SkeletonMan Posted February 13, 2006 Share Posted February 13, 2006 Label: Suntrip Records Catalog#: SUNCD04 Country: Belgium Released: 10 Feb 2006 Tracklisting: 1 Unfiltered (Moon Rmx) (08:29) 2 Speech Module (09:17) 3 Reflected (10:02) 4 Mind Expansion (10:48) 5 Pyrogen (08:57) 6 Rotate To Vibrate (08:43) 7 Lunar Civilization (Filteria's Higher Rmx) (10:07) Remix - Crop Circles 8 Cloud Kingdom (Solar Fields Rmx) (10:31) Remix - Solar Fields So, long awaited album from Filteria ... Let me start of my saying that the guy still has NO breaks whatsoever !! Sky Input left me flabbergasted when I heard this in 2005 and Heliopolis picks up the stick where Sky Input left it. Intro and then from 2:12 in track 1 Unfiltered we're back on the Filteria path. Tons of layers, melodies & climaxes taking over after climaxes. The guy is loaded with ideas and apparently all are carried out For one track it's still wonderfully put together, great sounds, great melodies, and a bigger-than-life in-your-face frontal attitude I can't think of any other artist even coming close to rivaling. For a full album, however, I'm afraid it's somewhat over the top for me. I would just love if the whole thing was taken to pieces and rebuilt during a track. At least on some of the tracks. This is so much in your face, that even if it's obvious Filteria oozes talent, there were a couple of times during todays repeated listens it became almost ... dare I say it ... border cheesy? No, I retract that. Sorry! Yeah, I guess I'm very aggressive critical here, but Filteria is the only one around in this niche and I want him to give me exactly what I want, because no one else is releasing what Filteria is And since it's so obvious he has all the talent I will wait for him and the day he makes an album a little less eager to impress. For now, still, nice going !!! 7/8 tracks here have got to set any dance floor mayheem and a full concert must be absolutely awesome if the crowd really can stay atop this frontal ear attack. hmm ... one sinister remark. What's the thing in track 3 Reflected at 4:41 ... Modulation ? AAARRGH! Me not like!! But okay, let go this time. But next time ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chis Posted February 14, 2006 Share Posted February 14, 2006 I've only heard it once through so far. Overall it's similar to Sky Input, but it's less FULL ON ALL THE DAMN TIME. The drum parts seem rather less repetitive than before (pitch changing on the kick drums! yes! love that effect - sorely missed on Sky Input), and the melodies are somewhat more carefully constructed. Very early generalised thoughts though. If any of you enjoyed the first album, you should buy this as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeller Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 I just got the album from today and i give it one listen at some pumping volume and I liked it a lot.. the melodies have improved, it is still pretty much climax, but a bit less than Sky Input.. I would love to hear these tracks on the dancefloor, but the whole cd for homelistening might not be good for every moment of the day.. like said above he still has got to improve a bit.. for example his melodies are never floathing but always pumping.. at the other hand, u never have to wiat for the climax or get to listen borign parts.. I guess it is just what he wants and if u don't like that style of goatrance, ustill have Khetzal and the other suntrip artists Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travbrad1001 Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 This is definately the best album i've heard this year, although most of it's "competition" has been dark-psy, which i find very boring. This isn't as good as Sky Input IMO, but i've only listened to it twice. It'll take some more listens to see how it really stacks up It has to be said that he could use some more variety in his tracks, or some breaks as someone mentioned. Listening to the whole album straight through leaves you a bit "exhausted". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oopie Posted February 19, 2006 Share Posted February 19, 2006 Haven't fully listened the new album yet. However, I find it to be pretty much similar to first one. Structural problems are still there. It doesn't help if you use the coolest sounds imaginable, if the structure is lacking so much. No clear melodic paths can be found really. The album is chaotic and makes no sense. "Melodies" evolve too quickly and if you listen closely, they're like computer randomized: don't match with each other and seem even a bit awkward. Also what can be found in Pleiadians material but not here, is that clear level-jumping: you create an epic melody and you slowly start to emphasize it to the maximum. Filteria wants it to be maximum all the time, and only little variation can be found. I'm also quite dissapointed of the sounds used in tracks: there seem to be so little amount of them. It's all so same sounding. Tracks don't identify themselves! