Hux Flux - Cryptic Crunch

[Drosophila]

I just don't get it!

I have the rerelease only

It's okay but I wouldn't call it a masterpiece or Perfect.

Some tracks are really good some are a bit too noisy & some I find a bit boring.

Maybe I should give it a few more listens but so far.... meh

Give it some more spin-time and see if u will start to love it.... I think it deserves it (I mean love and spin-time )

 

And I think if there are any master pieces out there this is definitely one of them but it might take some time to digest it!

[Jon Cocco]

HUX FLUX - CRYPTIC CRUNCH

KOYOTE

1999

 

 

 

 

Track listing:

 

01. 09'26" Calculus

02. 08'01" Tripple Nipple

03. 08'42" Nemo

04. 08'43" Experimenting With Potions

05. 08'34" Cryptic Crunch

06. 08'47" Short Circuit

07. 08'03" Elixir

08. 08'06" Alkaloid

09. 08'31" Nervoservo

 

 

Imagine X-Dream - Radio with less (but far from no) melody focus and work. Cryptic Crunch emphasizes the PSYCHEDELIC in Psytrance, integrating some of the most wild sounds into a heavy beat and bass line. But if that summed up the album alone, we may as well sum up "Lord of the Rings" as a story about some guy that takes a long walk just to drop a ring in the fire. The end.

 

This is an awesome release. It's a psychedelic monster over load to even itself. I imagine their goal was: To make the most psychedelic album ever made. Since I hadn't heard this back in 1999 I don't know how I would have perceived it. I probably would have hated it, because upon first listen in 2008, well, I HATED this album. Every track to me sounded like a bunch of PSY sounds around a thumbing beat and bass line. I put it back in the collection and was disappointed I bought it. I had never found an available copy until 2008 (saikosounds). A week before I wrote this, I decided to try it again after reading all of the positive reviews that had inspired me to buy it in the first place. I think in the past I was expecting more melodies. I didn't give the album a chance. I was clearly not in the right mood to enjoy it. Derango's Tumult attempted a similar concept (to be most PSYCHEDELIC). But Cryptic Crunch has a chaotic yet gripping flow to it that I feel Derango's Tumult lacks. Cryptic Crunch has been compared to numerous Goa/Psytrance album's such as TOI DOI - Technologic and Menis - Temporary Insanity. The latter I initially liked better because of its melody emphasis. But past the opening three tracks on Menis - Temporary Insanity, it dips on and off, having few tracks that come close to the opening three bangs. Cryptic Crunch is a stronger release overall because every track is great and/or excellent, superb. Let me describe the attitude of this album here:

 

Someone mentioned melodies. You want fucking melodies? How about I take your clock off the wall and slam it on its head until it smashes into a hundred pieces. You see the clock part keeps ticking? There's your fucking melody.

 

The artists went ALL OUT on this album. Sure there are tracks I find catchier than others. But this is MAXIMAL PSYTRANCE unlike Filteria or Pleiadians because the Psytrance is emphasized on sound effects over melodies, and yet there are melodies too, though many (not all) of them are made of crazy sound effects. The artists take extra ordinary sounds and make complicated, textured rhythms with them. As the listener's trying to digest this crazed sentence, the artists decide to add pile on 5-10 more just incase you had time to catch your breath. You're already barreling out onto on coming traffic and getting hit by a truck before the next minute is up. That's how insane this album gets at times. As it progresses, we realize that the bizarre style of the opening track is just an opening to some brilliant forms of infection and creation, to those at least who like this landmark style.

 

 

01. Calculus is a gob popper, Nintendo on Acid building, bubbling, hissing, squeaking stomper. Get used to these descriptions because the whole albums like this. I don't know how else to explain it. Umm... there's a drum. No really, a strong bass line, and whatever the hell is going on sounds crazy as Hell. But I'm not addicted just yet (X-Dream's Radio without the melodies and 3-5x the fx come to mind at first). Don't pay attention to any particular sound. Just open your mind by letting go of current thoughts, emotions. The song is loaded with psychedelic sounds. On a technical it sounds impressive. But it doesn't seem to have a strong path past the 6-7 minute mark, as various sounds are removed and added to compensate for the curtain about to close presumably. I really want to see how infectious this crazy style gets. Quantity and quality are two separate things after all, and there's some of both here. B+

 

