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V/A - Butterfly Dawn


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V/A - Butterfly Dawn

 

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Artist: Various

Title: Butterfly Dawn

Label: LSD

Date: 2003

 

Track listing:

 

01. Nada : Earthgarden

02. Mantra Man : Shivai

03. Nada : Raja Mati

04. Loop Guru : Climax (Youth & Humph'S Remix)

05. Tripswitch : Exiled

06. Nada : Manakhana

07. J Viewz : Into The Mood

08. Adham Shaikh : Somptin Hapnin (East Shore Mix)

09. Prometheus : Sweet Tooth

10. Tripswitch : Silver

 

Review:

 

This is the tenth album from Liquid Sound Design and the third with Humphrey at

the helm after Mana Medicine and Elucidations. So? do I even need to review

it? Well, I will suppose that some of you haven?t had the fortune to hear any

other LSD releases and so I?ll just go ahead and tell you how much I love this

album. To my ears this is the best of Humph?s compilations to date. It carries

the ethnic flavours and warmth of Mana Medicine with more of the creative beat

structures and psychedelic moments heard on Elucidations. Still, there?s no

point comparing only to these forerunners as this album has a musical pedigree

that will make it stand its own against any chillout disc out there. If

Shpongle and Ott?s Hallucinogen in Dub captured the essence of a gloopy,

dripping Otherworld of magic plants and psychedelic visions, Butterfly Dawn

takes us to a place much more firmly rooted in our own planet Earth. It is the

natural extension of the tribal and ethnic into the electronic.

 

One key theme is reserve? none of the tracks let fly too early and they all

give the impression of having deep maturity. There are hooks and melodies to

be found but they aren?t flirting with your head from the outset. When they do

reveal themselves they carry so much more passion for having withheld

themselves. Of course the production is of excellent quality too, as you would

expect from LSD.

 

The album begins in a very laid back manner with a gently progressing track

from Nada ? Humphrey Bacchus and Russell (Abacus) Davies. Soft, Indian samples

set the mind at rest as the crisp beats keep the pace.

 

Then we have Biddu Orchestra?s offering ?Gayatri Mantra? ? majestic and

continuing the Indian theme. From a man who has sold 36 Million records and

had 7 number one hits worldwide, this is very down to Earth and a beautiful

piece of music in any context? not even a Kung Fu Fighter in sight!

 

Then comes one of the highlights on this album for me ? the stunning Raja Mati

from Nada. With a child?s voice singing a Nepali folk song and the Himalayan

instruments to back it up, all passed through the Abacus sonic effects that

were the signature of Return to Rama on Elucidations, we have here something

special. Breathe in that mountain air!

 

I like a bit of Loop Guru from time to time, though I knew that it wasn?t

Humph?s favourite sound. So when I saw that he and Youth had got to work on

Climax, I was a little surprised. However, if you didn?t know Loop Guru well,

you probably wouldn?t have realised this had anything to do with them! Much

more in the vein of East of the River Ganges or Dub Trees with all the Youth

signature noises and beats? puts a fat smile on the face.

 

If you heard Shamanic Tea on Mana Medicine you will know that Tripswitch has a

bag of tricks that can make your head spin. Exiled is an absolutely superb

tune and if, like me, you are a sucker for a catchy hook then the final part

of this track will give you the shivers. It?s a properly psychedelic tune with

plenty of far Eastern and aboriginal flavours. It sneaks along on a very deep

bass line and every sound seems well placed, gradually growing to the splendid

finale and leaving you wanting more. Epic.

 

Nada?s third tune is also astounding ? the most trance-orientated tune on the

compilation, leering with Leary and riding on an extremely clever beat

structure. Somehow I think the production at the beginning of this track slips

a little ? probably due to some of the samples ? but it soon picks up. The

vocal samples ? Leary and chants ? create a very rich atmosphere of something

very beautiful happening all around.

 

I can?t tell you much about J.Viewz, except that he/she/it produces a smooth

and warm tune that does indeed get me Into the Mood. Balearic in flavour and

sweetly melodic, I can see this getting a lot of playtime on beaches around

the world.

