Dimension 5 - Second Phaze

[Guest TranceWave+++===E.D.O]

Great Album. Track 5. kicks ass!!! Best track I ever heard. I hope i will find

something like this...

[Guest DJMikeM]

Pretty Good, Not really full on goa but it is very relaxing, maybe I dont think

Its full on because the sounds are very acidish, squelchy and not hard

distorted melodies, very 303ish melodys, chill if you listen to it low, nice

melodies, nice album. 7.8/10

[Guest penguinly]

nice album, i prefer Transdimensional, but this one is good too. I don't think

'the z principle' is so great, just good. Nevertheless, the 2 highlights are

'Transformation' and 'Polaris 2' BOOM!

[seraph]

VERY Good Album...Old School Goa at it's best...Dimension 5 is one of the most

uplifting british goa ever...I like all songs but the best are : MOON CAKE,

LIMITLESS DIMENSION, BEYOND THE STARS, TRANSFORMATION, THE Z PRINCIPLE, MIND

TO MIND...9/10

[Guest Davidtolsn]

good cd. same style as transdimensional, only done better. this artist does not

fail to deliver. nice and melodic, but not cheesy. old school without being

old sounding. only track i don't like much is track 4, and track 7 (the

ambient one) is only average, all the rest are above average with my favorites

being polaris 1 and 2. 8/10

[Manuser]

Dimension 5 - Second phaze - Global trance network - 2000

 

 

01 Moon Cake

02 Limitless Dimension (Gate 3 Mix)

03 Beyond the Stars

04 Bombed Out

05 Transformation

06 The Y Principle

07 Polaris 1

08 Polaris 2

09 Mind to Mind

 

I want to share my enthusiasm about this album : ) Second phaze is a really solid goa trance album, with real cohesion and consistency from the beginning till the end. What I like : Light and floating psychedelic sounds, melodic atmospheres, quite discrete rhythms, lots of melodies which make the track by themselves, and above all perfectly controlled music, it never goes too far, you can rest and breathe listening to this CD.

The tracks are less spectacular and slower than the ones on the previous album (Harmonic convergence, Deep space 5D, Utopian dream, etc.), and it took me more time to fully appreciate this album compared with Transdimensional.

 

Highlights, according to me :

 

02 - Limitless dimension (Gate 3 mix), it is better than the original, more energetic, more acid and more mature also, without removing the emotional touch. Really really nice!

03 - Beyond the Stars , a perfect example of how uplifting and controlled emotional goa trance can sound.

05 - Transformation, I listened to this one so many times and I still like it a lot! A pure melodic uplifting goa trance track, with two homogenous melodies. It could sound a bit too repetitive for some people but not for me. Beautiful, emotional trance here.

06 - The Z principle, told by many people as the best track of the album, it took me more time to fully appreciate it. It is the fastest track of the CD, and I would say the most twisted and psychedelic, the less morning also. Certainly a track to play at outdoor parties!

08 - Polaris 2, morning track again, bright and clever, mindblowing, fully melodic and optimistic, in the same style as tracks 3 and 5 I would say. Dreamy and, B e a u t i f u l... one of the best tracks of the album, if not the best.

 

On the whole, I am really impressed by the cohesion in this album, it sounds homogenous, though there are darker tracks like tracks 6 and 7, but always melodic, and i would of course recommend this CD for its uplifting, floating and optimistic atmospheres.

[Guest Cosmogenesis]

Manuser, your review is pretty good, thanx for making it! I was surprised that any guys has made it before. This album seems to be very underrated!

 

"Second Phaze", as the name define it, is, in fact, the "second chapter" (and probably the last as the group is still inactive) of Dimension 5 evolution in their unique style of music. "Transdimensional" album was already a success, but D5 wanted to developp more their style, to elevate it to an other "dimension", with more morphic 3D melodies ("intelligence" representing the third dimension: the psychedelic melodic vibes are perfectly arranged inside the tracks), using scientifical concepts representing by unbelievable F.X. with the help of some new material, in order to finally reach a perfect auto-definition of their music: "space techno psychedelic trance". The arrival of Christer Borge-Lunde (Ra) in the Blue Moon Team has made an huge impact on the D5 crew, and we can easy feel it in their second release.

