Ra - To Sirius

[Guest Melodic Slave]

How did he think of the melodies in "Sign Of Life"? MINDBLOWING! Ra is a

musical, melodic genius. BUY BUY BUY! Get this album!!!!

[Guest Goa Spirit]

I held back my review, trying to get a feel for this album before i commented

on it. Well, i think this stuff is really nice, especially coming at a time

when it did. I personally much prefer this music to minimal (especially boring

german style minimal), and this does not dissapoint. One has to hear it loud,

to get an actual feel for it. On soft volume, a lot of the intensity of this

album is totally lost. I love screaming melodious tracks which light up

dancefloors and hence track 4 is my ultimate favorite. This one is really

amazing, it just builds and builds, until it just explodes. Other nice tracks

here are 6, 7 and 2... all in all this was a very enjoyable piece and worth

the money... 8/10..,.

[Guest zeus class]

wow that cover is atrocious!! WOW THE MUSIC IS FUCKING

PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Guest pralien[at]shpongle[dot]com]

GREAT ALBUM ! Really a must have for all trance lovers...melodic, happy and

clever....9/10

[khogg]

Against my better judgement, I bought this without listening to it first. Most

of the reviews above rave about it and make it out to be god's gift to melodic

trance. So far, it just hasn't grabbed me. The samples are cheesey at times,

but I can get over that. It seems to lack a certain energy. It doesn't take me

anywhere or reach any frantic peaks. I'm not sure why becuase it has a nice

melodic feel to it but in a quiet subdued way. Anyway, my impression after a

few listens is that this is an average to good album with the potential to

grow on me. I wouldn't buy it again though. And yah, I agree with "zeus

class." The cover is terrible.

[Guest vortech604[at]onebox[dot]com]

Great album! Nice melodic stuff.. However, it sometimes lacks some power, but

it does not really matter. My favorites: Track 7 - R.O.M. and Track 4 - Beyond

Control. 8/10

 

P.S. Azure Child is the best!

 

P.P.S. Good mix with Toï Doï!

[Guest phlegetonyarre[at]hotmail[dot]co]

An absolute masterpiece.. Best track: Universal Key 9.5/10!!

[Guest astral_T[at]hotmail[dot]com]

Wow, this is a really great album! The melodies are so damned good and the

athmosphere is like flying through a colourfull space with bright lights....

9/10

[Guest avneesh[at]goatrance[dot]com]

Amazing shit man!! when i first heard it i was a bit disappointed but seriously

i didn't know what i was thinking!! on the 2nd listen it was mindblowing..it

still is..at the moment its one of my tops!!

[Guest NEXUS7[at]goatrance[dot]com]

Track 7-ROM-Kicks Sirius ASS!Track 4-Beyond Control is nice-blends well with

Astral's Dancing Galaxy.

[Guest vialactis[at]yahoo[dot]com]

waaaaaaaouw !!!!!

[Guest goafan]

GOA trance NEVER DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!))

[seraph]

Extremely good old school goa trance album...Finally someone decided to make

proper old school album in this lost times where artists simply don't bother

making music that was tearing emotions of everyone in the beginning...This guy

made great debut, melodic all the way through, with very quality

melodies...Best on album : ASTRAL FLIGHT, UNIVERSAL KEY, INITIATED, REIGN OF

MADNESS, PARADOX, SIRIUS...9/10

[Guest ZEN_ic]

OLD SCHOOL FOREVER.

10/10

P.L.U.R.

[Guest transphere]

excellent

[Guest fire_mk[at]hotmail[dot]com]

i thing this is art melodic trance.Best traks are 2,4,7

very melodik staf.8.5/10

[Guest Onyxura]

Good old fashion goatrance to the bone. Sad to see that releases like this

don't come all to often. hope to hear more music like this and not only the

dark minimal style being so popular theese days.

 

and to you Christer borge lunde: Nå er det jo godt over et år siden denne kom

ut! Kom med et nytt album snart! 8/10 bom!

[SkeletonMan]

Pure melodic old skool Goa bliss from back in the days. Well, actually this was released two years after the reign of the melodic school but this could might as well have been released in 1995. Some of it sounds very Astral Projection inspired but with a more sticky edge. Monotonous and … well, that and melodic. And like not much else released in 2000/2001.

 

My favourite is perhaps Universal Key that rose straight to my list of essential goa tunes. POOWW!! It’s taste, of course, but AP lovers should love this. Still, it competes with Initiated which is so ridiculously relentless it lacks words. Just coming at you. This is the dark edge of psytrance I fell in love with in the mid nineties. Yet maybe it’s even Sign Of Life that ends taking that prize. Combining dark with melodic it’s even more haunting. AUUCHH! And R.O.M. is not much worse! By this time the album is flowing into Neverland and I’m kicking my head I didn’t know about this album back in 2000. DOOIOOIOONG!

 

And with 3 Capital Letter exclamations in one comment an album can’t make a much better grade.

