Space Cat - Power Up

[Guest fray[at]anon[dot]com]

I'd disagree with the review above in that, I think "Hell-ium" is the best

track on the album, love it! "Newtech" is good one too and so is "Solid energy"

"Power Up" is also good but not a favourite.

"Overloaded" is an exact cross between MWNN and Deedrah.

The two tracks that I haven't mentioned is because I am personally not too keen

on the melodies/sounds in them.

The Latdino track is trying to bring something a little different to the album,

its a progressive house track really, and bit lame.

Overall its a good album with a good uplifting atmosphere (certainly NOT

cheesy) but doing nothing new or ground-breaking, in fact as the review above

mentions its got a bit of an old school goa feel to it. 7.5/10

[Guest djpatek[at]hotmail[dot]com]

When it's good, it's real good. When it's not, well... 7/10

[Guest zagalsky[at]zahav.net[dot]il]

Space Cat - Power Up

 

 

Artist: Space Cat

Title: Power Up

Label: BNE

Date: 2002

 

Track listing:

 

01. Hell-Ium

02. Newteck

03. Solid Energy

04. Bit Cruncher

05. Armageddon

06. Power Up

07. Overloaded

08. Latdino

 

Review:

 

All righty, this is my first CD review so be patient :-]

First of all I have to confess that I am a big Avi Algranati fan and many of

his tracks are almost sacred for me, so when I surprisingly saw this new cd of

him in the shop I took it without much thought. So here's the review:

Hell-ium {7:49}

Not really good start for an album I guess, very monotonous and unprogressing

track though great sound work and percussions, as expected from Avi. Reminds

me the first album somewhat.

Newteck {8:05}

Very Hard kick on this one and as always-nice percussion. Very very few

melodies A-la Ofer Dikovsky metallic sounds everywhere and some 303 whining

all around. Not really special track but on the dancefloor surely will do the

work.

Solid Energy {7:14}

Great mysterious beginning for this track and nice building throughout the

progress, the metallic voices present here also and so as 303's. Not really

melodic and the bassline is really poor but this track is somehow make me move.

Bit cruncher {With Joti Sidhu} {7:56}

This one starts well with Hux Flux like noises, and as the name implies very

crunchy and groovy atmosphere driven with really great bassline. This is one

of the best tracks on the album. Reminds me somewhat Reefer Decree and KoxBox,

don't now why, but as I said very groovy track.

Armageddon {Remix} {7:48}

This is a remix of a track made with Talamasca and which was released on

3Dvisions compilation "Program Change" last year.

I think that the remix does well to the track but even so this is not that much

of a good track, though some nice gate effected melody in the middle of the

track. I think that what spoils the track is the bassline. It's really awful.

Nevertheless great dance floor material.

Power Up {8:22}

Already released and known track and this is a worth one, great percussion,

great bassline and even Simonish melody throughout the track which is nice.

This track is the highlight of the cd.

Overloaded {7:40}

Nice atmospheric opener, and a bass line and percussion that really reminds me

Man With No Name's Possessed track. But I think that Avi's interpretation of

old school goa is not really that good. Still a very nice track.

Latdino {With Dino Psaras} {7:19}

I could tell by the name only that this is about the name only that this track

is bad, well after I gave it a listen I was right, this is an awful one. Skip

it.

Overall pretty disappointing album by one of the greatest artists the Israeli

scene have. The man gotta work some more on the melodies and bassline or he

should work more with other artists like he successfully did in "Beam me up"

album.

Favorites : 5,6,7

Score 6.5/10

[Guest Defbydelta...]

Power up is a real good track!

This album is very Random in styles some tracks are bad and some are very good

not realy a clean cd, like hes other albums i think the are not high class,

but sure they are good! ther's always somthing missing, the little extra that

brings the songs in u memoreys for a longer time that this artist always miss..

I think this album is in the same class that hes others.

6.5/10 Good Jobb!!, but can it be better?

[Guest JO3L]

Nice cross-section of his talent on one album, a must for all Space Cat fans.

[Guest --==MileS==--]

The title track is near the 'Beam me Up' album quality but the rest isn't as

compelling or imaginative as his debut stuff which ranks highly in my Israeli

all time top 5. -Power Up- is a bit like the latest Oforia imo, its damn solid

and well produced but I don't feel any urge to listen to it more than 5 times.

Next time try maybe the 'With a little help from my friends' approach again

which worked so great on 'Beam me Up'...Since this effort is better than

-Shapes of Sound- i would rate it 7.5/10.

[Guest FelipeLemosBrasil]

NIce album, some real good tracks, a little clubby influenced but still Space

Cat style...Best tracks are Hell-ium, Solid Energy and Power Up (The best from

Space Cat ever!)...I recommend the single Power up, with Psycraft and Oforia

great remixes... Latdino sucks.