The combination of the pionner and very experimented Kerry Palmer and the newly highly inspirated artist, Borge-Lunde, with the collaboration of space guitarist, Nik Wenham, and former Hunab-Ku and Electron Wave member, Charlie Clarke, has created, as a result, one of the all-time and most advanced albums in the goa history. The album inspires serenity, intelligence, high feelings and high conceptions of a dynamic universe; with one word: perfection.

No doubt, at that time, "Second phaze" has given a new and fresh influence in the goa genre, followed by other Velvet Inc and Novatekk releases with such talents as Chi-a.d., Electron Wave, Ra, or Hara Gobi...

 

But, Manuser, you don't have spoken about two other masterpieces in this high quality album: where is "Moon Cake" and "Bombed out"?

For me, "Moon cake" is an excellent track and a perfect introduction of the multiple themes of the album. It reminds in the construction and for the use of the flute, "The Antidote" track from "Transdimensional" album. "Bombet out" symbolizes the highest point of the album, with his majestuous melodic elevations and variations during the track and his unbelievable atmospheres, especially at 2:14. "Mind to Mind" is also a very interesting ambient trance tune, with an intelligent utilization of the "Space Guitar", which enters two times spectacularily during the track.

 

So, maybe some of you will find some tracks a little boring, without "crazy psychedelic or euphoric feelings", especially concerning the two parts of "Polaris". Maybe some of you have been surprised sometimes by the lack of inspiration, because of the similarites (the pretty same psychedelic vibes) between "Limitless Dimension" and "the Y Principle". For those reasons, some of you will perhaps prefer the uncontrolled "Transdimensional" album. However, "Second Phaze" remains as an album which wants to give a new impulse, a new energy, a new inspiration, solid bases for the future of goa. But, unfortunately, only Ethereal or Ypsilon 5 (maybe Khetzal also) have really followed this newly emerged current inside the psychedelic genre...

[Manuser]

Cosmo, nice review : ) as far as i am concerned, i talked about the tracks i like the most, indeed a lot of people find Moon cake to be one of the best tracks of the album, it is not my case but it is a good opener. Bombed out : agree, i could have mentioned it since it is a very good one, a bit darkish compared with other tracks in the album... And about Mind to mind i am not so fond of this kind of ambientish goa trance, i prefer my ambient being "pure" ambient, i don't really like tracks between goa and real ambient, i find them uninteresting, but well that is a matter of taste.

By the way, i gave 9/10, the best way here is to rate the whole album without rating each track separately, indeed it is a real conceptual album i would say, and i also forgot to mention a very good point that is the transitions between the tracks, they are excellent : )

[Guest Cosmogenesis]

No problem, Manuser: as you exactly said, it's a matter of taste. In fact, I think sometimes that I'm not so objective with this album, because I appreciate too much it. But, you know, it's only an opinion among so many others.

[Ormion]

Very good album although it suffers from the well known ATHSS disease aka All Tracks Have Similar Style. I mean even today and after many hours of listening I find really difficult to recognise each track. But maybe it's just me.

Still this album is very good and trippy and with an excellent ambient Mind To Mind!

8/10

[Guest Cosmogenesis]

Very good album although it suffers from the well known ATHSS disease aka All Tracks Have Similar Style. I mean even today and after many hours of listening I find really difficult to recognise each track. But maybe it's just me.

Still this album is very good and trippy and with an excellent ambient Mind To  Mind!

8/10

568726[/snapback]

Do you call with the term ATHSS an homogenic album?

[Ormion]

Do you call with the term ATHSS an homogenic album?

Hey, don't get mad. I didn't say that in a bad way, but still a bit more variation in the structure of the dance tracks would be better IMO.

[Guest Cosmogenesis]

Hey, don't get mad. I didn't say that in a bad way, but still a bit more variation in the structure of the dance tracks would be better IMO.

568756[/snapback]

I don't get mad, be quiet! All the opinions are welcomed here, bad or good! It was just a comment, nothing else.

[snowball]

the masters!

[Oopie]

A bit weaker performance than the debut album...

 

They use good sounds most definitely, but it's not much when the compositional side is so hazardious, me thinks.

[Guest Cosmogenesis]

A bit weaker performance than the debut album...

 

They use good sounds most definitely, but it's not much when the compositional side is so hazardious, me thinks.

578254[/snapback]

Hey,who tries to criticize this jewell 5D stuff ?

