Kiwa - Dreamtime Enhancer

[traveller]

Kiwa - Dreamtime Enhancer

 

 

Artist: Kiwa

Title: Dreamtime Enhancer

Label: Surreal Audio

Date: 2002

 

Track listing:

 

01. Cricket In The Ear

02. Trans-Electronic

03. Rally Spirit

04. Digital Hangover

05. Neutralize

06. Dramatic Display Of Insanity

07. Alpha Sector

08. Kiva Runner

09. Deceptive Antiseptic

10. Divider

11. Nasty Drop

12. Lahti Skyline

 

Review:

 

Alright I guess most of us have heard about Kiwa. Well this is their first real

Album that is not a mp3 release, but the real shit. Before I start I just want

to say, that there will be lots of misspelling on this review, however I'm too

lazy to correct them.

 

Track 1. "Cricket in the head" A cool breakbeat starts out this track. Some

wicked effects join it pretty soon. At 00.40 we get somekind of bassline and a

stronger beat. At 01.10 it's possible to recognize the kicks and a solid bass.

The tr icked noises. At 05.00 there is a breakbeatish part, where the track

almost falls apart.. I love it. There's a small groovy part in the end. Great

track indeed and it makes you wonder what is to come.

 

Track 2. "Trans-Electronic" Weirdness starts this track. Some spacey

soundscapes and then a suprising start of a extremly hard driven kick. At

00.50 The kick gets a solid beat next to it. This is somehow very melodic,

although there are no real melodies. It's like the melody is build up with the

weir ovy or anything like that, just groovy.

 

Track 3. "Rally spirit" A Spacey slowly spinning 80's synth effect starts this

track. Then a tribal well.. voice joins it. at 00.50 the beat and at 01.10

groovy bassline. A few seconds later effects that are sort of part of the

"pattern". The bassline becomes tribal. Everything is somehow building up

around it. Streams pass by. Messages from above?

The effects somehow play part of the beat. Once again the kicks hold the track

together. At 02.50 you could e 1. At 05.00 the beat is the beast itself. It's

made from samples and a kick somewhere far far away. But a second after second

the track becomes more and more digitalized. At 06.10 the synths are back for

a little while. And the beat.. well.. WOW. The Syth returns.. and it's all

over.

 

Track 4. "Digital Hangover" What a great name for a track after the last track.

At 00.18 we get the beat. All the effects are shaked and definetly disturbed.

At 00.50 it all just makes sense. The synths seem to play is something wicked

to come. At 04.00 everything is quite normal. Just the kick beating the track

up. Well the synth fights back. Also the hihats. Actually it's once again

groovy, hallucinogenic..? Violet Visionish perhaps? Great stream of synths and

wicked wicked effects. A violin? No, a bagpipe? Well it's gone.. At 06.00

some1 tells you to "dance, dance, dance"? Maybe it's just my imagination?

"Dance, dance, dance, switchstance?" Well once again I somehow feels

shpongled, perhaps there is something sim o be a part of it too. At 03.20 a

great break, and a change of tempo. Junglish? Kick is dissapearing. Chilled

part again. Kick comes back. Nice synths. Very danceable. Doesn't matter what

you do, it should suit the needs. Well the kick tells you to dance, the

effects tell you to concentrate and try to reach the inner core of the track.

You decide. Okay fine, I DANCE! Oooooh yeeeaaah!!! Dance baby, DANCE! Lift

those feet, come on! HEh it tells you to dance, but in the finnish way. Well

at 06.33 every1 shou ll love this, that's for sure. This is no 4 x 4 garbage

that's for sure too.

 

Track 7. "Alpha Sector" You can feel that it's the beat, but it's digitally

manipulated, but then it starts. And it's very digitalized indeed. Yes, this

is what electornic means. Everything is crystal clear. At 01.15 some

breakbeats, and after that a powerfull bassline, that bites the edge of the

beat. But behold, the beat is getting stronger. There's definetly a symbios

between these two. The bassline gives the beat some room to play around, then

vica versa. Even the synths get some room. And then the awesome. Soooooooo

Psychedelic, I might repeat myself, but yes multilayered. At 6.46 some bongos

join the masterpiece. The track becomes more rational. The beat and the

bassline are definetly stronger. 07.44 a small break, fill your lungs, dance,

fly, YELL!! Aaaaaaarhhhhhgghhh!

 

Track 8. "Kiva Runner" Didgeridoo begins this track, and some very tribal

drumsjoin in notime, also some other distant noise can be heard. The kick

becomes part of the tribe. Also the synths, and the horn,strings, well

something? Bulding up lasts till a small break. After the break the building

up continues. At 01.44 the track is extremly tweaked and twisted. Something

you wouldn't have expected. Well I'm still waiting for the blast that will

make me dance like a madman, lift my arms in the air and yell

 

Track 9. "Deceptive Anticeptic" Bouncing sounds and a breakbeat start out. Some

build up going on? OOHH yeah. This is 100% pure freestyle. I love it.