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pariksit Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 Nice album. Maybe a little over the top for a complete album, my mind cant cope with it so long. To much in the face, but defenitly heartbraker at climax at parties. By the way, good thing he made the last song a bit more easylistening. Like it. Great album ! But Sky input was better, better melodies. Not to much over the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ormion Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 Ok, I bought it this morning and I listened to it once, so my review-comment is too early. First of all, I wanna say that I'm the biggest Filteria fan after the amazing Sky Input, so I was waiting for Heliopolis like a madman two years now. Finally I got it. It seems that Heliopolis has some good things and some not so good. The not so good (always compared to Sky Input) is that most of the tracks sound a bit similar. Especially in the first six tracks Jannis used similar sounds, although that every track has its character. Also, all the tracks are very-very melodic but the melodies are less good than the Sky Input ones. Not that are bad of course... They're great but I think that Sky Input had more ''classic'' melodies especially in the Navigate, The Snuggling Snail and the Galactic Rays tracks. I'll say that the first six tracks sound like the Ultimator! track. The good things are: the basslines are better IMO especially the ones in the Mind Expanding and Pyrogen track. The tracks are still psychedelic, ecstatic, spacey with many climaxes and super melodic. Also they're more acid (Unfiltered track!) and the Crop Circles remix is superb. It's nice that the classic leading melody of the track lasts more that the original and the fact that Jannis used the same bass. The last ambient track sounds great but I have to listened it more times to appreciate it more. Overall, sounds great but in the first listen I think is less good than Sky Input. More comments and final verdict later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louis 8D Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 I just got it today and listen to it once. The album is really good. I liked pretty much all the tracks, but the last two tracks are not as good as the rest of the album. The remix of Lunar Civilisation is, IMO, really not as good as the original. And the last track, the begining of the track just reminded me of some old pop synth from the 80s, but the rest of the track is good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeller Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 haha i also got that feeling with the last track I think a review for this album can be pretty simple: If you liked Sky Input, you are going to like Heliopolis too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chis Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 No clear melodic paths can be found really. The album is chaotic and makes no sense. "Melodies" evolve too quickly and if you listen closely, they're like computer randomized: don't match with each other and seem even a bit awkward. Also what can be found in Pleiadians material but not here, is that clear level-jumping: you create an epic melody and you slowly start to emphasize it to the maximum. Filteria wants it to be maximum all the time, and only little variation can be found. I'm also quite dissapointed of the sounds used in tracks: there seem to be so little amount of them. It's all so same sounding. Tracks don't identify themselves! 443641[/snapback] Quoted for absolute spot-on-ness. Listen to THAT melody on Lunar Civilisation remix... are there any melodies that damned memorable and euphoric anywhere else on the album? No. They all suffer from the "sounds like random arpeggio no.