[Jon Cocco]

DIMENSION 5 - SECOND PHAZE

2000

BLUEROOM RECORDS

 

 

 

 

Track list:

 

01. 07'17" Moon Cake

02. 07'39" Limitless Dimension (Gate 3 Mix)

03. 08'28" Beyond the Stars

04. 07'48" Bombed Out

05. 08'48" Transformation (Rmx)

06. 07'33" The Z Principle

07. 08'35" Polaris 1

08. 07'57" Polaris 2

09. 08'16" Mind To Mind

 

 

Second Phaze is a pretty good follow-up to a super debut. I generally love Dimension 5's juicy, flavorful, deep melodic space style. However here's another case where the sequel can't top the original. There's some excellent melodies, elements, and parts throughout the album. Several tracks are great and the follow-up to Transidemsional introduces some more nighttime themed songs and elements that are very cool. Unfortunately a handful of tracks have a similar feel and sound to them. As a wise man once said, it isn't the style alone but what you choose to do with it.

 

 

1. Moon Cake is a strong opening. I consider this a real solid follow-up song in this style since the debut. It's loaded with streaming, lush sounds, soudscapes, and melodies. It's very attractive, inviting, and warm/positive sounding. The song is filled with arresting sound textures and rhythms if you're one for melodies in Goa music. This has always been a memorable song to me. I've desired to take my CD out to hear it again over and over throughout the years. One other track on the album has an element I love too but more on that when we get there. Anyway, this isn't what I consider superb but it's a wonderful song and my most favorite track on the album. B+

 

2. Limitless Dimension (Gate 3 Mix) is less memorable. Here is a track where the D5 sound is used but they didn't great a great song with it. This was my problem with X-Dreams side project Children of Paradise - Urban Alien and Toi Doi's Technologic debut albums for example. They created their own style and applied it to every song but few tracks were executed to near excellence. This track starts with a strong wave of ambient and introduces melody after melody. D5 involves many elements of their super melodic style. The transition around the 3:15 area is nice but overall I find the song forgettable. I actually lose interest as the song progresses. The melody structures and the sounds used aren't that alluring, interesting, or catchy. As much as I generally love Goa-Trance, D5's style, the melodies and more, I'm disappointed with this one. It's decent, maybe fairly good at best. C+

 

3. Beyond the Stars is probably the most progressive track I've heard by D5 to date. It's repetitive! The overall stream however sounds attractive although very little seems to take place until the transition at aroun 4:50. At this point the melodies interact more with their partners. The melodies rise up and become more present and accentuated in their sounds than before. A nice leading melody arrives at around 6:30. At around 6:57 the overeall song sounds very pleasent and enjoyable to listen to. I don't mind that the song took time to get to this. I simply wish the first four minutes were more interesting than they are. The song has a very gentle sound to it but it isn't as memorable to me. B

 

4. Bombed Out is more aggressive (FINALLY!!!!) and driving than any track on the album so far. I feel like I needed this although it isn't impressive to me in being aggressive or driving. I like the stronger rhythm and beat. The opening altered voice sample isn't bad but nothing great. It adds a nice tune further in I suppose. The first star of this song is the melody work at around 3:40. I like it. Good melodies cut in and out over the solid foundation. This is more engaging than the previous two songs I feel. B

 

05. 08'48" Transformation (Rmx) is one of the stronger songs on the album. The melodies are very uplifting. Many attractive melodies swim through the ocean created. Several are great. Same with the leads. The ambient opening is intriguing. The closing is very relaxing. This may be the most warm and positive feeling track since Moon Cake. It's filled with pleasent sustained notes and crisp harmonies and melodies carried throughout. B+

 

06. The Z Principle is the second more provocative, driving track on the album after Bombed Out. I think this one's better. This is also a general favorite on the album I notice from reading reviews. The melodic element at around 1:05 is very cool. It seems that a volcano of sounds are gradually heating up from under the lave. The melody at around 2:59 is catchy and how its altered at 3:13 and beyond. I love when the melody skips at around 4:18. It's short but cool sounding. The song gets more involved and stirring as it progresses. Almost all the melodies leave for several seconds at around 4:28. Special effects skip across the track and melodies gradually return. My favorite melody of the song is the one underneath it all, the one at 5:03. There's something dark and intriguing about its presence I feel. It gives the song a less upbeat tone as it. New melodic elements are added that are catchy. I really like the closing sounds, it's eerie in a way. Overall I'm not in love with this track but I really like the change in sound and mood. It's different from all of the other songs. It's not your typical D5 track in the morning, upbeat sense, which makes it better to hear at night. I don't think this track is really great like some people here but it's definitely one of the most creative and different sounding tracks on the album. B+

