Atmos - Headcleaner

[Honguito]

Oh no!! How can an album be so monotonous? Atmos only uses a bassline and puts

some boring sounds to that. It's definitelly not my type of music, but I guess

I just don't understand that kind of music because I see that many of you gave

this album some superb ratings. I only give it 5 out of 10.

[Guest Goa Spirit]

o.k. i thought i will finally write a review for this album .. i have fallen in

love with it for the last month.. i heard them play in NYC and thought they

rocked.. so i came back home and put this cd on.. this is beautiful.. i think

the trick is that you have to be really in the mood to hear music (have some

hoffies).. and the album is amazing,, what breaks, maybe not full on but soo

interesting... i love these swedes..

 

bom

[Guest Mucho Combo]

This album is very... It is soft, quiet, but not danceable. Good at some stereo

effects. Very monotonic, repetititititive better be patient or else you'll be

frustrated.

[Guest goapsytrance[at]hotmail[dot]com]

Very atmospheric, very minimalistic. I have listened to this LOUD on a good

system and I still fail to hear what everybody is raving about. I like The

Only Process and So Nice You Name It Twice, but I feel that this album is

waaayyy too minimalistic and repetitive. Especially with tracks so long,

there should be more of a progression of sound. Yes it is OK for background

listening because of the reverb and echo effects, but as soon as I put even

the slightest focus on the music, I ask myself why I am listening to this.

Can it even be considered truly psychedelic? I think people are just crazy

over this because it is so different. Unfortunately, its not different in a

good way.

[Guest andrescottin[at]mac[dot]com]

well, I think pretty much everything has been said about atmos. well-crafted,

quiet, progressive psytrance that softly whispers the melodies from somewhere

behind you instead of ramming them down your throat. really excellent work,

if you are willing to let go of any "full-on" expectations and just lay back

and enjoy a truly masterful piece of work.

is it dancefloor music? absolutely, just never spin this music for a crowd

expecting pounding psytrance....

9/10

[Guest Tomvcarter]

THE best album i have bought this year some people think its is boaring but i

think it definatley deserves a much closer listen. Its groovy minimal style

somehow works perfectly! Not much goes on but you just cant help dancing to

it. Tracks 2 & 3 are my favorite, the kick in arter about 2 minutes on track 3

is emense, turn it up and see what it does for you! I was not a progressive

fan untill i heard this and now dont like anything but. A must for any trancer!

9.5 / 10

[Guest Acidhive]

What's all the talk with the minimal shit here? Atmos isn't at all minimal in

my opinion. The only track I ever heard from Thomas that qualifies as minimal

in my ears is: Medical Trauma. Anyway, back to this album. I got this about a

month ago, and I've listened to it for a couple of times and I keep getting

back to it, cuz this one rocks!! All tracks on this album have a special feel

about them, and Atmos can stir up quite a great groove ....!! Star tracks for

me are.. all tracks actually. I can't pick any fave here, but if I HAD to

choose one, it'd be Cable Enable, I guess. But as I said, all the tracks here

are groovy, spacey and in my opinion also melodic. Buy this while you can,

it's not everyday an album like this comes out!! MEGA respect to Thomas for

this one! If you ever read this, thomas, I'd like to know when we can await a

new album... 9/10 for this one!!

[Guest Swede Indeed]

I was recomended this by another customer in the cd store but when I first

heard it I didn't like it at all. I was very into the Infected Style then and

I couldn't accept this. It was too minemalistic and sounded boring. I didn't

start to like it until like the 10th time. Then I discovered the hard, dark

and deep feeling of this and now I think this is one of the most brilliant

things I have in my collection. Best tracks are 1,4,5 & 6...and 2,3 and

7...Hmm...10/10

[Guest psyprotein[at]yahoo[dot]com]

This album, has the best drums and bass lines I have ever heard in my life.

