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Procs - Stuck In The Oven With me


RAH2D2

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Artist: Procs

 

Album: Stuck in the Oven with me

 

Label: Trishula Records

 

Web: www.procs.info, www.trishula-records.com/

 

Year: 2005

 

Format: CD

 

 

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What's this about

 

Mikke Stegman has been baking all year long for the Christmas treats. The ingredients do not include aggressive, menacing beats threatening to cause cardiac arrests, nor psychological traumatic experiences. It's a different theme altogether. As if he had been isolated from what we the usually define as hardened twilight trance. His creations are somehow mysterious, terribly eccentric and nearly aberrant… but he's doing all this with a… strange smile in his face, albeit is not an evil smirk. What's the big difference? I'm going to let you decide:

 

 

 

Per-song break-down

 

 

01. Gluffsing the Pop. *

 

If by Gluffsing he means sinking the reverb-ed kick the slimiest mud you can get your hands on…and if by pop he means long winded church organs sliding on each other, added the synthetic bleepy under back…this is not the Madonna we are talking about here. I don't know why the evolution of the track reminds me of classical music, more than trance. Probably cause Mikke actually studied music a bit? It starts of well, leading a trail of smoke for what is yet to be heard.

 

 

02. Mr. Baengrot Rides Again. *

 

Little did Mr. Baengrot know about the journey that lied ahead: Rhythms with warm organic slices for any standard jungle rituals. Accordions splashing a strange vibe disappear by the same gate they came in. relentless effects engage in their own little conversation with the samples in manic orchestration. Hold on to your rockers Mr. Baengrot.

 

 

03. The Tailnissers Tale (Mofy Mix) *

 

We continue the jungle exploration through uncharted territories, digital cricketing and effects planted in scarcity. The Tailnissers near techno grooves, hints less straightforward action. The surroundings are murky, with warm organic roots, instead of cacophonous steel harshness. It wouldn't be far-fetched to square it as a manic piece of good hip-dancing forest.

 

 

04. Gelatom Megafon

 

The Megafon makes a return to neo-jazzy departures in the form of clarinets (or so it seems to me), aligned with relentless bass and effects galore. It's psychedelic without being taxing or intense on the ears… you can actually enjoy the flow. Reminds me of previous works released on Altitude Recordings.

 

 

05. Overtures from the Oven *

 

Drummalism with the characteristic Procs signature continuing on a similar vein as the Megafon: twisting the theme on freaky circus lines delayed, chopped to bits, rewound and twisted as if to mimic an overall wobbly effect. The overtures reach abstraction, to later recompose themselves. Syncopation carries the trip forward.

 

 

06. Samsonited *

 

For those not entirely aware Samsonite is one of those travel-bag companies. I inherited an old model a while back now and it has really gone distance. Very sturdy bags, a certain bummer to be slammed by with one of their models repeatedly. The track is by most means Boshke beats. That same techno beat splashed with minimalism, evolving into magical pads phasing out on neverend. It peaks and drops back down with slimy effects trashed in undercurrents… it's sweet.

 

 

07. Pogo Pedagog *

 

By this point the jet engines are definitely warm. It takes us a while to get here, but once it does it was a good thing we didn't miss it. The climax by the last section is something to keep in mind. How else to describe, liquid-metal shrieks chopped in slices with a night-time lead…?

 

 

08. Sub Glob

 

We just entered fourth gear. It is very baffling… not sure if I dislike it or love it. Sure it's tribal with a disjointed beat. It's got a juicy filling, but it's mighty strange on the outside… If you wanted weirdness you will be satisfied with this one.

 

 

09. Buforsk normal *

 

Now, I don't know what Buforsk means, I'm not even going to bother looking it up. But, you know when someone decides to name anything ‘normal' in psychedelic trance … it's a bullshit triple-dare. We have reached the apex and I'm very pleased the cover of normality has been blown off. Unrestrained sample interaction, wrapping itself with a theme of some sort and good old chanting.