Melancholic synth bouncing aroung, very strong kicks every now and then.

Strong beat. Strong pitched hihats. Cool break and at 01.45 the track becomes

synth driven. Once again somehow tribadelic. Just keeping my eyes closed and

concentrating on this makes my fly. Well.. makes my mind fly, wonder and

wander around the digitalized multiverse of

 

shpongledelic happyland. Creating this sort of music sure requiers great

talent. What a song!!

 

Track 10. "Divider" Great build up in the beginning. It's like they throw

everything in, but keep it on the leash. Well soon the beast will be free.

It's still held back at 01.00. Suddenly one instrument at time, 1st the kick

then the bassline, and the synths are released. This is not for dancefloors

either. Dancefloor music is made for physical flying, this is made for mental

flying. There's so much going on in this track. Bongos, 100 different synths,

a melody is hiding behind it all, concentrate and

 

Track 11. "Nasty Drop" Once again a beat starts out. It's getting louder and

louder. It gets a backing hihat at 00.20. Rolling drums. And suddenly a groovy

bassline. Very danceable. Somehow I get the Shpongle feeling again. Very

creative ideas are used here. Somehow hallucinogenic. A little tribal again.

Well I just keep on dancing. Trying to get 100% out of this celebration of the

geniosity of human mind. Very clear track somehow. Allthough there's a lot

going on this track is very "general" style. Not . But ending soon, you can

hear it. Once again.. WOW!!

 

Track 12. "Lahti Skyline" Well this is a nice ambient ending for the madness.

Very emotional. Echoes. Long and even longer

 

synths. A weak beatish thing that grows into a beat at 00.45, soon joined by a

bassline at 01.00. Very emotional indeed. At 01.15 this is just brilliant.

Echoes, some wicked synths. Dark? Am I alone? Once again emotional is

definetly the word to describe this. Somehow It feels like I'm back in

Thailand. Don't know why.. Then some sounds interrupt the track. It returns at

03.00 but 100% changed. Is this the end? I wish not, but yes it is. Too bad I

could have listened to this track 20 more minutes.

 

Final Thoughts: Well 1st of all this album has a great copying shield. It would

require atleast a 1000Kbps mp3 stream to make it sound as it sounds on the cd.

2nd of all this album will make most psy albums sound like minimal music and

feel like if they were made

 

with just the simple "copy & paste" method. 3rd of all this is for me definetly

the best album this far of this year. Maybe the best album since Shpongle 2

(maybe I can tell after a few weeks). Well I recommend this to everyone. This

album will stay fresh for weeks, months maybe years, cause the amount of data

in the stream is just incredible. Everytime I listen to it through it sounds

so different. Well I could probably

 

write a book of this album but I wont. Definetly 10+/10. BOOM!

[traveller]

I just want to add that this album is definetly something that the scene has

been waiting for..

It brings back the wonders and the magic that has not been seen since The Lone

Deranger album.

Well that's just my opinion..

[Basilisk]

.

[freak51]

Definite older influences here, it sounds like what Flying Rhino could have

become if they had stayed on the same path. This work has loads of layers and

subtlety, and the percussion is not boring either. Very solid job.

[Guest Redtree]

What can you say after a review like that ... the best album for a while

now. These guys bring some really fresh ideas to the scene and you can hear

there´s a lot of work in the tracks. Reminds me in some ways of Koxbox with

the diffrence that the guys don´t use a lot of obvious melodies but still

maintain a good feeling in their music. Simply Brilliant! Recommend it to

everyone even if you like more minimal stuff. Travellers review was a little

over-rated so I´d say 10/10...

[Guest Sienis]

indeed these guys are awesome =)

both albumwise and live...

 

this album is packed with innovation and funky grooves...

if anyone´s interested in more of the spugescene in Finland with atmosphere´s

like this then check out also:

Salakavala + Squaremeat + Accu + Texas Faggott + OOK + Eraser vs Yöjalka +

Haltya and so on =)

 

this is pretty new for the rest of the world but it´s the mentality of the

finnish scene for years back....

 

this album from me gets 9/10 for the awesome atmosphere + crazyness +

sounds.... it would´ve got a 10 if the mastering was a tad better (sorry...i´m

a soundfreak

[traveller]

This album is not insane in the Texas Faggott way. It's more like unsane in the

insane finnish way.

[Guest Redtree]

I agree. Kiwa is a chapter of it´s own in the Finnish scene. I usually don´t

like the typical Finnish stuff so much and that´s why this album rocks. It

really can´t be compared to artists like TF or Squaremeat etc...

