Miranda - Real Rush

[Children]

Miranda - Real Rush

 

 

Artist: Miranda

Title: Real Rush

Label: Distance

Date: 1997

 

Track listing:

 

01. 06'12" Wicked Dream

02. 07'49" Real Rush

03. 07'42" Le Passage

04. 06'39" Year 2000

05. 06'50" Aquarium

06. 06'46" Ama Zone

07. 07'55" Disco

08. 08'03" Freak Show

09. 09'40" Second Step To The Stars

 

Review:

 

Not really good ... I would even say ... BAD :-(

There is only ONE interesting Track (very good Track : Second Step To The

Stars, better than the First Step in Miranda's album Phenomena)

Other Tracks are not melodious, and vocals finish off their interest ... if

you can take Track 9 without buying the album, DON'T BUY IT !

Rating : 3.5/10

[Guest ChrisdeeACiD]

Exactly everybody I know thinks this album is bad. I don´t really understand

why? I actually think it is very good! Some real stompers here! Wicked Dream

is´nt the best one but the following track "Real Rush" kicks some ass. Great

combination of electric guitarrs and some funky beats. "Le Passage" is not so

funky but very very good with Full on style and great ACiD sounds! "Year 2000"

is very booring till the 2:nd third when some psychedelic spacey sounds

enters! Great song for the Ravers. "Aquarium" is slow but I think it´s just

great! So many nice atmospheric sounds all the time! mmM! "Ama Zone". Another

great track! Love the "dramatic" sounds in the end entering at 4:37!!

"Disco"!! what can I say! This is absolutely the best track on the album. so

"Discoish" I get Crazy when the uplifting sound at 1:19 comes to join the

party! and when it later on at 2:10 turns even better. GOD! "Freakshow" enters

with psychedelic sounds and that VERY wicked noise at 1:47 NiCE! "!

Second Steps to the Stars" is a extraordinary good remix of "Steps To the

Stars" which u can find on her previous album "Phenomena". Very good track

with that great melodie. 8.5/10

[Guest andreas.knoess[at]gmx[dot]de]

This album destroys all minimal stuff out there! Pure EBMish, daaark And

deeeeeep tracks. Can I believe that this music comes out of a woman's mind???

Yeeesss, I can. I will ever love this record for its first two tracks. If it's

too hard for you... know the rest.

Germany: 1000 points!!!

[Guest Ubik]

This album is not very good, but it's not that bad Le Passage and Second

Step to the stars are two great tracks, Disco and Freak Show are OK, but the

rest is pretty bad. I hate the electric guitars used.

[Guest ChrisdeeACiD]

MAN! I've listened to this several more times now! And I find it so FU**ING

GOOD! That 8.5/10 last time goes up to 9.5/10 !!! JUST GET iT NOW! Jag ÄLSKAR

DiG Miranda!! (I Love U Miranda in swedish!!)

[Guest jperzzon[at]telia[dot]com]

In two years I have hate this album, but for one week ago I listen to it again,

and this is nice psy-trance! Track 1,2,3,5,6,9 are very good! You have to give

this cd many chanses, but when u have done that u discovered that this cd is

very good! This record isn't as good as Phenonema but a good record! I give it

7/10

[Guest djonanis[at]hotmail[dot]com]

Stinking material, I bought it because I liked more the phoenomena album, but I

think real rush is horrible. Andreas, if you feel this is hard trance I

suggest you to listen the SST the digital dance of shiva traks 2, 5 and 7

thats what I mean hard trance. 1.5/10

[Guest Rox]

The track Real Rush is a real killer !!! One of the best tracks ever made ! PLUR!