[Children]

I can't understand why ratings above are so low when I see all these 10/10 on

so many recent albums : this album is a pure BOMB ! Combines the 1st Space Cat

album style with influences from the 2nd, perfect alchemy for listening and

most of all for the dancefloor I think :-)

I have sooo many favourites here ! Rating : 8/10

[Guest [Anonymous]]

this album is fucking great, power up is maybe one of the best songs of the

year also newteck, solid energy and armageddon rmx are great and in general

all the tracks are good 8.5/10 space cat rules!

[Guest Goa Spirit]

power up is one of the best tracks i have heard in a long while... the groove

coupled with an awesome melody.. no muddy noises here, this is crisp clean and

melodic... whooah.... when i hear it, i feel like buying a pair of pa's and

blasting it to the entire neighborhood... pure genius... the rest is not as

good, but there are plenty of solid tracks here.. like 2, 3 ,4 and 5.. and the

last track is very groovy psy house.. i love it... so all i can say is that i

am amazed no one else likesthis album.,.. well anyway that is good for me, so

that when i let this play in a set, everyone will notice my music.. so thats

good.. as always amazingly produced trance by avi,who is definitely one of the

trance elite artists...

[Guest dewastator]

power up to czysta zajebioza

[Guest zikret[at]goatrance[dot]net]

When i listen to this cd,some tracks is just like listening to infected

mushroom's B.P . Empire in a remixed versrion!! Very good though!!! 7/10

[Guest swedidish]

i really think that this has a lot of his old album in it...i cant say that

this is the best ive heard but still it is something you can listen to and

like it alot or just like it...

[Guest swedidish]

there is a lot of his old albums in this one...dont you hear it???

i like this cd...maybe not the best but still a very nice album indeed...

so i really ont get why some of you say that it isnt good as the old one...this

sound like i mix of the two previous ones and some new things that sounds very

good...

nice album for 2002...

[Guest Defbydelta...]

i'll give it a 6/10 for sure!

i also like the Power Up Remixes!

check it out!

[Guest [Anonymous]]

Sad to admit, but I didn't find this one as amazing as the last one-Shapes of

Sound. But than again, personally Shapes of sound is like, the best album ever

made. The track Power up is a KILLER,uplifting, euphoric, very Space Cat. I

love Avi so I give it 8/10!

[seraph]

Pretty good album...It gets a bit minimalistic at the beggining but later turns

into something more cheer and bouncey...He manages to stay faithful to his

original sound and made 3 amazing songs...The only one I didn't like is BIT

CRUNCHER, song that he done with Joti Sidhu and that is very strange...With

all respect to both of them, I still cannot understand what they wanted to say

with that song...Too repetitive and leading nowhere actually..But the best

ones are : NEWTECH, SOLID ENERGY, ARMAGEDDON, POWER UP ( ! ), OVERLOADED ( !

)...8/10

[Jon Cocco]

Space Cat - Power Up

BNE

01. Hell-Ium

02. Newteck

03. Solid Energy

04. Bit Cruncher

05. Armageddon

06. Power Up

07. Overloaded

08. Latdino

Power Up is the third album by Space Cat. It is my 2nd favorite Space Cat album after 1999's stellar debut, Beam Me Up. This develops the more mechanical, melodic, dark and driving robotic/edgy style most present on the previous two albums. Also noticeable is that the artist, Avi Algranati has minimized collaborations like the second album. I feel like he listened to fans and critics to some degree. His work has matured and evolved into something even more futuristic, pulsating, and gripping since Shapes of Sound-- an underrated albeit controversial follow up with a few great tracks. The sound/melody work here is more present, emphasized, and infectious. It stands out more. The mixing is more dynamic. There are occasional buildups and climaxes too.

1. Hell-Ium begins with a cranky, crunchy sound. 10 to 15 seconds into the song arrives another tasty synth. The melody/sound work is good, though listeners will be exposed to the Goa-influenced ear candy in the second half. The song becomes more layered and involved as it progresses. This is one of the most solid opening tracks by the artist yet, though not superb. It's well done.  B+

2. Newteck is simpler-- combining Psytrance with Full On. The sound is slightly more minimal, albeit mechanically moving. The melody lead isn't as strong, nor is the last act as memorable as the previous song. It's a bit repetitive, but small transitions help to introduce new ideas that restore interest. The artist mixes in some cool sounds and the second half arrives a sort-of warm, solid tone and sound, but the melodies aren't that engaging. The songs OKAY with some fairly good elements, but I'm not impressed.  C+ / B-

3. Solid Energy is interesting. It's more energetic and cyber-esque from the start, growing with strength as it progresses. There's a VERY catchy accent melody in the first half. Some of the melody work reminds me of electricity or hot wires sparkling via *ting* *pish.* The last third is great, intricate and delectable.  B+

