [141 BPM]

“We can affect the future!” The title track continues in the uplifting morning full-on style… The basslines are pretty bland and kinda boring, but luckily there’s enough other interesting stuff to make up for it… Like the hard-core tweaking and morphing going on… Also the metallic kick is sweet… Well, we’re not exactly re-inventing the wheel but for full-on, this is still pretty nice…

#03: Illegal Frequency [145 BPM]

Whereas the two previous tracks featured edgy full-on, I’m afraid this is more like formulated full-on… Predictable, standard basslines and rolling synths... Also the samples seem to annoy me… Sad really! I tend to skip this track – there are better things ahead!

#04: Think Funky (Remix) [144 BPM]

We’re still in full-on morning territory, but I like this track better than the previous one… Somehow they’ve upped the ante, cranked up the groove-meter and improved the kicks… The break-down part and following climax are pretty sweet, but still, there’s not much new under the sun here… But still a nice little track…

#05: Oversoul [144 BPM]

Despite the same BPM count, this track seems less funky, and more upbeat than its predecessor… And I’m afraid, that’s a turn for the worse – this is as standard as it gets… Fast-paced, formulated full-on with a bland bassline and some kind of guitar incorporated into the kick… It would be really awesome if we hadn’t heard it 10,000 times before…

#06: Equilibrio [145 BPM]

This track takes on a slightly darker approach to full-on trance… Gone are the most obvious cheese pitfalls, and we’re left with a pretty trance-inducing piece of music… Reminds me of newer Tristan, with razor-sharp synth stabs and a well-defined rhythm-section… Pumping like crazy and with enough twirling acid-lines to keep me interested… Also the sampling is particularly nicely done here – and the break/build-up part/break is sweet! A nice tune!

#07: To Pass Over Thoughts [138 BPM]

As you can tell, the BPM drops here – only to be rise again for the next track… So flow-wise, I’m not sure how well-placed this track is… Anyway it looks worse on paper, and this track also has a slightly darkish feel (which validates the placement I guess…). This has a lazier beat than the predecessor though, and I’m happy to say, that this is also a pretty nice tune… Reminds me of recent Dragonfly stuff, with ultra-tight production value and huge soundscapes… Like a darker version of Mr. Peculiar… Groovy!

#08: Reveillon [145 BPM]

And here’s another solid full-on track – less dark, but still very much a night time tune… The bassline is deep and rolling and the vocal work is spooky… The guys also manage to incorporate an old-school melody into the frenzy that is this track… Hectic to say the least, but instantly dancefloor friendly… Ecliptic full-on indeed!

#09: Mascarade [140 BPM]

This track was made by the Ecliptic guys in corporation with good old Michele Adamson – who shouldn’t need further introduction… Her vocal work is indeed impressive, and it really fits this hard-hitting track… The bassline is crisper than ever here, and the production is absolutely tight … The melodies form a nice base and the surrounding twists and turns are all nicely done… Another winner!

#10: Zero Point (Lunar Sound Remix) [105 BPM]

We finish things off with a chilled tune… Lunar Sound is an alias for Ecliptic, so the guys are remixing themselves here… What we get, is an exotic downbeat tune with all kinds of sunny elements – tribal drums alongside playful synths… Pretty nice, but not my fav’e here…

This album was better than I expected – I had my doubts with Maia Records releasing it, but then again, the track I already knew by the Ecliptic guys was pretty damn fine… And for the most part, this album surprised me positively… Well – apart from the boring full-on tracks in the middle part of the album… But overlooking those three tracks, the rest of the album is pretty damn sweet… The first track rocks – and those last four dancefloor tracks are real sweet… High-quality edgy Mexican full-on! Nice!

I’m not too impressed with the cover-art, but most of the music speaks for itself… So, in conclusion this was a full-on album that surprised me in a positive way… Full-on yes, but with enough edgy choons to keep me interested.... Check it out; you might be in for a surprise! Enjoy!

Favourites: 1(!), 2, 6, 7, 8(!), 9

DeathPosture

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