#345623" problem. I still like the album though! Not often we get ANY goa these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frontier Psychiatrist Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 After several listens i think that it's quite good and perhaps better than the first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cosmogenesis Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 Quite good album, two tracks are interesting IMO: unfiltered & Pyrogen. The others are pretty boring and follow the same rhythm again and again. But Filteria can do better like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chis Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 There's one thing on this album that doesn't appear enough: key changes. Rotate To Vibrate has some GREAT ones towards its second half, and they really REALLY help to lift the relative "monotony" of the tracks. More goa artists should use key changes! Don't listen to people who claim that they are "cheesy" because that is just total and utter bullshit. If goa trance, as a genre, wants to progress, then that sort of attitude is only going to hold it back. So yeah, Rotate To Vibrate is currently probably my pick for best "original" track on Heliopolis (not counting the remixes). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ormion Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 After listening to Heliopolis dozens of times I can write my final rating. Well, although I still prefer Sky Input much much more I believe that Heliopolis is a 10/10 album. Maximal Goa! Fav tracks:1,2(!),4,6,7(!!!!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earthling Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 Hello to evrybody,so i listened to Filteria's new album and it was an emotional blast of this guy has some things to say and to transmit to his puublic.I am finding it as more and less a logical continuation of Sky Input andd after listening Heliopolis i was listenig his live in Sweeden,and that my people was even beter.I really want to see him on some Suntrip party with some other guys from the label. Filteria has that beutiful utopic drem wich is flying in old school goa tracks, nd taht is his bigest quality, because he is continuing the Goa legacy and he and Suntrip people wont let die. Breafly fantastic. P.S. All people who are like cuting to much on litle pieces, are wrong, when one album has a pure and divine emotion, technical stuff and your opinion, even mine, lose their importance.In our western society we are crisizing to much we have to learn to acept an respect. AUM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathPosture Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 Filteria - Heliopolis Hi-res cover: front + back Artist: Filteria (Sweden) Title: Heliopolis Format: CD (digipack/jewel case) Label: Suntrip Records (France/Belgium) Cat. #: SUNCD04 Distribution: Arabesque Date: 10 February 2006 Track listing: 01. 08’27” Filteria – Unfiltered (Moon Remix) 02. 09’16” Filteria feat. Red Gravity – Speech Module 03. 10’01” Filteria - Reflected 04. 10’43” Filteria – Mind Expansion (Short Version) 05. 08’57” Filteria - Pyrogen 06. 08’42” Filteria – Rotate To Vibrate 07. 10’05” Crop Circles - Lunar Civilization (Filteria's Higher Remix) 08. 10’31” Filteria – Cloud Kingdom (Solar Fields Remix) .m3u-playlist: http://tinyurl.com/m2d7s (all tracks!) Review: Ἡλίου πόλις Swedish producer Jannis ‘Filteria’ Tzikas has fast become synonymous with the recent resurrection of modern goa trance. His first album Sky Input released in 2004 was a tornado of fresh air with its highly melodic, multilayered, climactic and cascading goa trance sound, whereas his output on the 2005 Suntrip Records compilation Apsara showed an even deeper, more edgy side to Filteria. And now the second album is ready, with the help of a few outside contributors… I’ve been drooling for this ever since it was announce and now it’s finally time to take another trip down Filteria Lane… Let me take you thru the tracks… #01: Filteria – Unfiltered (Moon Remix) [146 BPM] “Can you tell us anything else about these artefacts? They are a kind of organic technology, limited energy, in other to achieve mobility they have to graft themselves onto another life form!” The opening track picks up right were Sky Input left off, and besides from the Crop Circles remix, this is perhaps the most evident Pleiadians-like track… It’s a huge cornucopia of flaring melodies, raging acid lines and more climaxes than I dare to count… In other words, this is more full-on than 700 Eskimo albums will ever be… Woow, what a start to the album – this is a marvellous track! #02: Filteria feat. Red Gravity – Speech Module [144 BPM] This track was made by Jannis in cahoots with some dude called Petrus Leo – and his touch really shines thru here. Somehow this reminds me much more off ancient masters like Transwave, The Infinity Project, Prana and so on… The melodies and the synth lines are less refined, and it appears every single melodic stab has been sugar coated… I never thought I’d heard myself say this, but this is too cheesy and I have a hard time coping with it… Yikes! #03: Filteria – Reflected [145 BPM] But luckily Jannis hasn’t lost it completely… Far from it in fact, as this has got to be one of the most interesting tracks here… What we get here is very refined goa trance that is as much as party track is it story telling… The full-on melodies are subtle, yet totally effective and we actually get passages without wall-to-wall screeching… The pitch changes and key changes are effective and I wouldn’t want it any other way… The evolution in this track is brilliant and this has got to be the most mature Filteria track to date… Awesome! #04: Filteria – Mind Expansion (Short Version) [146 BPM] Calling this ‘short’ must be the over-statement of the year (The long version is 15 minutes btw!)