pr0fane Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 Artist: Flowjob Title: Support Normality Label: Iboga Format: CD Released: January, 2006 Review: Despite releases on high profile labels like Iboga, Tribal Vision, Plastik Park (as Justice Unlimited), Midijum and Love Sonic Disco, Joakim Hjørne and Mads Thinggaard's Flowjob-project must still be considered a relatively unknown progressive trance act on the worldwide scene. If all goes well, that is about to change in 2006 after signing an album-deal with Denmarks most prominent label, Iboga Records. The album is called "Support Normality", and could well be Flowjobs big breakthrough on the worldwide progressive scene. 01. Run Baby Run (The Big Escape Version) [132 BPM] First track is "Run Baby Run (The Big Escape Version)", and it's everything an album-opener should be: a long, atmospheric intro sets the mood and builds up tension before the track really kicks in after 3½ minutes with a phat, rolling bassline. Sweet retro-trancy melodies are plentiful, and the male and female vocals are delicious - and never over the top. A completely epic, trancy tune, and one hell of an opening track. 02. Everland Airport [131 BPM] After the stunning opener, things get a little bit more down to earth with "Everland Airport". It has a really delicious D-Nox & Beckers-like groove, and the sounds are like a mix of electro and tech-house - but still with a very trancy touch and hints of guitars here and there. A great tune with a lovely, easygoing vibe. 03. Flangers In The Night [132 BPM] After the uplifting start with the first 2 very bright tracks, "Flangers In The Night" is a bit darker and gloomier. The groove is still upbeat and bouncy, but the melodies and effects are more subtle and closer to tech-house. A really good track, even though it doesn't reach the same high level as the first 2. 04. Have Fun & Survive [133 BPM] "Have Fun & Survive" is, in my opinion, the track with the most club-influenced atmosphere so far - mostly due to the filtered "Move your body!" voice-sample, which is repeated throughout the track. The arpeggiators and some of the sounds somewhat remind me of a light version of Son Kite, and that's definitely not a bad thing. Another fine track, yet not among my absolute favourites. 05. Wannafrisbee [132 BPM] To me "Wannafrisbe" is the most appropriate track-name on the album, as it really captures the theme of the track (and the whole album, really); delicate, housey electro summer grooves with a hint of trance - perfect for the afternoons at festivals or the smaller outdoor gatherings. Despite being one of the weaker tunes overall, it's still a fine track with a sunny, lazy vibe. 06. They Are Not Alone [132 BPM] Up next is one of my favourite tunes. Starting with a 1½ minute long intro with some delicious, heavily reverbed effects before kicking in with one of the most wonderful, laidback grooves I've heard in a while. Some very distinct rasta voice-samples just underline the somewhat lazy nature of the track, and overall it works like a charm. Magnificent afternoon groover. 07. Mood Food [133 BPM] After a couple of relatively laidback tracks, "Mood Food" is a bit more upbeat and in the vein of the traditional Iboga progressive psytrance sound, with a slight hint of tribal and teasing melodies in the background. Clearly one of the more energetic tracks on the album, yet still with distinct electro-influences - very enjoyable and dancefriendly. 08. Wadley [128 BPM] "Wadley" was previously released on Ibogas "Set:5 Summer Collection" compilation last year, and had some success at parties during the summer. Some more variation would have been preferred, but overall it's a very positive progressive house/trance crossover tune with a hint of south American flavour - the melodies are catchy, and the acoustic guitar samples are marvellous. Good stuff. 09. Glitter (feat. Trine) [133 BPM] The final track is "Glitter", a club-oriented house-tune featuring vocals by a girl called Trine. The tune itself is really good, but to me the vocals give it a slightly cheapish disco-touch. They are a bit over the top for my liking, with cheesy lines like "I am the sunshine; I am the glitter in your eyes". I'm just glad they put it in the end of the album, so it didn't mess with the flow. Bottom line: For a debut album, "Support Normality" is really impressive, and after the release of this album, Flowjob deserve to be considered in the upper-class of today's progressive house/progressive psytrance acts. At times the album sounds like a not-as-dirty version of D-Nox & Beckers, while at other times its closer to the traditional Iboga progressive - but