[Guest John C]

DON'T BITCH, DON'T ASSUME- WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN, PUT THIS IN A GOOD CAR CD

PLAYER AND FLOOR IT! YOU WON'T IMAGINE HOW FAST THIS CD MAKES YOU DRIVE. "REAL

RUSH," MIGHT BE NO "twisted," BUT DAMN IT'S GREAT! NOW EXUSE ME, I HAVE TO

SPEEEEEEED!!!! rating 8/10

[Guest jay, usa]

Fucking awesome! 8/10

[Guest A man of desinty]

Track 1 is insane! It makes me do 570 miles per hour in a car with a ROlls

ROyce Jet Engine!

[Guest Le Lotus Bleu]

Darker album than Phenomena as it is said on the cover and sounds harder, lots

of tracks look like each other.

good things:2-6-7 rest is average.

rating:4/10

[Manu]

Listen to REAL RUSH

[seraph]

Nothing special from Miranda here, which is surprising cause I actually do like

her...She just got too fast and dark for this one, like some kind of

pretentious darkness...her albums PHENOMENA and ASYNJA are much much

better....still, there are good songs : YEAR 2000, AQUARIUM,SECOND STEP TO THE

STARS. 5/10

[Mergi]

rush... really do rush. Amazing energy pumping album, I can't stand not

listening to this. Wicked dream is interesting but way to slow to get you

anywhere, it's real rush which makes you rush all over the fu##in' place. The

gun sequence is real trippy, if you got a nice system or good headphones you

might imagine being able to feel the bullet rushing by. Le Passage has an

of-world feel to it, nice beat and a wicked melody. Year 2000 doesn't begin

very well but the latter half really kicks... aquarium is slow, but it has a

nice groove, nice rythm, nice guitarrs, a very good track, 2'33" is where it's

best and it just get's better, "...hope you like a lil aquarium". Ama-zon is

one of the least good tracks on the cd, opens promising but it just get's

pretty boring after a while. Disco is another one of those nice fast

psychedelic dance tracks like 'le passage' and 'real rush', it's very good

actually, nice twisted noises, and good melodies. Freak show, I must say this

one is really the worst track on the cd, it's a loop of boring noise, maybe a

few rythmical shifts but the same noise persists. Second steps to the stars is

great, not very fast, not very psychedelic, but hypnotic and melodic, 4'36" is

where it get's interesting, great stuff. 8/10 for this real rush album.

[Guest Davidtolsn]

this is more in the doof/space tribe "fun" vein of goa. it's got plenty of

energy, plenty of psychedelia and plenty of cheese. i like it slightly better

than phenomena. no tracks stand out as favorites for me, but there are some

that i routinely skip (year 2000, disco). one of the better releases of this

era. it goes all out. 7.7/10

[long ripps]

for me a mediocre cd, not very good, not very bad.

 

6/10

[Jon Cocco]

MIRANDA - REAL RUSH

DISTANCE RECORDS

1997

 

 

 

 

Track list:

 

01. 06'12" Wicked Dream

02. 07'49" Real Rush

03. 07'42" Le Passage

04. 06'39" Year 2000

05. 06'50" Aquarium

06. 06'46" Ama Zone

07. 07'55" Disco

08. 08'03" Freak Show

09. 09'40" Second Step To The Stars

 

 

 

It's pretty clear Miranda wanted a more friendly approach to the clubs without sounding clubby and sticking to Psytrance when she produced Real Rush. The album has some great moments and tracks in Psytrance. However she's toned down and in some tracks removed the Goatrance and/or melodic driven edge to compensate for stronger kicks, effects. The result is an album that lacks the Goa work of her wonderful debut, Phenomena, and sounds a bit exausting by the fourth or fifth track. Fortunately, she presents some fine ideas in Psy with masterful execution. She doesn't abandon the Goa influence either. It's even updated to excellence, but those moments are far and few between. The album appears to have once been contesting for best Psytrance or Party album for clubs and parties of the year. The example, the production is good, with monster beats, base lines, and kicks. Unfortunately, the album is a mixed bag due to having a mixed track list, from good song to filler, etc. While anyone could argue that a mere beat is all it takes to move a crowd on the dance floor, Miranda was born beyond than that, even here. And while both the kicks and Miranda's style in general is aggressive, hard, and intense, lifts to greatness often feel comprised due to Miranda's more structured club-friendly approach. At times however, the fireball soul of this artist feels less tamed and free to break out of her intended or not forumla and create some severely memorable gems.