… Anyway, this is another sure fit party choon reminiscent of the full-on goa era of the nineties… The nostalgia is coming out the woodwork and this tune really takes me back to the golden age… Acid-ridden, driving, emotional goa trance – rich on so many levels… Synth galore! Guaranteed to tear ANY dancefloor apart… Wonderful! #05: Filteria – Pyrogen [142 BPM] And if you thought the previous track was old-school, just wait until you hear this… This is like a virtual time machine teleporting you back 10 years… Style wise, this is still very full-on, uplifting, bright goa trance drenched in acid stabs and 303s… And despite the ‘low’ BPM rating, this actually feels like one of the fastest tracks here, and I think it suffers a little from a too chaotic structure… Not a bad track at all, but I could have wished for a little more story telling here… But hey, still a pretty damn tasty choon… #06: Filteria – Rotate To Vibrate [144 BPM] The next track seems a little darker… Don’t get me wrong, this is still very much uplifting Filteria trance, but the bass seems just a tad more nocturnal here… Like the last track to be played before the sunrise… Flaring, raging multi-climactic melodies competing for the listeners attention and I can vividly imagine how overwhelming this track must sound under the influence… Not for the faith-hearted, but definitely for me… ;o) #07: Crop Circles - Lunar Civilization (Filteria's Higher Remix) [147 BPM] “Personally, I'm convinced that there must be many, many higher civilizations in this enormous and incredibly ancient universe of ours!” It’s no secret that Jannis has drawn heavily on Pleiadians for inspiration – and after the success of his first album, he even visited the EtnicaNet studios on Ibiza and created music… I’m guessing it’s that Etnica-link, that carved the opportunity for Jannis to remix one of the most timeless goa classics ever; Lunar Civilization by Crop Circles (Pleiadians + Lotus Omega). Messing with such a nostalgic track would usually be considered sacrilege, but if anyone could pull it off, it’s Jannis… The original track does sound a little dated after nine years, but with this remix Jannis has managed to update it with 2006 production techniques… And it sounds fresher than ever! A rich, colourful, kaleidoscopic testament to the fact that goa trance will never fade… Never! #08: Filteria – Cloud Kingdom (Solar Fields Remix) [95 BPM] And now for something completely new in Filteria terminology: A downbeat remix… Made by fellow Swede Magnus Birgersson, who is one of my fav’e Ultimae chill-out producers… And he sure doesn’t let me down here, with this electro-magnetic downbeat piece… It’s a hybrid of digital and organic sounds, which sends the mind wandering thru the cloud kingdom… Epic, static and totally peaceful… Magical! My main gripe with Sky Input was the intensity level… When I reviewed it, I used an analogy from the American Beauty movie; ‘Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world I feel like I can't take it, like my heart's going to cave in!’… Basically, that’s still true… This *is* a very intense album it can be very overwhelming… But by now, you should know what you’re getting into when listening to a Filteria album… And with that in mind, this album is a little masterpiece in its own right… It’s not exactly a quantum leap since the first album, but Jannis has indeed matured his sound in many aspects… Especially when it comes to story telling and structural improvements… Picking the best among the two albums is not an easy task, but if you point a gun at me, I’d say Heliopolis is slightly better… But they are both gargantuan albums in their own right! The cover art by Ukiro is by far the coolest I’ve seen so far on Suntrip Records, and it pays homage to the classic Matsuri covers… It’s beautiful! All in all, this is an amazing album – there are no bad tracks here, and there are a handful of instant classics that kicks the shit out of everything full-on released since Sky Input… A benchmark album that will crack smiles in several years to come! It gets my highest recommendations! …Enjoy! Favourites: 