 

 

10. Hidden Song…

 

Ten minutes later…

 

“I didn't want to come to this institution but my brother insisted. I can see no sense in it myself; you see I'm convinced that I'm not suffering from any hallucination but, that my guilt is really real. I know Dr. Edwards that I killed my daughter and that I'm willing to pay the penalty for it… - Come in…”

 

 

All and All

 

There is bit of concern on the energy level the tracks communicate and the dance floor potential this might have. For those waiting to encounter non-sequential senselessness and pounding ‘till-you-die; the album does pull a funky strike. This is a lot more musical and coherent… generally speaking. Mikke has shown he has his own way of exploring ideas and for the most part it works very well. A little more diversity would have been welcome on a few spaces, given his previous tracks. That said the concept album is a well integrated journey, following a progression of intriguing proposals if you have heard Procs previously.

 

If you are one of those who found Derango-styled forest trance inaccessible, you will be delighted to see new ideas are cropping up. I will personally keep it as showing material for acquaintances, not yet enlightened on the whole psy trance thing… and why we consider this music so ingenious, crazy and ultimately original from anything else in the market out there today.

 

 

Where to get:

 

http://www.psyshop.com/shop/CDs/trr/trr1cd006.html

 

http://www.saikosounds.com/english/display...ase.asp?id=5205

 

http://www.beatspace.com/dettagli/dettaglio.asp?id=2402

 

Merry christmas, Ho ho ho!

Edited by RAH2D2
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Nice and original release , standing out as a gem in the pile of crap released in heaps under the "dark" "psytrance" genre..

I bet most typical "psytrance" heads will not like this release...

It's definitely not "dancefloor killargh" , subtle trippy kicks/drums all over, weird synths and fx, original use of melodies... Not too intense, although dark enough at certain parts... even humourous at times..[especially hidden track :D ]

Yes, I agree with RAH, this release is about a musical concept, an integral journey.I would recommend everyone to listen to this album as a whole..

If you like deep trance-inducing psychedelia, don't miss this one, it contains some generally fresh ideas, which is rather rare for this genre nowadays.

Rating: 9/10

Favourite Track: 8. Sub Glob

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This is somewhat different from what I expected. I liked some tracks (most notably #5), but most tracks here have a really dark/industrial feel to them - not a bad thing, but honestly I enjoyed Procs older tunes a LOT more - with their bouncy trippy happy forest trance. I mean, this is almost as dark as Ghreg on Earth..

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Guest Le Lotus Bleu

Procs is Mikael Stegman from Sweden.

Mastering by 4CN (4 Carry Nuts =Tim Schuldt & Detlev Funder)

 

Procs produces mental & fine darkpsy with a techno groove which a good thing changing from the ultra dominant smashing heavy darkpsy beat.

It's easy to listen & furthermore the album receal a smooth flow.In another hand, while progressing the listen, the linear aspect can bother you more or less quickly. On several tracks,can be felt some musical touchs influences

 

But the too much linearity of the album bungles what could have be an album incarnating the darkpsy's renew as part of a domestic's listen; few was missing, that's a pity :mellow: .

 

Procs gave me a rendez-vous in order to being stuck in the oven with him, unfortunatly mine isn't big enough. So there's just enough place for one people, so dear Procs i let you stuck alone in the oven :). Nevertheless your cd album will be stuck instead (from time to time), closer to me in my cd 'furnace'player ;) .

 

6/10

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This sounds too repetitive for me. Some songs sound too similar in comparison to others on the same album. Just listen to the bassline (?) in tracks 2 and 4. They sound almost the same, but slightly tweaked.

 

Same thing with the bassline (?) in track 5. A bit seems removed (sentence shortened) to make it seem slightly different. I wouldn't be surprised if he used part of the exact same bassline structure from several previous tracks. Maybe this was done to make every track feel fairly similar (not in style, because obviously there are different songs in the same style) Maybe it was to cut corners. I don't know.

 

I do like the melodies in track 1, and several minutes of the song that follows.. that is, before it gets repetitive. It hardly goes anywhere, and something once fairly catchy becomes less arresting. Track 6 is the first track I find that really seems to BREAK AWAY from the sound I find too similar and/or over-used in several previous tracks.