They mix and blend together in a deep reverb, creating almost hypnotizing

effect. It fondles your eardrums, and your brain. Sounds best on good

headphones, especially at night. It can help you forget about everything the

moment you get into it, listen to the drums, flow with them, let your neurons

be mesmerized by this music. Dont expect cheesy melodies, that will make your

spine shiver, or hair stand, expect something that will clear up your mind,

and help you forget about this world. Best track : 4

[Guest mr_shih[at]yahoo[dot]com]

if you're not paying attention to the way the sounds in this album are

connected, you're not going to like it. each song develops slowly and

subtlely, and if you're not mentally receptive to it, it will pass you right

by. this is an album for closing your eyes, relaxing, and feeling the music.

it's not going to hit you like a sledgehammer; it's very meditative and

calming. you almost need to go into a trance to appreciate this music; the

slow, deliberate melodies creep up into the small places in your mind and

light them up like fluorescent paint calling this music intelligent is an

understatement. it is enlightened. this is serious, serious trance music to

soothe what ails you. absolutely 10/10.

[khogg]

Opinion seems to be really divided on this one. I love it. It is definitely a

departure from the classic goa sound, but great none the less. Very nice to

chill to or listen to while doing homework, playing cards, etc. The tracks are

long and steadily progess along, constantly changing and building. The overall

sound is dreamy and uplifting. Cable Enable is my favorite track and all the

tracks are at least good to excellent. A solid album in my opinion.

[Guest garethhovey[at]hotmail[dot]com]

Took me a while to get into this one . I didn't like it much to start with but

then something starts to happen if you perservere with it ... it tunes your

listening somehow and you start to imagine that Mr Atmos has produced one of

the most beguiling progressive albumns to date . Its a lovely albumn ... give

it a chance if you don't think you like it at start .... its a lazy day ...

relaxo albumn .... not a stomper by any means .

[SkeletonMan]

I remember as a child when I learned how to read I always checked the adds under porno theatres to see if the movie Caligula was still playing. With the sticker "Ægte Porno" ("Unadulterated Porn") stamped on the add Caligula had been playing for years and I was constantly amazed exactly how incredible this movie could be.

 

My aspirations with Atmos have been the same. What seems like forever his track Klein Aber Doctor was on every dj and psyshop's top 10 list and its' legacy kept intriguing me. Well, even if not on Headcleaner the debut album from Atmos may still explain the hype.

 

Countless are the times I've convinced myself that I could surmount Headcleaner's monotony only to discover that, instantly, the same run me over. Simplistic in appearance hidden treasures unfold when you start to question the complexity and Headcleaner has therefore proven to be an album I can keep coming back to. When it works best its' status as a modern classic is unquestionable.

 

Still, if Headcleaner oozes confidence it's on Atmos follow up album 2nd Brigade that Tomasz' talent shines through. But for now, as an entré, I think it’s fair to call Headcleaner a pretty damn sweet album.

[SeaFeel]

One of my best album ever!!!!I have heard this album million times and i still love it, it give to me the same feelings that gave it to me when i bought it in 2000!!!The year 2000 have manny many good releases, so this is one of them!This album is now classic!!!

HIGLY RECOMENDED

10/10

[healium]

if you're not paying attention to the way the sounds in this album are

connected, you're not going to like it. each song develops slowly and

subtlely, and if you're not mentally receptive to it, it will pass you right

by. this is an album for closing your eyes, relaxing, and feeling the music.

it's not going to hit you like a sledgehammer; it's very meditative and

calming. you almost need to go into a trance to appreciate this music; the

slow, deliberate melodies creep up into the small places in your mind and

light them up like fluorescent paint calling this music intelligent is an

understatement. it is enlightened. this is serious, serious trance music to

soothe what ails you. absolutely 10/10.

 

This review is about exactly how I feel about this release - this is easily some of the most intelligent music I've ever heard - the way he builds the sounds in is incredibly hyponotizing and wonderful.. I just heard this album for the first time a month ago and am in love! There is a ton of style and pinache in this album too - so many recent progressive style releases use sound effects so poorly, like the artist is just adding random effects in the track - not so with Atmos - every sound he adds has a purpose, a reason to be there...

 

This album has got to be the most trance-inducing album I have - puts me in a blissful parallel universe.. You have to really follow the tracks from the beginning though - listen to the way he builds in the hi-hats and effects and such - the sounds hook your brain, and just when you get into the groove of one sequence, in comes another one - the tracks progress toward this very restrained but energetic and complex maximalism in some cases - this is not minimalism all through - minimal becomes maximal, and then to minimal again - brilliant brilliant music!