overall it's a fresh and very enjoyable mix of electro, progressive house and progressive trance - with a hint of psychedelia here and there. It's not a perfect album though, as a bit more variation would have been preferred - and if you're looking for an album consisting of massive peak-time stompers, this is probably too laidback for you. But if you're into the slower and groovier sounds, this is definitely an album worth checking out; Both for DJ's into delicate afternoon grooves, or just for some of us everyday music-lovers, looking for a good home listening album with positive sunshine-vibes for the cold winter days. Favourites: 1 (!!!), 2 (!), 3, 6 (!), 7, 8 Verdict: 8/10 Link: Iboga Records: http://www.iboga.dk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Ventura Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Great review as always Pr0fane.... i definitly agree,a very slick and cool album,and it feels like they took their time with it to finalize every tune. i sure dig their style,though i gotta say,regarding what you said about track 2 - i think most of the album is quite inspired by the progressive housey sound of Dnox and Beckers and not only this track.Which is a good thing .... the 1st track however is a really epic tune, with a very strong Goa-ish feel for a proggi tune!...what a delightful intro quite a lucious cover too... A great opener for 2006 from iboga without a doubt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amphiton Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 i sure dig their style,though i gotta say,regarding what you said about track 2 - i think most of the album is quite inspired by the progressive housey sound of Dnox and Beckers and not only this track.Which is a good thing .... 421998[/snapback] Personally I don't find 'sounding like someone' as a positive thing. ...especially like D-Nox & Beckers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Ventura Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Personally I don't find 'sounding like someone' as a positive thing. ...especially like D-Nox & Beckers 422861[/snapback] well u know,this is the way it sounded to ME(and to Pr0fane too but only in 1 track or so as it seems). It doesnt mean these boys went and directly copy+pasted the name i mentioned. But after carefull listening, i would say the resemblence is in a few tracks only,in the mid-part of the album, and not the whole. Actually its diverse and doesnt have just 1 style,but its not all over the place either - maybe have a listen before u reply again..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quark Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 I like this album alot.. I think it is one of the best albums this far. If I would compare it to an album I have heard before, it would be Someting for Sundays by Frogacult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandrookie Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 Got my copy from the shop today. This an amazing start for 2006 indeed, this is the first album that will be in my 2006 list in december . All the tracks appearing on different compilations in the past were always outstanding and had an original sound, so I was really waiting for this release. Wouldn't really compare the album with Frogacult and D-Nox & Beckers though, i am sure they did not just copy other sounds. The album is what prog trance should sound like, afternoon-summer-festival-cocktail-ass-shaking grooves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amphiton Posted February 2, 2006 Share Posted February 2, 2006 Track #1 is definitelly my favourite here, the rest sounds too housy for me and I'm not sure I want to listen to it again, unless there's a house party with drinks and girls at the pool ...and stuff like that. Iboga explores new markets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuse Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 for me there's not much to say about this album except the bassline is to weak, not motivating enough, it misses something for me personally Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pedro Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 Yes, it is a bit housy (so are a lot of prog trance releases). Flowjob have always impressed me with their tracks in compilations. Perhaps because of this, I was somewhat afraid that this would mean that their album might then disappoint me (I can be a bit of a pessimist sometimes). It has not. This is a cracking release and I recommend it. Hooray for Flowjob! Pedro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathPosture Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 Flowjob – Support Normality Hi-res cover: front + back Artist: Flowjob (Denmark) Title: Support Normality Format: CD (jewel case) Label: Iboga Records (Denmark) Cat. #: IBOGACD36 Distribution: twohandsdistribution.com Date: 14 January 2006 Track listing: 01. 