 

Same thing with track 7, the song doesn't seems to have a different bassline, and while it sounds very simple, it's fine.

 

Track 8, Sub Glob also sounds different.. better, more catchy. I like this track, and it's of the few tracks that stand out to me. Some very cool melodic bits begin before being drowned out in an ironic sound-altered (to the music) effect. Nice. Cut-up melodies, atmopshere, and lots of sounds mixed in all over the place. :)

 

Overall, some nice atmosphere, and a dark tone present for the most part. It's not nearly as dark as Ghreg on Earth. But that's not a flaw, just an observation. Be either tranced... or irritated. I was just never in love with this one.

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Procs – Stuck In The Oven With Me

 

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Artist: Procs (Sweden)

Title: Stuck In The Oven With Me

Format: CD (jewel case)

Label: Trishula Records (Germany)

Cat. #: TRISHCD006

Distribution: Arabesque

Date: 28 November 2005

 

Track listing:

 

01. 07’38” Gluffsing The Pop

02. 07’38” Mr. Bängrot Rides Again

03. 07’35” The Tailnissers Tale (Moffy Mix)

04. 07’51” Gelatom Megafon

05. 10’17” Overtures From The Oven

06. 08’20” Samsonited

07. 08’00” Pogo Pedagog

08. 07’12” Sub Glob

09. 06’56” Buforsk Normal

+ Hidden track after three minutes of silence

10. 02’48” Untitled

 

Review:

 

What evil lurks…?

 

The debut album from Procs (Mikael Stegman) is the 6th release from German dark-trance label Trishula Records… And with Stuck In The Oven With Me, the label is venturing further into shroomy forest trance territory… Ever since I heard the first Procs/Peyote People tracks on Scrambled Heads back in 2001 I’ve been a fan of Mikke Stegman’s work… And recently, I’ve drooled over both his Procs and Duck Off compilation tracks – they’ve all been stand-outs, so I’ve been eagerly awaiting the debut album by this Swedish sound sorcerer…

 

Let me take you thru the tracks…

 

#01: Gluffsing The Pop

AFAIK this track was made almost four years ago, but who cares, it’s sizzling hot! After a short, spooky intro we’re exposed to a brutal, heavily filtered bassline… And that’s the meanest thing I’ve heard since the last Schlabbaduerst compilation… The naïve, simple melodies in the background strike a remarkable contrast to the deep bass – and that elevates the track into higher spheres… I mean, I dare anyone not to be hypnotized by those enchanting melodies and that evil bassline… Damn – this track is so freaking hardcore, that it makes me write Engrish… Amazing!

 

#02: Mr. Bängrot Rides Again

I’m not that familiar with Swedish folklore, but something tells me that Mr. Bängrot deals in lobotomies! Auch! And yeah – this will mess with your brain! Hard-hitting, gut-wrenching, foot-moving, mind-expanding night trance…As eerie as it is energetic… This is an express ride of a track moving at an incredible speed – passing Finland, Australia and India – before winding up back in Sweden… Watch out – the creepy accordion might suck you in… Anyway, this is an intense track, but not as hypnotizing as the previous one…

 

#03: The Tailnissers Tale (Moffy Mix)

Another older track – given the Moffy treatment! Oh my, this is dark, pounding relentless night trance – with a majestic, orchestral glory to it… Kinda like The Misted Muppet meets The Delta… Instantly spooky yet strangely appealing… Horrific! After a while, Mikke pays homage to Metallica’s Frantic track of the St. Anger album… Listen @ 3’59 and you’ll understand what I’m talking about… ‘Frantic tick tick tick tick tick tick tock’! A solid track, though I feel the general consensus kinda fades halfway thru…;/

 

#04: Gelatom Megafon

Another orchestral intro which soon evolves into a tour de force of Hitchcock’esque nerve-wrecking odd-ball trance… Bizarre, perverted and totally avant-garde… I mean – just check out the horns… Very abstract! In that sense, this is one of the least-accessible tracks here, but I’m sure this will be a hit with fans of Suomi trance and other freaks… Despite repeated listens, I still haven’t fully absorbed this track – but I’m sure I’ll come around eventually…

 

#05: Overtures From The Oven

Now check out this soundtrack to the carnival of the damned… The intensity level rises and you can now cut the eerie atmosphere with a knife… This is highly demented saiko-trance – and I can vividly picture freaks from a lunatic asylum dancing their asses of to this… Very, very unique stuff here – multilayered, fragmented and extremely atmospheric… It really creeps me out… But I like getting scared… Wikkid!