 

07. 07. 08'35" Polaris 1 engages me the least on the album since the second track until an ambient wave appears around the two minue mark. It's very peaceful and heavenly sounding. These sounds are important in creating emotive waves and they seem to be few and far between on this album relative to the feelings I experienced on the D5's debut. More melodies appear that aren't so catchy. I enjoy the sound fusion around 4:00 and from there the song seems to introduce a string of arresting sound textures. The beat disappears around 5:20. A new melody arrives and adds to the flowing current of sounds underneath. I really like the choir sound. It it's more subtle in being lower in volume and used to great effect. The track has a smooth flowing rhythm throughout. It's one of those songs where the leading melodies stay close to the supporting ones. This generally makes Goa songs stand out less but I find them at times to be far more hynotic because you're not distracted and pumped up with the energetic leading melody. It's easier to fall into a trance, generally speaking. B

 

08. 07. 08'35" Polaris 2 is very gentle for the first several minutes but it isn't anything great. Around 4:12 the tempo, the music really changes. My favorite part of this entire album might just be from 4:25 to 5:44. I love it. I wish there were more of these carefully constructed emotive melody fusions! They're so positive sounding. I can shut my eyes and float away. As the sound rises I wonder if this is considered key changes? It's wonderful, very inspirational sounding. The song continues close to this greatness. A higher pitched melody gives off a euphoric sound I like. It plays along with a flute close to the end and sounds wonderful as the beat escapes. A-

 

09. 08'16" Mind To Mind is the emotive chill follow-up to closing track Flow from the debut. These artists are so talented with chill songs. They should make a downtempo album! Initially I thought this was a great song until around 2:48 when a distracting, alterated, higher pitched melody arrives. It sounds like it's whaling or whining. In other words, it isn't lush and dreamy or beautiful and celestial. This song could have been amazing. I love the sound which enters at 3:28 and attempts to show it's light through the clouds of the less positive melody. I'm relieved when this far from smart melody leaves at 3:33. Finally. But the damn thing reappears around 3:30. What the hell people! Maybe more twisted sounds like these during a gentle chill track works on some people already in a certain state but I find difficulty to believe that this loud, twisting, distracting sound would accentuate the enjoyment of this song to most listeners. Just listen to how beautiful, floating, and dreamy the track is from 4:40 to 5:00. It's wonderful! I wish these artists cut the damn rock throwing out at this great traveler. It's distracting from the path leading towards the light. Anyway this closing chill track has greatness. And it would have actually been been excellent if the artists realized that they didn't need to add so much to something so powerful and effective on this level. This is a true example where more equals less both consciously and subconsciously. A-

 

 

In conclusion, Second Phaze is no shadow of its former self. However it isn't as strong as it could and should have been too. I bought this album back around 2002 and read the reviews so I was expecting some very cool Goa-Trance songs. This was my first D5 album. I had never heard the debut at the time. It was only a thousand dollars. After hearing the opening track I was impressed at the time. I enjoy the melodies and I love how they're utilized, the waves of lush sounds, and D5's cool melody structure and soundscapes. It turned out that the opening was one of the few great songs on the album for me. For melodic Goa-Trance lovers this is still very worth checking out and maybe even buying if it ever or whenever it's available. There's some very good work here although a handful of songs don't stand out so much. This is where the debut, Transdimensional stood out to me. It's a stronger album with three times the super Goa-Trance songs. That said, tracks like Moon Cake give a great impression of the album and I wish there were more tracks at this caliber and beyond. I care to return to very few tracks on this album but those few are enjoyable to hear. As with the debut, there is a stand out opening and closing track on Second Phaze. I find the closing here far less powerful than the opening track in comparison to the opening track on the debut. Regardless, this is a good album with greatness and some wonderful moments. It's just nothing spectacular.

 

 

Favorite Tracks: 1, 4, 6, 8, 9.

 

 

B+

 

 

 

Samples:

 

http://www.saikosounds.com/english/display_release.asp?id=93

 

http://www.psyshop.com/shop/CDs/gtn/gtn1cd065.html

 

[sunwolf]

Mind To Mind is on par with their first album, amazing track!

 

The album as a whole is not as good as Transdimensional though, by far. This album is more floaty and slower. Most of the tracks aren't that memorable.