1(!!), 3(!!!), 4(!!), 5, 6, 7(!!), 8 DeathPosture External links: Filteria: http://www.filteria.com Suntrip Records: http://www.suntriprecords.com Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/release/600081 TranceShop: http://tinyurl.com/n9h6h Beatspace: http://tinyurl.com/lvosw Discobole: http://tinyurl.com/ov7jn Psyshop: http://tinyurl.com/pnp3s Chaos: http://tinyurl.com/pvyrk Saiko: http://tinyurl.com/rg3su Ajuca: http://tinyurl.com/r8r55 Juno: http://tinyurl.com/ngqu9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amphiton Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 Haven't fully formed my oppinion on this album, but whenever I play Unfiltered or Lunar Civilization Remix people go insane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeller Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 nice review Death Posture, i almost have to agree on everything u said Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N3X0R Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 I finally got some time to catch up on some newer releases and create a working account… =) -=:: IMO ::=- This album is a half step in the right direction, Filteria is one of the few who have the balls to bring back some of the goa sounds of old. Unfortunately it seems they stopped short of success. A long time ago it wasn’t just about the how trippy your arpeggios sounded or how bomb your bass line was, but rather a synthesis of melody created by the relationship of all these musical components (AP, Infinity Project,….). I was excited to see the possibility of this type of music emerging back into the mainstream… but alas it was just another hallucination. Filteria has the trippy sounds but in this album they seem to be lacking the melodic facet. The repetitive nature of these tracks show nothing for the artists true skills. Filteria could sound better then this… What happened? This isn’t the new generation goa sound I was looking forward to :| At least I know where to look for the possible emergence of this perfect new goa/psy sound… Maybe next time. -N3X0R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qa2pir Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 This is about the most aggressive goa trance ever... All i can picture in my head is demented people dancing their arses off... It imitates Pleiadians pretty competently, but the melodies fail to get memorable, and the songs sound too much like each other. Definately not easy digestable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riton Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 After a LOT of listen... and i mean A LOT... i THINK i like the first one better... but just a little more... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Cocco Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 FILTERIA: HELIOPOLIS SUNTRIP RECORDS 2009 *Updated* January, 2009. 1. UNFILTERED (MOON RMX) 2. SPEECH MODULE 3. REFLECTED 4. MIND EXPANSION 5. PYROGEN 6. ROTATE TO VIBRATE 7. LUNAR CIVILIZATION (FILTERIA'S HIGHER RMX) 8. CLOUD KINGDOM (SOLOR FIELDS RMX) If you just dived out of a space ship, and you're falling to Earth at a thousand miles per hour, Heliopolis (and Sky Input) pretty much sum up your insane descent, that is if it lasted for 70 minutes. Heliopolis is the follow-up to 2004's Sky Input album. Both are in the style of old-school Pleiadians and a blast of high-octane energy. Heliopolis has many layers but not as many as the debut. This may be too much for some people just to listen to through their computer, head phones, etc. I've heard this album on my head phones, at home, while exercising, and driving. I honestly see this being so much more appreciative to dance to, at a trance party, outside at nighttime, and/or driving to fast to at night. Naturally, having the right mood for anything often helps. Unfortunately, some of the mystery is over since we are desensitized to Filteria's sound. Those who heard Sky Input generally know what to expect. We’ve have become more critical. However do expectations not go for most follow-ups and sequels in general? Unlike Sky Input which pushed the current boundaries on climax, Heliopolis sacrifices a good amount of those many climaxes (and some layers too) for better melody structure, musical development, and song variety. Fans of Sky Input should be pleased to know, there are still climaxes. The style hasn't lost too much of its intensity either, but some. By better arranging and distancing the big climaxes, the songs actually have more time to breathe and build. They stand out more. Will this more intense, bursting-with-energy album be too much for some listeners? Yes. Will some people enjoy the bigger, more relentless (what some have referred to as "raw") debut more? Sure. Regardless, it isn't all about intensity, climax, and layers. This artist knows that no matter how much of a role these elements play. Heliopolis is more balanced than its predecessor. 