 

 

1. Wicked Dream I used to really like as a teenager. The beat and over mixed sounds in this track are so hard and heavy, they may as well be deafening. The track is a friendly, albeit shallow opening. The tone is darker than anything previously released by Miranda, and back then it was pretty good I suppose, great to dance to I imagine. By today's standards however it's okay. The voice samples are cool and effective. Miranda has made some creative alterations in the sound effects department that strengthen the song with little, attention winning details. But the song becomes redundant the more it progresses. It does maintain a strong and danceable beat that somehow manages to bother my ears every time. Possibly the metal sound she mixes over the hard kick and beat is a reason for this accentuated beat, but I find it a bit too hard over the general sounds. Nonetheless, this song is intended to get the listener dancing. There's just not that much too it to intrigue once you get past its darker tone and hard, stomping beat. C+

 

2. Real Rush strikes like a vivid lightning bolt. It's the first great track on the album. Fast and furious, driving and combined with a strong melody lead and rhythm, the song is in some ways to Miranda what Juno Reactors Mono Lisa Overdrive turned out to be by them. In other words, both Real Rush and Mono Lisa are infectious, driving numbers born to create an adrenaline rush. B+

 

3. Le Passage begins with a very interesting, catchy mix of spliced voice bits used to melody effect. Also coupled with a growing melody, the tracks quickly grows into a more complex addition. The chopped up voice sentences are unique and give character an aggressive, dark mix. Some interesting melldies arrive around 2:44 and a stronger melody combination ignites around 3:52. The track would continue to be good if it didn't end with fresh and effective ideas early on, only to recycle its body for the second half of the tracks duration. It started out good and got old fast. It lacks a strong evolution, if any, in second half and/or final third. C+

 

4. Year 2000 is much more dynamic and catchy in the sound/melody department than the previous track. Unforunately, we're well past the year 2000 and the "Counting down the days for the year 2000!" voice sample makes the song feel even more dated than it should. Musially the track is pretty good. The beat is strong; the melodies are well composed and developed. The only problem is the sample, which pulls down the otherwise good music. The artist tries some experimental things too that I like, such as the melody work from 1:53 to 2:10. It's catchy and really compliments the song in how it flows into the returning, more furious and intense, initial style. B

 

5. Aquarium is a mid/up-tempo Goa/Psy song and one of the more interesting ones on the album. This less mainstream friendly Goa design is pretty groovy. There is a nice combination in the middle as a previously developed sentence rises up into the swimming pool of a newly developed melody stream, much like Goa group Ethereal is known for doing. Around the middle it doesn't seem to offer much more that strikes as fresh or compelling, but the change here from the higher octane numbers is refreshing to some degree. This is one of Miranda's more unique tracks. It's pretty good, with a great middle third involving gripping Goa melodies combining like waves over waves in the ocean. B

 

6. Ama Zone is a concept track that begins strong. The ambient is very attractive and gripping, and probably the most stand out element on the song. It really compliments the music along with an interesting and unique mumbling male voice. I'm not love with any particular melody, though the song is continuously driving. I think the artist could have used some more infectious sounds to enhance the melody leads. There are some very psychedelic, thick, and crunchy sounds. This song has some really good ideas, and I wish the ambient section was brought back and developed because that part was really catchy. I generally like driving, fast, and aggressive sounds and style, much like Tandu and Pleiadians. But here for instance, it's a driving track that is less captivating in part because it reveals that grabs, the more it progresses. B-

 