10’13” Run Baby Run (The Big Escape Version) 02. 07’45” Everland Airport 03. 08’19” Flangers In The Night 04. 09’00” Have Fun And Survive 05. 09’03” Wannafrisbee 06. 08’17” They Are Not Alone 07. 07’56” Mood Food 08. 09’32” Wadley 09. 07’47” Glitter (feat. Trine) .m3u-playlist: http://tinyurl.com/ol6uv (all tracks!) Review: Slippery when wet! The first 2006 release on Danish label Iboga Records, is the debut album from Flowjob. This Danish duo consists of Joakim Hjørne and Mads Tinggaard who prior to this album has released a handful of tracks – primarily on Iboga and Tribal Vision Records… So far I’ve liked every single track I’ve heard from these progressive marvels – so I’ve been looking forward to this album for at long time… Let me take you thru the tracks… #01: Run Baby Run (The Big Escape Version) [132 BPM] “It's an entirely new game system!” What better way to open a debut album, than with a big, lengthy, epic smash? And when I say epic, I mean epic! This is slow-building, extended-into-oblivion progressive trance… Complete with sci-fi samples, tribal drums, digital chanting, floating/epic melodies and enough subtle groove to satisfy most people… The track doesn’t really take off before the 3’23 mark – but when it does, it’s with such preserved energy, that you cannot help but crack a big old smile… Usually I would have deemed this style too cheesy, but somehow this rubs me the right way… A very nice opening track! #02: Everland Airport [131 BPM] “Electric, electric power…!” This track pretty much skips any kind of intro and launches straight into banging, electro-ridden funkiness… The female vox doesn’t seem that well thought-out, and I could do without them… I do however like the phat electro passages and the simple-yet-effective rhythm section… Not bad at all – but not too amazing either… #03: Flangers In The Night [132 BPM] As the title subtly hints, we’re digging deeper now – towards darker night time teKk-trance… Don’t get me wrong, this is not minimal techno or anything; it’s just quite a tad darker than the previous tracks… I’m totally into edgy stuff, and especially the second part of this tune is magnificent! #04: Have Fun And Survive [133 BPM] After the previous venture into the dark side, I was kinda hoping we’d stay there… But no, this is much more ‘over ground’ – with a cheesy voice sample and a generally uplifting atmosphere… Now I hate to come across as negative sounding here – that was not my intention, as this is indeed an interesting track… The steady electro groove is hypnotizing and the bass is deeper than ever… Also the old-school disco synths are pretty neat! But that’s it… Nothing to get too excited about… I guess it will work as a DJ tool, but for home listening I don’t think this one is gonna get that much playtime on my system… #05: Wannafrisbee [132 BPM] Half-way thru the album, and it’s time for some sexy beach house trance… As with the opening track, this one takes it’s time slowly building tension before letting steam off… The absurd thing is that the climax never really comes… There’s nothing wrong with that, and this is another brilliantly produced groove-beast… I just wish it went somewhere… So, this is great for background music or as a DJ transition tool and not-so-great for the nitty-gritty party… And hey, I know that probably never was the intention… #06: They Are Not Alone [132 BPM] Next up, is perhaps the most reverb-soaked and funky number off the album… The intro is subtle and mouth-watering and when the track finally gets into gear, it’s mostly rewarding… I’m not a fan of the ragamuffin vocals, but I choose to overhear them here… For the most part this is a nice, steady groover of a track, and especially the last three minutes are brilliant… But I still can’t shake my momentarily boredom when listening to this track… Something is missing…;o/ #07: Mood Food [133 BPM] “Ladies and Gentlemen, you may think you've seen the unusual. You may think you've seen the bizarre. But I've travelled to the five corners of the world, and let me tell you, I've never seen anything like this”. Luckily Mood Food comes along and saves the day… Whereas the previous tracks were more or less elevator music, here’s a track that stands-out and deserves to be played loudly on the dancefloor… This is subtle progressive trance ranging on both electro-passages and uplifting morning trance… Groovy as hell and