02. Tripple Nipple is the first song to have more of a selected rhythm and groove. This appears better structured, constructed than the previous number. A riffing, echoed melody takes place around 2:00 creating a design that is enhanced by some of the crunchiest sounding textures I have ever heard. A wobbly, squeeky sound tops off the track. While I don't feel the song is superb, I find it more dynamic and less drawn out than the previous, strong opening. B+ / A-

 

03. Nemo is a powerful, artistic mindfuck that would probably impress David Lynch if he was into Psytrance. The first half involves a very catchy sound/melody followed by another. Both the higher and lower pitched sound compliment each other to near perfection as loads of crunchy tickets, taps, pops, dribbles, wobbles, shaking metal sounds and more dance around this glowing crescendo of madness. The melody work around 4:23 is excellent. Now this reminds me of the concept later taken in Derango's Tumult with the rare, driving melody segment in The Poisonous Square track for instance. I love a super psychedelic album with a badass driving melody cutting across the chaos. That is AWESOME. There is more infectious elements and development too, coupled with a cybernetic, spinning sound I try to explain as a flying saucer trapped in rotations. I'm impressed by how many catchy sounds they have tweaked and mixed all at once while achieving a continuously evolving and generally gripping effect. This is my favorite track on the album so far. A

 

04. Experimenting With Potions starts off with one of the strangest catchy sounds I have ever heard. What is that? Is it a mouse on speed and someone decided to echo it's squeaking voice? If that's the case we put many mice on speed. I have no idea where they come up with their sounds but they're great. This is a slower track; it's more mid-tempo and very psychedelic. It breaks up the heavier tracks nicely I feel, unless you're looking to leave this album spinning as-is for the dance floor, you may have a problem. But as a slower Hux Flux song, it's excellent, very groovy, gripping, and rare, appreciative. A-

 

05. Cryptic Crunch is a driving blazer. Listen to that opening trippy, bubbly, lifting melodic effect. That is awesome! Followed by the industrial, like slamming a draw being echoed effects. The shuffling, driving sound and rhythm that soon follows is golden. I haven't even gotten to the huge and deliciously created PSYCHEDELIC structure comprised of dozens of sounds supporting the fort yet. This track reminds of of Chi-A.D.'s continuously driving Pathfinder minus the ethnic influence and pretty melody work. Hux Flux created their own storm blaze shuffler, and it's super for a driving number, though there's no real stand out part, melody, or climax. It's an extremely well developed PSY driver from beginning to end. A-

 

06. Short Circuit instantly comes across as more infectious to me than previous songs. This may be because there is a strong, psychedelic and skipping Pleiadian-esque melody throughout. But his is a more mechanical TOI DOI - LIKE sound. I love the mechanical melody here along with a strong tune. A shot of laughter comes out of nowhere around 4:14 and a burst of intensity rips cross the air until a phenomanal break out CLIMAX at 4:44. What?! This is amazing! Around 5:15 is.. this is like the EVIL version of Filteria's Navigate song on the Sky Input debut minus two-thirds the melodies and yet it has awesome GOA melodies! WOW. The buzzing bumble bee sounds to the water droplets, voice effects, coupled with enough sounds that I've lost count back in the first minute. This is like Halluciongen influenced Hux Flux on a 5 star acid head trip, pissed off but additively alarming and on fire throughout. This is, hands down the most impressive song to me on the album so far. It's extremely dynamic and I find it ridiculously infectious from beginning to end. A

 

07. Elixir starts off interesting and very psychedelic. Surprisingly, this is one of my least favorite tracks on the album to date. The music's great; I found previous numbers more infectious and gripping. Here we're tailored to a good assortment of fast paced sound paced segments. None however arrest my attention like before. I'm searching for a strong core or part that stands out but Elixir is more the exercising what's been done into a new driving number as opposed to building a super song out of it. It's still a good song thought. Previous tracks I found more dynamic and catchy. The artists do a good making a sound effect driven song entertaining at least. I just feel that more could have been done to lift this track to the next level. B+

 

08. Alkaloid is a return to those tearing across the systems zipper melodies. This is easily one of the coolest, strongest songs on the album. It's extremely psychedelic. The others were psychedelic but this is even MORE psychedelic than some of the others. It is well complimented by a rolling, thumping/deeper sounding melody. It enhances the song and returns at least once. So much more takes place around these events that I'm overwhelmed to push myself further. The sounds often develop and build into these labyrinthine sentences of Goa/Psy rhythms. This is another fine example, most prominent in the final third. A-