 

I don't like Moon Cake much though most people are praising it. It's promising in the first minute but nothing good comes out of it. It's also pretty cheesy at the end.

 

Transformation, The Z Principle and Polaris 1 are great tracks. I like Beyond The Stars and Polaris 2 as well. Tracks 2 and 4 are the weaker ones.

 

Similar sounds and to their original album but not as much work put in to accomplish that same epic direction in the tracks that every track on Transdimensional had. It's still a great album, but not untouchable as their first was!

[XpandoZ]

worth it just for polaris 2

[bwhale]

I love this album. I listen to it once a week at least at night, it's so great for falling asleep! I love the sounds, you won't hear such nice soft sounds anywhere else, totally ethereal. I usually skip track 2, sometimes track 1 also, but that's partly because I'm so eager to hear Beyond The Stars. What a gem! And all the others after that are great too. Probably not a good CD for a dance party, but you can't criticize it for that. All the arrangements aren't "perfect" like their first CD, but I like the sounds here as much if not better and it's a perfect album for chilling.

[Penzoline]

Wow, can't believe I'm again actually disagreeing with Cocco, what's going on here! Well taste is taste.

 

Whereas he is finding Limitless Dimension (Gate 3 Mix), Beyond the Stars and Bombed Out only C-B worthy, I would say they are up there with the best of old school. Absolutely thick and moving atmospheres and tempos, the repetitiousness is not an issue because of how traveling they are. They feel like a journey through the vast and calm cold space. Jogging/Running with these tracks is quite the experience since even if you were starting to get drained out, the insanely traveling music doesn't want you to. I feel like this album is less detailed, forceful and not as epic than one of the most loved album, Transdimensional, was, but is definitely prone to create magnificent traveling atmospheres and strong themes very much in the quality of Transdimensional. There are really no bad tracks here, but I find the melodies in Transformation almost cheesy. They seem to aim to be very emotional, but I find them cross the border at times.

 

If you want to embargo a journey through the cold space, this is a one way ticket there. Also the basslines on this release are something that of wonder, you don't really hear such traveling power in other old school goatrance releases, at least I can't really recall many releases. This is one of the last epics of old school goatrance and definitely should not be ignored.

[jayex]

Absolutely must have album for all goaholics...great melodic journey...

[Guest neurogen]

Transformation is for me, their top track.

 

The bassline melody with the keychange together with melodies is genious.

I just wish it was more interesting.. I feel like whenever the song is about to peak - it stops.

 

But nonetheless, its still their top track for me.

 

In regard to Penzolines comment -

 

I like my pizza with extra cheese. Double the extra please.

[johnb820]

I've decided this album is vastly superior to Transdimensional. It's so much more involved, complex, cinematic and emotional. The production is miles ahead of its predecessor. It's really not even close, and I say that with the utmost respect for Transdimensional.

[Jon Cocco]

This album's style is more homogeneous. There are no climaxes, twists, and turns. Or crazy synth leads. It is however very, VERY melodic, floaty; the album works in subtle ways to trance the listener (assuming it works on you! ). Whereas each time I listen to Hallucinogen, Cosmosis, Transwave, Pleiadians, MFG, Infected Mushroom (first several albums) etc., I feel that those albums are not only timeless, classic, and infectious, but easily accessible too. I tried listening to Second Phaze again in 2013 and found the tracks quite similar sounding which I read here. Mooncake starts strong, but low on variety as it progresses I feel. That said, the album is for real melodic lovers of Goatrance.

 

The songs that jumped out at me right away upon returning to this is Mooncake (the beginning of the song), Mind To Mind, though I've always found Flow on the debut superior. The other song is Polaris 2 due to the second half of the song (my favorite part on the album). I LOVE the melody arrangement, composition around the fifth minute forward; it's magical, beautiful, harmonious stuff, exactly how I remember it after all these years: warm, euphoric sounds! Depending on state of mind, one could find Second Phaze absorbing and immersive, or boring, monotonous, uneventful, even lazy in comparison to their other albums because the work is more, I don't know... progressive for Goa sounding if that's even accurate to say (which it probably isn't!)

 

Having said that, maybe I've become spoiled by the more eventful work and synth leads in D5's Trans Addendum that I'm enjoying very much. This is a rare release with beauty and harmony! I wonder why the artists decided to approach the second album being more floaty, less edgy than Transdimensional... and later releases: Trans Addendum and Transteller. It's a unique release and their least accessible album to date in my opinion.