definitely a feel-good track… A brilliant tune! #08: Wadley [128 BPM] This track was already released on the 2005 Iboga compilation Set/5 – Summer Collection so I’m just gonna copy/paste my review from back then: […] This is an afternoon burner…The rhythm section is funky and progressive, the melodic leads are solid – and the guys are not afraid of experimentation, as we get all kinds of world beats influences throughout the track… Well done! Again this track suffers from stand-still syndrome towards the end, but it’s not too bad… I can cope! Still a brilliant track! #09: Glitter (feat. Trine) [133 BPM] On the closing track, the guys are joined by some Danish vocalist-chick called Trine Jensen…. The lyrics she sings are not going to go down in musical history, but she sure has an angelic voice… It’s very feminine, yet nasal somehow… It’s great! Only problem is that it doesn’t really fit this track that well… It’s much better than the previous vocals on this album, but her singing style would fit euro-house much better… In that sense, I have mixed feelings about this track… Her voice is excellent – and so is the music…But together they form a hybrid that doesn’t really *do* it for me… And that’s a shame coz individually both the music and the singing rules! So, was this album as good as I’d hoped for after the brilliant compilation tracks? In short – no! A longer explanation would be me stressing, that this is an extremely well-produced album – with a couple of really excellent tunes… And couple of very nice tunes – and a handful of decent tunes… The artwork is lovely as always, and with only a minor fluke, the flow is pretty steady too… Let me also stress, that there are no bad tracks here – some of the tracks are just not what I expected or hoped for… They are too many stand-still passages here, and that’s a shame, coz when the guys crank up the old party meter, they do it so well… But hey, fans of the slicker side of Iboga Records will most definitely have a field day with this album – as will fans of Gaudium and similar crossover progressive trance… So, in conclusion, this is not my fav’e among recent Iboga releases – but even when it’s sub par Iboga stuff, it’s still pretty classy… Enjoy! Favourites: 1(!), 3, 7(!), 8(!) DeathPosture External links: Iboga Records: http://www.iboga.dk Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/release/614691 Saiko Sounds: http://tinyurl.com/lpcj3 TranceShop: http://tinyurl.com/nhob5 Beatspace: http://tinyurl.com/mumbr Discobole: http://tinyurl.com/r2es9 Wirikuta: http://tinyurl.com/qksdp Psyshop: http://tinyurl.com/odu76 Chaos: http://tinyurl.com/qs54h Juno: http://tinyurl.com/pvw8g Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherlockalien Posted March 26, 2006 Share Posted March 26, 2006 this cd is very very nice!! highly recommended.. not for 'mommy im scaaared, this is too housy!' kind of people very nice surprise.. was expecting something more normal, but it was much more up to my taste: full of trance-inducing details, visual effects, atmospheric soundscapes ... iboga rocking again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trance2MoveU Posted September 25, 2007 Share Posted September 25, 2007 Just listened to this and that first track... Wow! What an opening! The other tracks were ok for me, but didn't come close to touching the first one. Still, a nice enjoyable listen on a lazy afternoon. Mdk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exotic Posted September 25, 2007 Share Posted September 25, 2007 i still dig this album ... a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sideffect... Posted September 25, 2007 Share Posted September 25, 2007 i still dig this album ... a lot. me too listened to it yesterday again for a long time ago, very nice crossovers between sub genres... nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basilisk Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sideffect... Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 I'm not as huge a fan of this as you guys full review here: http://www.ektoplazm.com/reviews/flowjob-support-normality/ nice one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlieNed Posted October 8, 2007 Share Posted October 8, 2007 honestly speaking i wud prefer a blow job instead of flow job , dont like much prog available in PSYBUY for 11.71 Euro with taxes https://psy-buy.com/index.php?partner=a2659...0e6&art=374 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sawfly Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 I like this fluff, I really do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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