[Guest Sienis]

Salakavala + OOK + Eraser vs Yöjalka...is pretty much not too twisted but still

twisted spugestyle...alot like Kiwa ....check them out....i apologize for

being 'off-topic'.....bOm

[DeathPosture]

Allow me to not follow the trend in here, and not be too impressed with this

album... I had great expectations about this one due to hype it received

here... But I must say that this is just not psychedelic enough for me. I mean

the soundscapes and samples and loops, etc are amazing - I just dont see

myself rocking my feet when listening to it... It is however more stuctured

than most Finnish stuff - and I like that. All in all, this is a mediocre

release IMO... 6/10

[Guest EyeC]

What a great performances, a great show, long time didnt hear so powerfull

cosmic otentic sounds of the future

Kiwa - Fancy Medical Experience try it out of this awesome album, a great trak

.. the album grade : 9.910

[Guest Ibotenic]

The cricket in track 1 is nice and gristly. It has to survive important

missions, although they don't sound very dangerous. There's a relieved

"aaahhh"-sound that pops in now and then.

Track 2 starts with androids working casually in a factory of some kind. Soon

they start to work harder making those lovely indescribable statements about

the details of their job. The track gets more laid back in the middle for a

while, when the androids have a tea break, but soon they resume working and

chatting in their relaxed, but precise manner.

Track 3 is busier than the first ones with a friendly bassline and many places

to show. Mostly sharp-edged sounds and a brief percussion workout in the

middle.

The gates of track 4 open revealing a loose-jointed breakbeat. Deep basslines

and ethereal atmospheres come to visit the breakbeat, which is replaced by a

straightbeat before 3 minutes have passed. Determined stealthy sounds direct

the song into a more open space with oriental flutes visiting. Near the end

the environment has become lighter and the old breakbeat makes a final

appearance.

The bassline in track 5 could be used as a scarf due to its warm and fuzzy

properties. Strange things happen while drum sounds dominate. After 5 minutes

a creature starts to repeat a mantra and other sounds watch its back.

A breakbeat reminiscent of drum'n'bass drives track 6, which certainly has a

dramatic feel in the sense of a thriller-movie. Things never get too

dangerous, however, as the track keeps cheerfully reminding us it's all just a

movie.

Track 7 likes wide areas and explores them making whooshing sounds. Again, many

different basslines or bass arrangements are used in uplifting or engulfing

ways. Digital animals howl and make growly mumbling sounds.

I'm gonna get ancient on your asses, decides track 8 and launches it's massive

tribal onslaught. Oriental string instruments and didgeridoo team up with a

little bit of digital belching to get things going. Booming percussion makes

sure there's enough room for everybody in this colossal track.

The heart of track 9 is a large, sluggish breakbeat. In the middle it gets more

straightforward for a good minute, because of some important cyberdelic

matters it has to address.

From the first 20 seconds of track 10 you can tell it's going to try something

fishy. Indeed, it turns out it is a dodgy fellow, who would probably sell your

left kidney just to get a place to live in your insides. It doesn't take any

breaks in it's pumping mission.

Track 11 is mostly harmless, if left in peace. A flanger performs in the

beginning and the end while a calm bassline holds its position for long

periods. A chilled out outro of nearly 3 minutes prepares the listener for the

final track.

Track 12 travels in the lower atmospheres above Lahti city. I never knew the

city was this mystical! Four rhythm sections blend into each other and various

forms of divine states are explored.

The album is rhythmically rich and sounds very full with shades of dark green

of the forest. Cyber sounds bounce with accurate juiciness among the beats.

The basses are deeeEEp. It sounds right and it's fun to listen to. Recommended

for everybody.

[Basilisk]

Great album!

[Manuser]

Full album:

I always thought this album was not easy to get into. That was my opinion 16 years ago, and strangely I still think the same 16 years later, after such a long time not listening to it. This style is probably appealing to people who are into underground house / techno sound, or just into various electronic music genres! I reckon it's very good music for the dance-floor. For home listening? Well depends on the day, depends on the mood, or depends on the season    

It's not something I can go crazy about  but at the same time it's something I can fully appreciate when in the mood for it.

By the way, OP's mention of The Lone Deranger was out of place  

 

 

[AiKyO]

Wow, right up my alley. Thx for bringing this up @Manuser.
Very Koxboxy. Great flow and keeping it smooth while it's also very versatile. The goa wavelenghts is there but transduced in a more metropolitan/high tech style .... and funky ^^
Super neat progressive patterns all the wayz !

[Manuser]

On 5/27/2019 at 4:56 PM, AiKyO said:

Wow, right up my alley. Thx for bringing this up @Manuser.
Very Koxboxy. Great flow and keeping it smooth while it's also very versatile. The goa wavelenghts is there but transduced in a more metropolitan/high tech style .... and funky ^^
Super neat progressive patterns all the wayz !

@AiKyO listening to it again today, I understand the comparison with Koxbox (without the goa-trance melodies), I put it a bit louder today and it works better, it confirms my previous opinion that it must be great for the dance-floor. The bassline programming and the breakbeat parts are well executed. #7 Alpha Sector is brilliant.