4. Bit Cruncher is darker! The eerie voice bits plague the computer highway, setting the tone early on. The song is driving; it changes up and remains interesting, and those eerie, incoherent voices add character. Unlike previous tracks however, this one doesn't seem to build up to anything super, or go anywhere really satisfying. While it lasts, it's pretty catchy, dark, and intriguing.  B

5. Armageddon is another unexpected character. Melody/sound wise, this stands out, especially in the second half. The artist is so talented when it comes to combining mechanical synths with less technologic sounding melodies. The last act is proof. Both the energy/beat and music grow to be more dynamic and engaging. This is one of the best tracks on the album.  B+

6. Power Up is the song I was waiting for on this album. Not only is the song good/great leading up to something but that something is one of the most catchy, uplifting and awesome/skipping melody leads I have ever heard in a Full On Psytrance song to date. I LOVE the melody in this song. Especially around the more psychedelic work, it's excellent, along with how it's tweaked and utilized with everything else. The idea may seem simply but the execution is so clear and fun/catchy. My friends like this song. I can't seem to find a person who doesn't. In short, I'd love this artist to produce more dance infections in Psytrance like this one, but completely inventive and fresh sounding melody infections and psychedelic as what this did for its time. By today's standards, this is a great, if not excellent song.  A-

7. Over Loaded is a solid and somewhat driving, danceable beauty with a gentle, emotive edge and what appears to be key changes. It's uplifting in a good way, although the song is somewhat subtle and less captivating than few others. It's very well done and contributes positively to a strong tracklist. B+

8. Ladtino is a typical house/club track without a strong Space Cat influence in sight. I have no idea what the artist was thinking when producing this for this otherwise strong Psytrance album. I think the keyword is Psytrance, which this song isn't. It is however flat, repetitive, and it sounds out of place here. The artist has produced so many favorites, consistent great songs before this. Latdino is the weakest song I've heard on a Space Cat album to date. This artist is very creative and talented. But putting this on a Space Cat album, I have to ask.. WHY? It feels like the wrong song has fallen into the tracklist, much like the final two songs at the end of Juno Reactors Gods and Monsters 2008 album. D, maybe an F.

Power Up has a psychedelic and mechanical stand out sound and style that has been developed to greatness by the artist. Avi's style emphasizes melodies at times over Shapes of Sounds, though the previous trip was more emotive at times, somewhat darker at times too. I prefer Power Up's delicious psy/melodic delivery and chorus melody leads when it's not dipping into typical club territory as it does once here via Latdino. I'm still surprised Latdino is here, after all these years. Is this what I want to hear after 7 more or less great PSY-Trance songs? No it's the last thing on my mind. Fortunately, the album's good far outweighs the bad. I love hearing great dance songs back-to-back and the general consensus that such consistent greatness exists here over Shapes of Sound has made many listeners pleased over the years. Overall I wouldn't say that the album is superb. It is however one of the stronger, more memorable and stand out Psytrance album's both of the year I'd go as far as to say of the 21st century.

One thing I've noticed is the Full On influence here over the previous two Space Cat albums. When I say Full On, I want people to understand the context because we once (in 1997-2000 roughly) used Full On to describe high energy dance tracks/albums such as Astral Projection, MFG, etc. Later on, calling a track Full On basically said it was a more formulaic dance friendly song, with few exceptions. In this sense, Full On became a sub-genre, an extension of more linear Psytrance. Fortunately, on this album, the artist has crossed both newer Full On with older Full On aspects together in a classy but far from lacking in imagination or emphasis on Psytrance. At times the artist breaks outside the box and if anything, Power Up is the most dance friendly album since the debut. The artist has not compromised his uptempo work; he's improved upon it. It wasn't until 2004's Mechanical Dream that Avi went entirely Full On, though he updated his sound regardless, elevated the genre in some ways and crossed over some great sounds and influences from the past; he stayed in the box. I like THIS album more than 2004's rather good Mechanical Dream because the tracks here are more dynamic, less formulaic, which to me and many people know makes them more fun!!! They're less dependent on Full On's generally predictable structures, yet Avi has let Full On influence him in a great way here, and the tracks are highly dance friendly.

Favorite tracks - 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

B+

My other reviews for Space Cat's albums are now up

1999 - Beam Me Up - A-

2000 - Shapes of Sound - B

2002 - Power Up - B+

2004 - Mechanical Dream - B-

[Tetrasect]

This one is on my shortlist of best albums ever. Not for consistency, in fact i think there are only a few highlights there, but those highlights shine so bright, they have brought me to tears on several occasions... fav's are Hell-ium, Newteck and Power Up.