 

Adam Shaikh can always be relied on to deliver the goods ? his tune as Drift,

?Arc en Ciel? is one of my favourite chillout tracks as are his outings as

Ekko. This tune takes some time to take off, but when it does it will have

your hips wriggling in your hammock. Effortless rhythms and melodies deliver

big morning smiles all way to the end from this one.

 

Benji Vaughan needs no introduction as Prometheus, and unsurprisingly this is a

deep and trippy number. Some Ninja-Tune styled beats and samples thrown into a

ripped and twisted framework make it distinctive on this compilation. It

builds again to a Sweet Toothed vocal climax, but still in keeping with the

reserved and withheld feel of the album. I can?t say I?ve heard anything quite

like it, but it works for me!

 

After all these strong tunes, it takes big feet to fill the shoes of ending

this compilation. Tripswitch is the man with just those oversized feet. This

tune is definitely more about atmosphere and texture than about going to a

particular destination, but it is the perfect ending to the best chillout

compilation I have come across in ages.

 

I am sure that most of you will have just skipped over all that bomble-drivel

to the punchline? which is: favourite tracks 3,5 and 6 (for today?) no bad

tracks, no filler and an ultimately magnificent chillout voyage. I know how

much work and emotional energy went into bringing this to release, but it

still seems like it just arrived effortlessly to my ears. A well deserved 9/10.

 

bomble

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Correct me if i'm wrong, but i think J Viewz is Jonathan Dagan. He is also a

member of the group Violet Vision, which also released a track on

Elucidations. Anyhow, this is a great release! One of the best chillout

releases i've heard. Not much more to mention here i guess, Bomble has covered

this release in a great way. The tracks which stands out for me is 1,3,6,8 and

9. I have to say that the Prometheus track really surprised me. Benji Vaughan

(Prometheus) also have some great tracks on the Backroom Beats 2 compilation

on Twisted Records. To sum it up: If you're after some great tracks for

summer-chilling get this one. 9/10 from me also! Regards!

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  • 3 weeks later...
Guest What

i don't have much to add, other than you won't find a finer example of the sort

of "world/chill" type of music right now. bought this a couple of weeks ago

and i don't think a day has passed where i haven't listened to it. eclectic

beat structures, deep rich bass-lines (track 9, yikes!), nice little "gentle"

places, beautiful vocal arrangements (track 3, exquisite), and perfect track

placement. very well done. i don't often review music here, but this one

deserves attention.

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  • 2 months later...

Pretty good ambiental compilation but I expected more, hearing some of previous

LSD compilations...it is more relaxing, tame ambient that is cute to be made

but still, there isn't any real energy that grabs you...All songs are cute but

the best are : EARTHGARDEN, RAJA MATI, EXILED, INTO THE MOOD...7/10

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  • 3 years later...

A stand out compilation from a stand out label.

LSD have delivered some fucking amazingly beautiful albums but this is just absolutley amazing!!!

Nada : Earthgarden starts us off in a relaxed trippy hippy style.

Mantra Man : Shivai continues in the same vein but gets a little more intense

Nada : Raja Mati rounds off the feeling of the 1st 3 tracks in climactic style.

Loop Guru : Climax (Youth & Humph's Remix) is good

Tripswitch : Exiled is brilliant

Nada : Manakhana slips by seemlessly

J Viewz : Into The Mood makes you wanna come

Adham Shaikh : Somptin Hapnin (East Shore Mix) builds that sensation

Prometheus : Sweet Tooth releases it. (really looking forward to a chill album from this guy

Tripswitch : Silver rounds of the album in fine style & after listening to the whole CD I am always disapointed that it's over

One of they few CDs ' can play twice back to back :D

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  • 7 months later...

Lovely compilation, perhaps the best of LSD. The title fits the mood of the compilation pretty well, this use to be the album I put on when the sun was showing its first rays and the morning was early. Love the Nada tracks :wub:

 

8/10

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This is truly a magnificent gem of a release :) Pure ear candy! A crown in my LSD collection!

 

Thank u Joseph for sending this one to me :clapping: Makes me smile every time I listen to it!

 

A must for all LSD lovers (that being the label :P well maybe that goes for LSD in general as well)

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