[Oopie]

I bought this, spinned it a couple of times, gave it to a friend.

 

ROM and Paradox have great climaxes in my opinion but overall I'll pass.

[SkeletonMan]

I bought this, spinned it a couple of times, gave it to a friend.

 

ROM and Paradox have great climaxes in my opinion but overall I'll pass.

Oopie, I ... I love ... I love your avatar.

 

But your taste in music

 

But your avatars ... I love them

[rino]

I'll pass on the avatar discussion, as your pics vary from highly accomplished skeleton costumes from the skelly dude to some sweet model, actress or whatever on Oopie's avatar. Whatever. Irrelevant to the music discussion.

 

But, oh man, To Sirius is one hell of an album! Melodic bliss at almost its finest. Contrary to what the majority may think, this is my own personal favorite relesae (seconded by Transdimensional) from the members of the whole Dimension 5/Hunab Ku/Electron Wave crew! It sounds like it was made and released at least three years prior to its original release date, but would you really expect anything less from these guys?

 

As most users pointed out before me, the whole album is overflooded with highly emotional melodies that could compete with those courtesy of some pioneering old school veterans, it's full of those wonderful mystic and dreamy sounds and vibes, and it really pulls me in the whole nine yards every time I give it a spin! The moods these tracks put me in vary from melancholic to joyful to uplifting back to some good old dancing under the hot sun state of mind and body!

 

What I particularly like on To Sirius is how these great melodies are emphasized and perfectly incorporated into the track, in a way that the listener can wholly assimilate their full effect! For example Universal Key from 06:30 on or even Beyond Control from around 06:15 after that great "Those eyes watching you... they know everything" sample, or even that catchy melody on Sign Of Life! Amazing stuff! And when one takes in consideration, and thus appreciates the stomping, fast paced, dance floor killers like the sure shot classic tune R.O.M., Paradox and the above mentioned Beyond Control, this album cannot pass as anything less than a 8/10. Hell, on a good day I'd give it a well polished and deserved 9!!!

 

An essential purchase for fans of old school melodic goa trance. But y'all knew that already, no need for me to say it. Gosh, I cannot wait for that new Ra album to drop on Suntrip Records. My expactions are as high as the Statue of Liberty on cocaine!

[Jon Cocco]

RA - TO SIRIUS
2001
NOVA TEKK RECORDS



01. Prologue
02. Astral Flight
03. Universal Key
04. Beyond Control
05. Initiated
06. Sign Of Life
07. ROM
08. Paradox
09. Sirius
10. Epilogue

This released in 2001 when many Goa-Trance labels and artists flipped to more mainstream Full On or stopped producing Goa-Trance until Suntrip. This album is fucking great!!

"if you're work is great, it will be remembered. And the greater it, is the more praise you'll receive. This is what you're putting out to the Universe anyway. The Universe knows everything."
 
1. Prologue is a creative and intriguing intro to start the path. It's Eastern-Indian influence correlates perfectly what is about to follow as the listener enters the world of To Series in his/her body and mind as guided by the spirit of RA.  B+

2. Astral Flight is great, boosted early on, and stays strong throughout. I love the opening take off sound fx, the choir-esque hymns (add character and feels!!!), the melodic elements, rich Goa textures, accents, etc., etc. I can't believe I once gave this a B+. It's just so fucking good sounding!!!  A- / A
 
3. Universal Key is more traveling and lengthy. It has solid melody/sound work and memorable samples. The song follows one set path throughout. Sometimes I think it could have been catchier in some way, but that's probably because I'm so attached to Astral Flight. Other times I like thing song ALOT-- just as it is. The song has character. It develops and evolves. I occasionally find it a little longer than it needs to be (less spicy/gripping than tracks 2, 4), but still isn't too soft. Great track!  A-
 
4. Beyond Control has a strong, sustained melody (synth flute) that sounds like opera-esque female hymns and carries the vehicle. The melody/sound work is tasty and the song is fairly psychedelic. Catchy voice samples too. Another great, distinct, unique and CATCHY song!!! My God this album's great so far!  A-
 
5. Initiated starts well. The intro is intriguing, unique. The song is harder hitting, more psychedelic than previous numbers. Some listeners will like that. The whispers add character. However the melodies aren't that memorable, at least not in the first third. They become a little catchier at 4:25, and the ambient notes support them. By then I've lost some interest though. The contemplative melody from 7:03 to close is pretty good, but by then the song's nearly over. Still the track's fairly good I think, just nothing great as a whole. It lacks memorable melodies IMO, and has some interesting aspects too.  B-