 

#06: Samsonited

And now it’s time for some suitcase trance… And this is where Procs gets down to the nitty-gritty… And by that, I mean industrial-slash technoid pounding night-trance… Still very Halloween like, and eerie as hell, but much more pounding than some of the previous tracks… Like Spirallianz on LSD wearing a hockey mask and sporting a chainsaw… And a suitcase full of weaponry! Hardcore, beastly stuff – in the best possible way!

 

#07: Pogo Pedagog

Return of the peyote people! Yes, this is where it gets reeaaaaaally psychedelic… I mean, this has nothing on Derango… It’s equally shroom-a-delic and very trip-friendly! Literally hundreds of twisted, distorted, demented little melodies are twirling about all over this track… Acid bits are thrown in to mess with your senses and overall this is one hell of a trip tool… The title translates into something similar to ‘kindergarten/nursery teacher with pogo stick’… And yeah, I guess after that translation there is really nothing more to say... Except: Kick-ass track!

 

#08: Sub Glob

And now it just gets plain weird… Uncanny even! A highly fragmented, deeply strange track – that could easily have been produced in Finland or the weirder part of Australia… It’s fast-paced odd-ball trance which may be a bit too hectic for me… Maybe!

 

#09: Buforsk Normal

We’re back on track with this hard-hitting, ass-wiggle friendly closing track… Again, the good old psychedelia meter has been cranked up, and once again we’re deep in the dark Swedish forests tripping hard on shrooms… The many funny samples remind me of older Procs material – great! A great, unique, trippy track… Brilliant!

 

#10: Untitled (Hidden track)

“I didn't want to come to this institution but my brother insisted. I can see no sense in it myself. You see, I'm convinced that I'm not suffering from any hallucination but, that my guilt is really real. I know Dr. Edwards that I killed my daughter and that I'm willing to pay the penalty for it… Come in!” Hidden after three minutes of silence is an extra little titbit… More severely demented Procs madness… And oh yes, this is some crazy shit – and that’s meant as superlatives! A nice added bonus… The ending is ripe!

 

How do you like them apples? Well, to put it short, this album wasn’t all that I had hoped it would be… But my expectations were maybe too high, I dunno… I don’t think the tracks here are as good as some of Procs previous compilation tracks… But hey, don’t get me wrong – this is still a VERY nice album… And on the psychedelia front this is indeed one of the best releases of 2005 – only topped by the Derango album and the latest Parvati compilation… So, it’s not bad at all…It’s just not as amazing as I’d hoped for…

 

Whereas the production sounds sweet, I had a hard time appreciating the artwork here… It’s made by Stegman himself, and I guess somehow it fits the oddball theme of the music… But it’s not pretty! Anyway, that’s not really important. The music is however - and I cannot even begin to think how many creative hours Stegman invested in this… I mean, this is not just psychedelic – it’s über-mind-boggling psychedelic… Very impressive! Fans of genre-bending, extremist, oddball night trance will most likely take well to this… Purists and 4/4 trance elitists might wanna look elsewhere! I dig it though – and would recommend it to fans of the above mentioned style… Enjoy!

 

Favourites: 1(!), 5, 7(!), 9(!!)

 

DeathPosture

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External links:

Procs: http://www.procs.info

Trishula: http://www.trishula-records.com

Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/release/574060

Saiko Sounds: http://tinyurl.com/b6ogq

TranceShop: http://tinyurl.com/aweqy

Beatspace: http://tinyurl.com/dkwe4

Psyshop: http://tinyurl.com/9zy3k

Chaos: http://tinyurl.com/9lmfg

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Thanks both rah and deathposture for your nice reviews.