7. Disco has two good melody leads and/or combinations in the first three minutes. But as the track progresses, it doesn't really capture the infection created during the building, initial several minutes. Fortunately, the song reprises it's two pattern Goa/Psy melody sentences around the final third. In a sense the first, catchy third is brought back in the final third with a mediocre extension branching the two in a less melodic, less capturing and plodding along middle. There are some good melodies and an echoed one I think is great, the second leading melody into the song. More could have been done to capture the senses. This is a decent, if fairly good song. B-

 

8. Freak Show is another concept track, much like Disco in the sense it never really develops its concept, track title. The beginning introduction has potential, and soon devolves into a surprisingly average and therefore disappointing track by Miranda. Redundant and far from gripping sounds and melodies are present here, often looping, like one on top of the other. Even an echoed Goa melody goes around and around with very little if any development. I often skip this song because whenever I don't, I'm again reminded why it's not a good song. Miranda is a solid artist and I don't put her down for having a filler or two. Excellent songs don't come easy after all. But I will say that this is a very lackluster, average at best track, and in that sense, it's disappointing. C

 

9. Second Step To The Stars is a sequel that triumps the original fromo the debut, Phenomena. This track really showcases Miranda's awesome melody work, energy, and power, and it would have been amazing to have more climactic songs on this level and beyond. Ahhh... what could have been. This was and relative to old school, still is a super Goa/Psy song with a wonderful melody lead combined with many creative and complimentary, supporting sounds and melodies. This is also a great way to end the album. Although a bit dated by todays standards, this finale is considered a classic by many Goa listeners today, and although not what I consider a masterpiece, it's probably the most sparkling gem on the album. A-

 

 

In conclusion, Real Rush is a hit and miss album by Miranda. It is less Goa influenced than the debut, but the influence is more or less present throughout. The last track on this album is excellent, a real treat for Goa/Psy fans and those who were lucky enough to hear Phenomena before this one. Miranda made several good, great Psytrance songs. This is also where certain tracks felt less unique, more standard and I don't like saying formulaic, predictable, but they are from what this artist is capable of. Nonetheless, the album is loaded with strong kicks, beats, interesting, small little details in the sound effects, and song fillers. Or song's that could have been much better than they are. I really liked the darker tone when I first heard this album back in 1998. Year 2000 unfortunately was one of the best tracks on the album back then. But by todays standards the voice samples "Counting down to the Year 2000...!" sound lame. This may have seemed like a good idea at the time, but female director Kathryn Bigelow had suffered similar fate when she directed the underrated, kickass film Strange Days in 1995. So the world is going to end theme is outdated, hence anything associated with that appears more dated too. Focusing on the music however, it's a well done song. However a handful of concpt tracks here never seem to reach their full potential. More could have been done than what is. Same with Disco which sounds interesting in the first third but gradually becomes redundent and/or less interesting. Fortunately, Miranda knows how to end an album with a bang. I just wish their were more bangs here, though the album has a strong beginning, middle, and end. There appear to be several weak sections or tracks with weaker sound structures when compared to Phenomena. Real Rush is a decent album with some very good tracks. If I had heard this follow up after Phenomena, because I heard her Phenomena in 2004 for the first time, I would have probably recommended this artist developing and updating her more textured, melodic Goa influence. Naturally, she did exactly that in Northern Lights and Asynja, and she hasn't abandoned that here; tracks are generally less imaginative and captivating. Real Rush is my least favorite album by Miranda, but I like it for its several strong vehicles.

 

 

Favorite tracks - 2, 4, 5, 9

 

 

B

[eudaimonia]

I just find out yesterday that the "disco" sample is from Pulp fiction put a other perspective on the sample I always ound that an anoying sample but now I have the image of Uma Thurman saying that! and that allot better;

 

Still not a verry good cd...

[Trance2MoveU]

This Cd doesn't measure up to Phenomena of course as it is more club styled rather than firmly planted in goa. The woman still knew how to rip a lead though. That screamer in Disco is pure goa. Like most have said, not great but also not that bad.

 

Mdk