Etnica - Alien Protein

[exotic]

Damn how could i forget party droid

[w_lizzard]

This was my first goa 3xLP bought from KINETIK RECORDS somewhere spoted at Navarinou place.

Love the album so much I bought it on CD.

I didn't know what is all about. The music just got me there.

Hello Dj SAVAGE. Wish you all the best!

Edit: and yes I have gived it away as a present to my cousin

[Jon Cocco]

ETNICA - ALIEN PROTEIN

1996

BLUE ROOM RECORDS

 

 

 

 

Track list:

 

01. 08'36" Screaming Butterfly - A-

02. 07'48" Chakra Active 8 - B+

03. 08'37" Party Droid - B+

04. 08'56" Z Plane Sunrise - A- / A

05. 08'41" Microdrive - B+

06. 08'43" Starship 101 - A

07. 07'05" Deep East - A-

08. 09'06" Trip Tonite - A- / A

 

 

Etnica made two Goa-Trance albums. This is their second and it's arguably their best. Production and mastering exceed underrated 1995's gem "Juggeling Alchemists of the Black Light." You can actually here the more complex style developing in this one before their next massive project, Pleiadian's I.F.O., which is on the top 5 greatest albums in Goa-Trance, my opinion. If you read throughout the reviews here you'll notice a consistency of great ones. This is no doubt a great album. All tracks sound complete, full of character and personality. It's generally less involved and layered than the massive project soon to come but for 1996 this broke new ground.

 

Initially I didn't like this album so much. I think it's because I've been spoiled with old-school Pleiadians and Crop Circles work. In 1996 however, a time before those, you had Astral Projections Trust In Trance, Transwave's Helium and Phototropic, MFG's The Prophecy, Cosmosis's Cosmology, and too few others considered classics. I actually enjoyed all of those more than this but of the hundreds of Psy/Goa released that year this is very close to the top, and not just in 1996 either.

 

Finding weaknesses on this album this great is like comparing apples to oranges in a sense. We all have our favorite tracks but unlike so many albums in and around 1996, few albums have such strong work and tracks throughout. Is Chakra Active 8 the weakest track on the album? I don't know. Fewer people seem to list Chakra Active 8 and Microdrive in their favorites. That said, both are very well done regardless. I want to mention Deep East, the big chill track before last because this hasn't gotten the attention it deserves. It's clearly the slowest thing here, much more so than Trip Tonight. It takes several minutes for the beat alone to arrive and here it stands in an album comprised of great dancing tunes... I believe less people were patient giving Deep East the credit it deserves. It's a great, if not excellent Downtempo/Ambient Goa track which gets better as it progresses. I think it's one of Etnica's top most under appreciated tunes. I agree Starship 101 and Z Plane Sunrise are without a doubt classic Goa-Trance songs. Personally I find Starship 101 stronger, just awesome how the hynotic rhythms stream together as so many delicious particles enunciate it in glory. Both are excellent. I also think the opening track is great but Z Plane Sunrise is the first track to arrest my attention. Party Druid is fun, one of the better ones for dancing at a party. Microdrive I don't consider excellent but it's very good. Without a specific, repeating leading melody however it wouldn't last very long.

 

I can't find a track here which comes close to the emotive feel and tone achieved through Moon Influence on Etnica's "Juggeling Alchemists..." debut. That said, the last two tracks here are very moving and mentally, even intellectually stimulating. Etnica could make an entire album in this more chill Goa-Trance Goa style and I would have bought it immediately. The last two tracks together have great strength in the more emotive, atmosphere, soundscape, and melody department. And they have beats.

 

In conclusion, Juggeling Alchemists and Alien Protein are both terrific albums in Goa-Trance. In retrospect I don't know my reaction to this had I heard it in 1996. I didn't hear Alien Protein until 2004 so it's hard for me to not judge aspects of it biasly because I've heard Pleiadians and so much since. It's like going back from an up-to-date Mac or Apple to recognize the quality gameplay within a graphically outdated, classic game like Final Fantasy VII. Some things will always be beautiful however. Eventually everything gets old and dated including our cool selves and time. I'm aware of the general old-school sound and I know and love the great music. Like many of you I not only hear but enjoy the awesome work through the now dated production and mastering. To be honest, the mastering and production's held up extremely well by todays standards when you realize 1996. It's definitely a step up from their debut in that department. Musically, Alien Protein is excellent. Several super songs are present. None are below good and great. Etnica's last two chill tracks are excellent. Alien Protein is a Goa-Trance classic.