 

09. Nervoservo is a stomping, complicated driver loaded with melody bits scattered in all directions yet somehow put together in a way that at some point a complicated rhythm seems to take place out of completely non-linear sound fragments. The final track doesn't cease to impress me. Furthermore, I'm surprised that this hasn't gotten more praise throughout the thread. The previous song appeared a bit more varied with sounds and directions, though this is on a level of excellence too. A-

 

 

In conclusion, Cryptic Crunch is one of the most psychedelic album's of all time. This is a HUGE album by even today's standards in 2008. Groundbreaking? Yes. It's amazing how many sounds these artists tweaked, altered, echoed, and edited just to get finish one track. Each song is comprised of so many well orchestrated sound effects compensating for textured melodies. It has taken me many times to appreciate this album. Two other notable album in the past ten years that took me quite some time to appreciate was BotFB - Twin Sharkfins and Koxbox - Forever After. Some albums in Psy like Cryptic Crunch just have an extremely distinct and original sound to the point I don't think most people know how to comprehend or compartmentalize them when they first hear them. Either you like it or you don't, or you're not sure. I thought I hated this album. I just couldn't see the musical quality. It was like I was reading a book with a tenth of the knowledge so I was unable to comprehend the rest. There is just so much talent here it's remarkable. Likewise I have give numerous other Hux Flux albums that followed respectable plays and none of them have impressed me like Cryptic Crunch. This album is unlike anything they've ever. It's unlike anything anyones made. The best way for me to review it, is in part to compare each and every song to every other song on this album. The only thing I maybe would changed, maybe, would have been to put track 4, Experimenting With Potions at the end. I think it's a great, excellent song. But it breaks up the powerful back-to-back dance stompers, that is, if I was a DJ who wanted to let the disc play with minimal mixing. I don't think the general listener will mind a slightly slower song (mid-tempo) song in the middle. What's super is the album as a whole, however you listen to it. Captain Cryptic Crunch is a landmark in Psychedelic (Goa influenced) Trance.

 

 

Favorite tracks - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9.

 

 

A-

[Hallucinogent]

Hux Flux - Cryptic Crunch ..HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

FANTASTIC ALBUM 10/10

[Trance2MoveU]

 

Artist: Hux Flux

Title: Cryptic Crunch

Label: Koyote

Date: 1999

 

01. 09'26" Calculus
02. 08'01" Tripple Nipple
03. 08'42" Nemo
04. 08'43" Experimenting With Potions
05. 08'34" Cryptic Crunch
06. 08'47" Short Circuit
07. 08'03" Elixir
08. 08'06" Alkaloid
09. 08'31" Nervoservo

 

 

And with this review Jon Coco has just demolished and undercut his rating system. That's a lot of A's Jon. A lot of A's.

 

 

"...Life is but a dream."

 

 

Talk about sucking all the air out of the room. This is your definition of a classic? Something you would not want to be without on a desert island. I can think of 10 albums I'd rather have than this. Sure it's outstandingly produced with some pretty damn good layers and sound manipulation, but then what?

 

Psychedelic? Ok, I guess if you like squelchy leads and copious amounts of weird noises. There is absolutely nothing to grab hold of, just a long, winding road of electronic fiddling. And guess what? Most of the tracks sound the same with the same bass sound making repeat appearances. I kept looking at the time waiting for them to get to the f*cking point. The whole thing sounded like a bass line with effects and that's one of the reasons it's so easy to rip on darkpsy. I did like Alkaloid though as that had a fuller sound.

 

I used to absolutely hate this, but I've come around to acknowledging it's a decent album. I can appreciate it's complex nature, but a classic? No I don't think so.

 

 

 

"No Yeah, of course...it's great. Great."

 

Avatar Records

 

Mdk

[Oopie]

It must've been a whole genre-turning point when this came out... but nowadays I find that the tracks on Cryptic Crunch are a bit so-so. I feel something's missing and honestly this kind of sound have been taken on a whole different level the recent years so this doesn't have the impact it used to have.

[GagaISM]

I still find Errorhead to be the best Hux Flux track. Too bad isn't featured on Cryptic Crunch. 

[Sawfly]

Sexy album. One of the first psytrance albums I heard. Still loving it today