6. Sign of Life has a beautiful, uplifting (ambient) melody in its opening that soon leaves. Despite a few nice tunes, the uptempo approach (as a whole) sounds less lively and memorable, as though it's missing vibrancy, signs of life. Things pick up at 3:06, but the middle third grows repetitive and the arguably tinny synths don't help. 5:20 has a catchy synth. There's more arrangement at 6:10 and the key changes are nice. I like the uplifting feel. I simply wish the song didn't feel so minor compared to tracks 2, 3 & 4 (so far) and made me care. I wish it had deeper harmonies, sound/melody work, and FEELS. Ambient notes are nicely used, but here's an example-- unlike tracks  2, 3 & 4 (so far) where the sum of its parts are stronger than the whole.  B-
 
7. R.O.M. is the best thing to come along since chocolate. No really. R.O.M. is a masterpiece. The song builds up to a wildly infectious, climactic sound in its first few minutes. It's amazing. I have never heard a track like this. The synth lead is exceptional, and it's supported by some of the most complimentary sounds and effects to ever grace electronic music / Goa Trance. R.O.M. makes my TOP 10 Goa songs of all time (list) and is my favorite [uptempo] RA track to date. R.O.M. is a definitive Goa Trance song. that recurrently sounds "almost too good for words" in my opinion. You don't have to wait for the last third of the song for something captivating to happen, because it happens more than once throughout! It's rare that my review of a song is little more than praise but what else can I say? R.O.M. is imaginative, magnetic, evolved, darkly edgy, magical, mysterious, and quite frankly, groundbreaking. It's one of the best, most memorable songs I have ever heard in my life.  A
 
8. Paradox begins with a hard beat and basically no intro. This is one of the more aggressive dance songs on the album mainly due to the hard kick drum. Unfortunately, this harder PSY-influenced number lacks what made previous numbers so special with exception to Tracks 4+5. Sometimes I like the samples about a guy having the best job in the universe. Other times I find them repetitive, distracting, and bland. Aside from the characteristic voice samples that have grown on me (to be fair), the synth work is pretty good. It's simply not that memorable. Some Eqyption influenced transitions and/or sounds compliment. The song develops nicely thanks to a catchy tune (and increasing energy) in the second and third act. To be honest, I expected more after hearing tracks 2, 3, 4 and 7. Still this is an enjoyable track, more or less. It offers solid old-schooll variety to this cutting edge debut and some engaging sound/melody work to boot. Good track.  B

09. Sirius is a big boost back up to greatness. This is a mid-tempo Goa-Chill number. that's intriguing, floating, and tasty as it moves along like an alien vehicle scouting out a vast planet. I love the rhythm, slowed down (but not too slow) beat, and the overall approach, music throughout. The synth work is strong and gripping. Excellent track!  A

10. Epilogue is pretty good. It's short.. a nice closing that could have been the previous track. It seems ethnic/tribal influenced. Comparing with the previous number, it's pretty weak and forgettable. The melody work, while "nice" sounding, isn't that gripping or memorable. The flute is nice, but the whole does not seem to equel the sum of its parts. Unfortunately the album's closing isn't as strong as the opening, though the previous main (longer) track was very memorable. Regardless of your though to this "epilogue" it's too a strong and beautiful, occasionally magical album.  B+

Conclusion

A few less strong tracks aside, this is an excellent album. Great intro (track one) aside, songs 2, 3, 4, are strong Goa-Trance numbers. They're packed with good/great work. Beyond Control gets a bit repetitive in the final third, as does Signs of Life in the middle, and Epilogue isn't that strong. In other words, the album dips in the second half around some of its best work: R.O.M. and Sirius. That said, there's so much beauty, passion, thought, and creativity here that I highly recommend "To Sirius" to electronica fans. The album is generally more traveling and harmonious than many (more high octane dance among other) goatrance albums, and that is one of its most beautiful strengths. The intro is creative and develops a solid entrance; it's conscious and appreciative. Lars W. Lind who collaborated on tracks 1, 2, 5, and 7 is worth noting for his great work here along with Christer of course! I read in the inside flip that Charlie Clarke wrote tracks 6 and 8. While neither one is below average, tracks 6 and 8 are the numbers I like the least, along with the last nice but almost a bit too gentle transient closing. The track in between numbers 6 and 8, R.O.M. is exceptional. I appreciate this album more today. The "feeling" throughout this album is very postive, motivating, warm, and driving. Well done guys! You have produced something very positive for many to appreciate, share, enjoy, and be thankful for. You have added light to our world with your creative release that is not only fun, but positive, inspirational, thoughtful, and imaginative! Well done, and thank you again for an awesome, inspiriting, passionate, imaginative, and visionary (with conscous/aware samples, aspects, and intentions that our energy body/mid is exposed to, planting seeds for more wholesome consciousness) album!!!
 
Favorites:  1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9.

A-

[rino]

RA - TO SERIES

You can't be too serious about "To Series" with your misconception of "To Sirius"?

[abasio]

You can't be too serious about "To Series" with your misconception of "To Sirius"?

 

I liked the album but have thus far failed to really get into it, get lost in it! You know?

[Oopie]

You can't be too serious about "To Series" with your misconception of "To Sirius"?

Rino is right, the album is too serious.