 

 

Favorite Tracks: 1, 4, 6, 7, 8.

 

 

A-

 

 

 

Samples: http://www.saikosounds.com/english/display...ase.asp?id=2806

[XpandoZ]

Have to say that party droid was the song that got me into Etnica. I remember it so clear lol I was sitting on the train to Amsterdam. I was completely mesmerized during the 4:27 minute mark and I grunted when the conductor tapped my shoulder, waking me from my trance @_@

[qa2pir]

...and I grunted when the conductor tapped my shoulder, waking me from my trance @_@

Wow, sounds intense.

[JonCrow]

Admit 0ne: A ticket t0 the Alien 0pera.

[Penzoline]

There's just something about this release. For me, I found it boring, kind of minimal, at first. That was back when I was being saturated with more ultra-melodic and straightforward music. I didn't really get the beauty of Alien Protein until I got my latest set of headphones to be honest. I did like it, but wasn't still really too interesting.

 

The revelation I finally had was about the textures and depth. The texturing in this album is magnificent, rich, alien. The atmosphere is so mysterious, somewhat dark, the sounds are smoothly quirky, minimal and alien. Little details just around every corner, extremely well composed. The aural imaginary is definitely alien and of course subjective, but I find myself wondering the halls of the Pleiadean mothership, Etnica. The inner workings, but it is only a fraction of the whole. How did they come about, how long have they been, how many of there are, what are their goals and such remain a mystery. And the laid-backish atmosphere of the whole thing has a flavour of innocence to it, since we do not know really anything yet, we cannot predict. By the end of it, it seems to indicate that humans have some knowledge that an alien race exists and we are finding the need to prepare for the inevitable counter, whether it'll be peaceful or not.

 

Now even if you would expect, not all the tracks survived the time, I find Party Droid and Z-Plane Sunrise a tad cheesy at times because of some of the sounds coupled with the kind of melodies. Otherwise the other tracks on this album are great, extremely well textured, interesting upbeat tracks and the two downtempo one's are of the same quality.

 

I think the phrase "Alien Opera" is perfect for this release. It does not hold the massive power of the Pleiadian sound, but instead it's even more alien and more interesting in it's own way. If only I could dwell into their mindset while they were creating this back in 95 or so. It was really something never-before-seen. Classical Goa-trance. A must have for every collector.

[Penzoline]

Hah I just found out that the Vinyl release had a track the CD one's didn't. Thought it's worth a mention since it looks like most people missed it.

 

[DreamWalker]

Hah I just found out that the Vinyl release had a track the CD one's didn't. Thought it's worth a mention since it looks like most people missed it.

 

 

 

All this time and I just learn this? Hell yes, it's like an old Christmas present that had been undiscovered under the sofa for years ; new etnica track for my ears!

[Trance2MoveU]

Artist: Etnica
Title: Alien Protein
Label: Blue Room Released
Date: April, 1996

01. Screaming Butterfly
02. Chakra Active 8
03. Party Droid
04. Z Plane Sunrise
05. Microdrive
06. Starship 101
07. Deep East
08. Trip Tonite

 

It makes sense that the country of Italy is in the shape of a boot. There are so many things about this nation that are kick ass. They invented pizza right?

 

 

 

I'll be honest with you. If you offered me the option of a slice from Little Cesars or letting you take a sh*t in my mouth I would have to think about it.

 

 

 

"Are you talking to me?" I know he wasn't born in Italy, but he couldn't be more Italian if you put him in a wife beater and a track suit and had him say "AY OH!" over and over.

 

 

Save it for the next level Mario.

But the undisputed king of Italy right now has to be this man

"I'm not a gynecologist, but I'll take a look." Do you believe this guy? His hands are already in motorboat position.

This is the new Godfather. No sh*t this guy is charged with more crimes than Hitler. Fraud, corruption, interfering with police, paying for sex with a minor...and don't forget the "bunga bunga" sex parties where he had underage women dress up and have sex with him. Then in his most gangsta move he said his accusers were just jealous because they weren't invited. I hear ya, playa!

Everyone knows this was a group of four Italians that were also responsible for Pleiadians. A group that was responsible for some of the greatest goa trance music ever created. Ever. I would be willing to bet that 99% of this forum has this be it on CD, vinyl, or mp3. It is timeless and it never gets old.