Deathposture: Yes, there are some older tracks on this disc, it´s tracks covering work from the last 5 years. Thought those tracks fitted well together. AS you also said it isn´t quite as intense like some of my later compilation releases and that people might get a bit suprised by that. I wanted to do a more chilled strange shroomie groovy album like this and then we´ll see next time how the sounds will appear

 

oh.. and by the way, doctor edwards killed his father and not his daughter....

 

jon cocco: no. this isn´t the same basslines, not the same synths. two of those tracks you mention is in the same key. If you can´t see the difference in the tracks then I am sorry...

 

all the best

MiCke

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jon cocco: no. this isn´t the same basslines, not the same synths. two of those tracks you mention is in the same key. If you can´t see the difference in the tracks then I am sorry...

410423[/snapback]

Thank you for clarifying that it's a key, not the bassline. I missed that, and that's why I had a (?) after mentioning bassline once or twice above. I wasn't 100%, and I wouldn't want to lose potential credibility as a writer, for unintentionally calling something what it's not.

 

Good luck with your future works.

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Thank you for clarifying that it's a key, not the bassline. I missed that, and that's why I had a (?) after mentioning bassline once or twice above. I wasn't 100%, and I wouldn't want to lose potential credibility as a writer, for unintentionally calling something what it's not.

 

ye.. I understand that it was the bassline you thought was alike. I just stated that I don´t see that it is that alike. Since you commented on it I wanted to say something about it.. , so never mind..

 

Good luck with your future works.

 

thanks

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So far, the deepest, most mature release on Trishula. At the same time, this has the feel of Early Work - in this case it's not a minus, it just retains an underground psy-chic. What I'm trying to get at is that this release reeks of huge potential for this artist.

 

The use of dreamy spooky melodies works well. Also, Procs displays a good understanding of the grammar of interesting percussion!

 

I'm betting Procs has a tremendous release in him. This one is a nice way station on the road to it.

 

8/10, good stuff.

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So far, the deepest, most mature release on Trishula.

412501[/snapback]

I thought v/a Crazy Goblins and Wicked Pixies was pretty "deep" and "mature" as well.. if you're talking about artist albums, though, I agree.

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  • 2 weeks later...

i was so sure that hidden track said, 'i killed my daughter' oh well.. damn that was freaky anyhow  :ph34r:

410535[/snapback]

 

it's clearly "I killed my father"...

 

but i had read yer review before listening to the album so the first time i had listened to it i also though it said "my daughter" >

:D

 

I know Dr. Edwards that I killed my father and that I'm willing to pay the penalty for it… Come in!

oh.. and by the way, doctor edwards killed his father

So in this sample Dr. Edwards is talking to himself.. mental :D

great.

Listened to it today after a while and liked this even more :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Did'nt expect to hear what I heared when I played this album (comming from Trishula)... It's weird and psychedelic but not hard and pounding... so good to be suprised by something different, personly thats why I like psytrance... Well off course not all psytrance are very inovative (to say the least) but still when artist stray away from their normal paterns of making music I see no where with better potential to make incredibel and unforseen stuff then with psychedelic music... In the end only the imagination is the limit... :rolleyes:

 

Well I guess I really like to be suprised by the music I listen to, thats why I like this album! :)

 

Peace :D

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  • 3 weeks later...

hmmmmm - unfortunately, this release is doing the opposite of growing on me.

 

It is an honest effort, but I just can't get into the outdoorsy, less-finished nordic [no pun intended] sounds so much.

 

I'd still recommend it for mixing in with your set if Schlabbaduerst is your cup of tea.

 

But it ends up on my personal sell-me pile. No disrespect intended.

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  • 1 month later...

Just have to say to u guys who has'nt got into the Oven yet! Do yourself a favour by smoking a fat ass joint before trying next time ;) then it might hit the spot! Especially Overtures From The Oven! IMO or Samsonited, deep shit! :blink::lol::rolleyes:

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