1. UNFILTERED is an excellent opening. It begins with an interesting voice sample about artifacts. The beginning sounds float through the air like a calm night before the storm arrives. This song has so many ideas, so much energy, character changes and development. There are so many catchy, musical twists and turns. I love the change ups, the overall direction, drums, melody work, and more. Maybe the only thing missing are some clever key changes most notable in coming tracks 3 and 6. Other than that this song is very dynamic, at times unpredictable, and animated. I really like songs like these that have so much character, imagination, and ideas well executed. A- 2. SPEECH MODULE is not such a great follow-up to the opening. This second song doesn't achieve what most songs on here will, and that is to sound more than just a song that didn't make the cut from the Sky Input album even if that's not the case. Maybe this artist had less of an elaborate vision for this song, or not. Either way it's still fun to listen to. There's a decent amount of cool psychedelic sounds. Those Pleiadian streams of melodies piled up are here to some degree too. I think this song is fairly good, but I feel like I've heard this before. I know this artist can do better. I realize not every song can be excellent, a masterpiece, or impressive to me or anyone. However after hearing the opening track Unfiltered I honestly expected more. This is a cool breather before the next monster track. I enjoy the melodies although they seem less developed (more repetitive) here. The high pitched or frequency changes are cool. It's a pretty good song, just nothing great in my opinion. B- 3. REFLECTED for the first several minutes is pretty good but far from exciting or great. Suddenly a leading melody comes streaming across at around 4:11. At this point things suddenly pick up and I appreciate getting to this part more than before in retrospect. The sounds of the drums are accentuated, making the tone more aggressive and spiced up. Musically, I feel greatness, excellence has been touched, especially with the key shifts or changes 4:43 (up / down, etc.) and how this affects the melody and feel of the song. It's engaging and dynamic! At 8:22 the song climaxes again, a blast of those streaming melodies return like a chorus that repeats at an ideal time. This is one of the best songs on the album and by Filteria to date. A- 4. MIND EXPANSION I welcome as a less intense song relative to the previous one. The transition elements, the ambient, and other creative pauses and music directions are interesting and enjoyable. Whether good or great, I find this a very well done song. It's both fresher and more involved and engaging than the other less intense song so far titled Speech Module. B+ 5. PYROGEN is one of the most interesting tracks here. The artist is trying something different. The song is cleverly composed with gradual buildup and clearly less climax. The initial melodies aren’t so lit up that all of our attention is focused on one until around 1:40. Soon after this melody disappears as the listener travels further. At around 3:00 is the first leading melody and boost which elevates the song to a more catchy sound and speed. I really enjoy the melody fusion from around 4:12 to 4:35 and how it disappears for more traveling. Around 5:07 is a quiet transition laced in floating ambient. The song is interesting because we have no idea where it’s taking us. I think this is the most unique track on the album so far because it does things Filteria has first done here. It creates suspense and takes time to build. It isn’t as in-your-face like virtually every track from Sky Input. I'd love to see more creative approaches like the one here. There is something both juicy and fluid about the melody work. They blend together rather nicely. If Filteria continues more experimental directions like this one he will create something spectacular sooner or later. B+ 6. ROTATE TO VIBRATE is the best song on this album since Reflected. WOW. was what I said multiple times upon hearing this more than once. The melodies build the song into a blazing rocket. The ascending and descending key/note changes in the last third are excellent. They elevate the song so much. This is one of the best songs I've heard by Filteria yet. It becomes stronger and more powerful as it progresses. It also appears more involved and infectious over Reflected. Impressive work. A 7. LUNAR CIVILIZATION (Filteria's Higher