Screaming Butterfly- 2 minutes in and the melody moonwalks all over the track accompanied by gurgling synths in a grab a bunch of girls and dance like nobody's watching sexy party. It's a 303 beatdown that causes a shockwave. The intensity increases and the final bit is a wall of force.

Chakra Active 8- After the opening blitzkrieg this one takes it down a notch. A combination of synths make spiraling melodies that change key. Where the opening track was a rocket ship ride into the sun, this is staying in the tanning bed too long. It's not bad, not at all, but it doesn't have the same impact. Still a good rolling piece of music especially the sparkling melody at the end.

Party Droid- I love the dark way in which this one begins. The melody has both rumbling properties as well as sky kissing touches. The bass drop in the first direction change fits like a glove as more melodies shoot up like fireworks. The layers! The layers! Cool thing too is there really isn't a respite as new leads take over for old ones.



Z-Plane Sunrise- So meticulous in the sounds it truly wraps around you like a blanket. Bubbling, racing...it's like the melodies sparkle with light every place they touch. It doesn't bludgeon you, but lifts you up with new arpeggios so real you feel like you can touch them. Love this track.

Microdrive- Swagger, attitude. That's what this one's got. It's a bit of a grower but then that melody after 2 minutes comes in and it's all sunshine and beach parties. Twisting and turning like a roller coaster in an endless spiral it switches direction in smooth fashion.


Starship 101- Falling synths and a bubbling undercurrent mark this as the last fast track. The synths stab with pinpoint accuracy and give way to a rampaging shimmer of a lead. Stand back, don't touch it! When the track deconstructs the 303 takes over but what's really awesome are the number of direction changes. It's powerful and magical taking you to the highest of highs.

"So high I could kiss the sky."

Deep East- Soft keystrokes touch the keypad as a smooth breakbeat taps out a rhythm. It crawls along, slowly as pads rise and fall and an Eastern melody unfurls over that same breakbeat. This is look to the sky and sway music. It's organic and insanely detailed in carrying the listener on comforting winds. Totally ethereal.


Trip Tonite- Classic after classic, it's just mind boggling. The signature melody crawls across the sky and all you can do is stare with your mouth agape.

.
This track takes it's time. By no means is it a blaster, no it is a slow evolver that has a soft touch. It sneaks around on light feet but it's melody is lethal. Razor sharp with a withering touch while losing none of it's mystical focus. It's a perfect way to end this almost perfect journey. Unbelievable.

One of the best goa trance released ever. If you call yourself a fan then this must be in your collection. Find it, hold it, love it.

Mdk

[ollylovesgoa]

Alien Protein is probably my favourite album of all time, and definetly my most admired musically. Etnica's style is extremely psychedelic, and you can clearly hear how the complexity has increased since their first album, Juggling Alchemists; here the layers are thick, and with every listen new details reveal themselves, and a little acid growl becomes more noticeable. The melodies are at times discordant, unsettling the listener in a particularly alien fashion, sometimes euphoric, blasting atop of many rythmic sounds all with a specific textural effect, and sometimes subtle, hinting at a direction through the soup of effects, but always unique, always classically Etnica, never to be successfully imitated. Etnica can capture a kind of atmosphere that words can't fully describe, so otherworldly and distant, but also warm and analogue.

 

Alien Protein needs and deserves time to be fully appreciated, each track is a very intelligent composition and the album as a whole is a journey, but on initial listens the subtle effects and real impact of the melody work mightn't strike a listener as striking as something as so obviously euphoric as Astral Projection's work, but this is the kind of album that is truly timeless, and as such it develops with the listeners continual experience of each track, and is far less vulnerable to being overplayed as other styles of Goa that are less complicated.

 

My favourite track is Party Droid, for me it epitemises the entire release. The heavy, earthy beats that resonate through the woodwork of a building, unlike the modern full on basslines of today, the cascading melody's that transport the listener to some other galaxy, climaxing into a running torrent of sheer auditory pleasure, the spiralling notes that dribble over reverberating effects, and overall an evolution throughout the track, a build-up and continual peak, the defining feature of real trance music that is lost in todays world of breakdowns and over produced drops. This track is a writhing, twisting wave of sound that to me is the peak of a whole era, the peak of what creative minds can do with a certain artistic vision.

 

Alien Protein is the album I recomend to people interested in hearing Goa trance, and it may take many listens, and many detours into the material of other groups, but eventually the genius behind this release is translated to anyone with the will to hear it. It is truly timeless.

 

Particular favourites: Party Droid, Z-plane Sunrise, Chakra Active 8, Starship 101

 

10/10