[qa2pir]

So beautiful

[Trance2MoveU]

 

Artist: Atmos

Title: Headcleaner

Label: Spiral Trax

Date: February, 2012

 

1. Fill the Hat

2. Average Beverage

3. Sonic Kipper

4. Cable Enable

5. Jimmy the Plate

6. Qualität Im Quadrat

7. Scientific Coverup

 

"This is my magic eye. I can see what people are thinking with this eye."

 

I've just been Headcleaned.

 

I know right where I was because I've been up at 4 in the f*cking morning everyday for the past week. Somehow I'm surviving on 4 hours of sleep and while that can have deleterious effects on your entire system, one benefit is that I am getting so serious music time in. I've heard this release described as ground breaking and while I don't know if that qualifies, there are tracks on here that are achingly beautiful. Beginning with the opener.

 

Fill the Hat is a perfect example of how to craft a track for the receptive listener. Melodies abound, but you have to be patient and hear how they develop one after the other. The kick is uber soft and the sounds tumble over you like a nice hot shower. No instant gratification here, but the hunt of 13 and a half minutes is well worth your time.

 

Average Beverage at first sounded like all the other minimal that was rearing its ugly head during this time. But Tomasz Balicki is just setting you up with his super punchy bass as he flirts with a goa-esque 303 as if it was just the second date and you weren't sure just how far you could go.

 

I wasn't falling for it this time when Sonic Kipper began. Slow and steady with distorted lead and pumping bass it's quite minimal to start, but damn if he doesn't continue flirting with that 303 again. At this point let's call it heavy petting and if you're not careful someone's gonna get pregnant. Just embrace your inner goa!

 

Cable Enable is a marathon at over 14 minutes, but hey it's 4:30 AM what else do I have to do? His intro is a sky scraping rending of the firmament sounding like dragging a pipe along a sidewalk. Dark and lovely it returns during the first break and let me say...it. is. stirring. More and more quiet frenzy second only to the opener.

 

Damn these tracks are long. Jimmy The Plate has a wobbly bass and snare work going on as the effects creep in ever so cautiously. If there was one track on this album that didn't knock me over it would be this one.

 

If my mastery of the Swedish language is still intact, Qualität Im Quadrat means why are you still up? It probably doesn't, but when the music is this appealing I shall remain awake. This one has several sounds stacked in delicate layers and don't think I can't hear that 303 bubbling just within earshot. Like a young librarian on a porn shoot, he's teasing us.

 

Scientific Coverup is a downtempo track with samples of secret government bases which will no doubt lead to them hiding an alien a la Men In Black. Simple on its face. Even that is given the atmospheric treatment and the sounds are very crisp with lovely amounts of delay

 

The music is pumping and quiet at the same time to heighten your journey. Ideal for the wee hours (in which I unfortunately or fortunately seem to be living) when it's dark and you can absorb this. All of the rhythms and sounds are bubbling as if in a cauldron threatening to explode, but not how you would think. Truly thinking man's music and a treat for the ears. I will say if you're not a patient person and need your melody fix immediately you might lose patience with this. However, if you've got the time and desire, it will unfold in front of you bearing great fruit. Mostly progressive and sometimes minimal, it could be some of the best music I have heard released in the year 2000.

 

Mdk

[Manuser]

Fill the hat, Sonic kipper, and Jimmy the plate are the winners here. When you are in the right mood to listen to this, you are absolutely delighted.

[Sideffect...]

/double post

[Sideffect...]

Atmos - Headcleaner (2000)

 

Atmos is imo a milestone in the concept of progressive (psychedelic).

At first when this was released I could not understand what people liked about it.

There are no squeakily melodies and there was nothing exploding. This wasn't goatrance at all.

Later on I started enjoying the minimal approach and the gentle melodies.

The baseline is great. There's no baseline like atmos and until today no other artist

has done it before. The detail and warmth his providing and the little differences

that keep my mind busy along the releases are just fantastic.

Almost becoming 2013 and lot's of progressive has been released this one is

still in my top 5 off the best progressive releases 11 years later.

 

Good work!

 

Discogs: http://www.discogs.c...er/master/33981

 

@ Trance2moveU: I see date release "February, 2012" in your review? Is there a remastered version?

[Multi-Media]

@ MDK " Qualität Im Quadrat" is German actually not Swedish....

 

Also I think this one is a nice progressive release which flows a bit like lava sometimes, but overall more than good 8/10