Rmx) is a solid remix of a great song by Pleiadians. Both are great for dance floors at trance scenes. However any remix generally makes a song less original in my opinion. I prefer an artist to minimize remixes to originals not done by the artist. Nonetheless, some great work has come out of remixing the original Lunar Civilization whom many call a classic by Pleiadians. It’s interesting to hear the original and than this one. The new version is like a cross between old Pleiadians and Filteria of course. This is an accomplished track in its own right with a monster burst in the middle. With today’s technology and creativity this artist has updated and modernized a great song. It isn't my favorite here but neither was the original from the Pleiadians. If you liked the original, you'll likely enjoy this too. B+ 8. CLOUD KINGDOM (Solar Fields Rmx) made me uncertain during the first ten second. I also thought it sounded 80's syth/pop electronica as a reviewer wrote on psynews.org. A beautiful female voice enters soon after and suddenly any doubt in my mind washed away. This song escalates into a dreamy rhythm of uplifting sounds and melodies. However the track seems to lose direction, or fall off course from around 5:00 to 6:30. The beat disappears and the music loses layers. It just sits there. The song begins to drag. It happened once around 2:10 while holding some type of beat (as it repeated with little development) but I forgave it. In this case the rhythm thankfully picks up around 7:15 and finishes both the song and the album off well. Unfortunately I was nervous for a minute and I don't like feeling lost in a "why isn't the song engaging me" type way. Several of my friends whom I let hear this song agreed. It (the song) seems to get caught up in the middle before finding its soul and direction. I realize this is a transition. Nonetheless, a little trimming and editing could have made this thing stronger. I'm generally pleased with this but there is a bump or two in an otherwise well paved road. The beautiful female voice adds character, emotion, and warmth. I appreciate this song more than the closing on the debut because it's actually unexpected in that it’s emotive, pretty, and dreamy. Peace after chaos is better for contrast than a less intense Psy-Trance song which basically was the cool closing, yet less memorable closong on Filteria's Sky Input album in my opinion. B+ PROS 1. Heliopolis has several super songs which will work exceptionally well for dancing and psytrance parties. 2. Arrangement. Mixing. More work has gone into improving this follow-up and adding some very distinct songs. Time and energy put into the creative process, focus, direction, sound/melody arrangement, melody structure, mixing, (and more) shows. 3. There is a stronger song variety on Heliopolis. Several tracks stand out as being very unique, distinguishable characters. Not every track is back-to-back mad/intense or as similar as the impressive however more one-dimentional debut. 4. Some people say this follow-up has better production values than the original. Heliopolis sounds very clear, crisp, and well produced. It is a technical improvement in some ways. 5. Leading melodies such as from 2:40 forward on Reflected and soon after the 4:00 mark (especially 4:40 to 5:17 and again around 5:57 forward and again around 8:17 forward) are exciting! I can name two to three other tracks which impress me just as much if not more! 6. The album ends with a solid, Chill, Down-Tempo, Ambient song. It's refreshing to hear, floating, dreamy, and sometimes beautiful. This is a good if not great way to end the album. CONS 1.There were more memorable leading melodies in the debut. 2. Maybe it's time to introduce a wider range of sounds (new sounds as well) to a future Filteria album. Imagine how much deeper and imaginative, emotional (without being cheesy or fluffy obviously) things can get. Oh the possibilities. 3. Someone commented on key-changes or lack of. When the entire sound changes during songs like REFLECTED and the second half of ROTATE to VIBRATE, it's top stuff. More key changes and leading melodies, (as on UNFILTERED or PYROGEN) would have been awesome. It’s interesting how such a little thing can enhance a song. I wish there were more of these elements and I'm greatful for the ones that exist. They're fresh and exciting and fun to hear. I simply wish more than two tracks involved these dynamic alterations with the music. In Conclusion, Heliopolis improves upon its debut with better production and a good amount of new, well done, high-octane, melody-filled, psychedelic Goa-Trance songs. Several are excellent. The style and mixing in tracks like REFLECTED and ROTATE TO VIBRATE is superb. The drums have improved too. I love when the drums change up as more layers return. I also found very interesting the strong, deeper melodies and feel of UNFILTERED and PYROGEN followed by CLOUD KINGDOM. Few songs however such as SPEECH MODULE and LUNAR CIVILIZATION (RMX) appear to involve less substance, greatness, or originality. Nevertheless, Sky Input was the first Goa album in some time to be released so it had much more anticipation and mystery behind it than Heliopolis. This shouldn't discourage people from checking it out. The follow up also proves that the first was no fluke. This artist is very talented. He has creativity, determination, and ambition. He creates some excellent tracks with powerful leading and supporting melodies, sounds, and monster climaxes and rhythms. Atmosphere may be one of the few weaker aspects to work on and develop. It would be awesome if this artist continues to branch out, improves, and make quality Goa/Psy-Trance songs and albums. These updated songs arrive like missiles. They’re less dependent on climax and come equipped with improved flow, melody structure, and story telling at times, or so it seems. Tracks like UNFILTERED, REFLECTED, PYROGEN, and ROTATE TO VIBRATE are clear examples of excellent and improved work. Filteria's style has matured and become more interesting and dynamic. Filteria hasn't lost his energy. He's refined it. He's modified it. He hasn’t abandoned the hurricane of melodies, intensity, and layers either. Tracks like UNFILTERED start the album off with a bang! It's as if Filteria took notes from Pleiadian’s famous Head Spin song. In this sense the opening track is powerful, storming, energetic, layered, and exciting. Cloud Kingdom ends the sequel on a very chill and peaceful note. As you can see I think Heliopolis is a great album and I was more impressed with the debut for its time. With the first, no one was there to complain or say it was too intense, too maximal, or whatever. The artist seemed to know no limits before past those of the programming software without losing flow and correlation of the plethora of sounds generated. He went all out and capitalized on something to the point of sheer amazement and exhaustion. I loved it but the shock and awe has done its job. Sky Input in my honest opinion broke more ground for what it was. However I return to Heliopolis more often than Sky Input because I find its technical improvements and diversified tracks (comparable to the debut) more arresting and attractive to my updated ears. In short, if you liked Sky Input I'd be surprised if you don't like Heliopolis. Favorite tracks: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8. B+ Samples: Suntrip Records: http://www.suntriprecords.com Psyshop: http://tinyurl.com/pnp3s Saiko: http://tinyurl.com/rg3su THE COVER: I like the cover and I feel it's important to better accentuate the artist and album name in contrast to the busy background for future reference. Otherwise the cover reflects some sweet, nostalgic artwork from those classic Goatrance cover designs. It's very cool and pretty looking no doubt. Simply make sure people can see your name so they can better associate this cool cover to you and so your name is better accessible to the mind for numorous reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amphiton Posted April 8, 2006 Share Posted April 8, 2006 Used what more than once? 506298[/snapback] Sky Imput instead of Sky Input, which is the correct title. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chis Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 4. Someone commented on key-changes, or lack of. and I don’t know if this is considered key changes or not, but on tracks like REFLECTED and part of ROTATE to VIBRATE…. the notes change, the song becomes so much more catchy and fun. More arrangement in creating more developed notes, melodies, tunes really show. It’s amazing how such a little thing can enhance a song or album. I wish there were more of these elements. With a genre as incestuous as psy/goa trance, where you have to have a certain type of production and set of lead/drum/bass sounds just to "sound right" (supposedly, not that I agree with this, but that's how it is - metal suffers with the same problem), yes every attempt to do something just a little differently, or things that other producers don't do, is a good thing. Rotate To Vibrate is my favourite track on Heliopolis, yes, because of the key changes. The effect is sooo euphoric! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
option zer0 Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 great album, i love Cloud Kingdom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.