DeathPosture Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 Perfect Stranger – Learning = Change Hi-res cover: front + back Artist: Perfect Stranger (Israel) Title: Learning = Change Format: CD (jewel case) Label: Iboga Records (Denmark) Cat. #: IBOGACD38 Distribution: twohandsdistribution.com Date: 13 March 2006 Track listing: 01. 08’28” Perfect Stranger – Starter 02. 08’31” Perfect Stranger – Dr. Feelgood 03. 08’03” Perfect Stranger – Morning Blues 04. 09’08” Perfect Stranger – Those Days 05. 08’21” Perfect Stranger – Hyperdrive 06. 08’39” Perfect Stranger feat. Emok – Truth 07. 09’00” Perfect Stranger – Nobody’s Perfect (Remix) 08. 10’39” Perfect Stranger feat. Zen Mechanics – Desert Session 09. 06’50” Schatsi – Radio Schatsi (Perfect Stranger Remix) .m3u-playlist: http://tinyurl.com/q5sxp (all tracks!) Review: The journey man… Israeli producer, DJ and party person Yuli Fersthat has been an integral part of our beloved scene for years… His first release was in 1998 under his BLT moniker and back then it was melodic goa trance with a twist… As time progressed and four albums were released, Yuli slowly shifted direction onto more progressive sounds, and eventually he became closely associated with the Danish powerhouse prog-label Iboga Records… He compiled the lovely Set/4 _Essentials and the recent Hibernation compilations. His Perfect Stranger alias emerged somewhere in early 2005 and after three VERY lovely tracks released on Iboga compilations, now it’s finally time for a full album… Yuli’s fifth, but Perfect Stranger’s first which I’ve been looking forward to ever since it was announced… Let’s dig in! Let me take you thru the tracks… #01: Perfect Stranger – Starter The aptly named opening track doesn’t waste any time on a boring, pretentious intro – this is floating, organic hybrid trance right from the get-go… Trademark Yuli with his combination of uplifting morning sounds and tighter progressive rhythms… This is a melodic afternoon groover complete with epic, melodic pads and tightly-knit, bang-on percussion… A very groovy and very tasty track… Maybe not the best PS track ever, but still pretty damn enjoyable… #02: Perfect Stranger – Dr. Feelgood “Dropping back into normal space…” Ahh yes, this is all about feeling good… This is melodic, fluffy morning trance with the typical PS progressive take on things… Reminds me of Antix or Protoculture, and as such I can’t help shake the feeling that this is maybe a little too sugar-coated… Don’t get me wrong, we’re still far from Sonic Cube-like commercial cheddar, but there are elements of this track that would appeal to the club crowd… Pretty good, but I still feel like the album hasn’t REALLY started yet… #03: Perfect Stranger – Morning Blues As the title suggests, we’re still in morning trance territory here – but as predicted, the album is slowly increasing pace… This is another extremely well-produced track – rich, slow progressing melodic morning trance with hints of psy, electro and progressive house…The vox are a bit clubby, but Yuli excels in never crossing the line fully and this would be the perfect transition track between an epic clubby tune and a more edgy progressive stomper… Simply lovely! #04: Perfect Stranger – Those Days And we’re getting closer to full-blown party mode now… This track crawls up on you like a hot blanket or a solid dose of MDMA… Without really noticing it, all of a sudden we’re completely soaked up by this subtle, electro-ridden little number… Ear candy if there ever was ear candy – so subtle, so refined, so frekkin’ sweet… The last run-down is just PURE bliss! =D #05: Perfect Stranger – Hyperdrive Halfway thru the album we’re exposed to a trademark PS hybrid tune… Tribal percussion, dubby background pads and sharp electro-hisses are accompanied by the hardest bassline thus far… All kept within a framework of progressive morning trance beautifully executed by Yuli… The sheer magnitude of this hypnotic tune is very impressive… It’s kinda simple really, but very effective at the same time… #06: Perfect Stranger feat. Emok – Truth On this track Yuli is joined by Emok (Mikael Dahlgaard from Phony Orphants) and that makes for an interesting collaboration. Contrary to what I’d expected it seems that Emok brings both some underground edge AND some fluffy melodies to the track… Yeah, this is another very distinct hybrid tune that fuses feather light, naïve melodies with well-defined, edgy tech-trance and electro elements… Totally PsyBooty! Generally I like this, though the middle passage seems a little too epic for my taste… Luckily it picks up again as the track progresses and the electro-infested, reverb-soaked final rundown is nothing short of perfection! #07: Perfect Stranger – Nobody’s Perfect (Remix) In its original form, this track was on the 2005 Iboga Records compilation Set/4 _Essentials… That was a pretty good track, though not the strongest PS track I’ve heard… This remix seems to up the ante though… It’s still crystal clear, tight percussion – with phat electro elements, tribal percussion and an overall organic atmosphere… The remix seems more club-friendly and will works absolute wonders during the peaks hours of a progressive set… As the original, this remix really explodes during the last couple of minutes when Yuli tears open his goodie bag… Sweet! #08: Perfect Stranger feat. Zen Mechanics – Desert Session On this tour de force track Yuli is joined by Dutch producer Wouter Thomassen who is a multitalented producer of both downtempo and upbeat party music… And obviously this track belongs in the latter category… This is a true journey track that evolves from simple, minimal electro trance to full-blown progressive mayhem… Dancefloor napalm so to speak! So rich; so versatile and so amazingly groovy… I dare anyone NOT to move to this! A stellar track! #09: Schatsi – Radio Schatsi (Perfect Stranger Remix) Schatsi is a project by Israeli producers Yoni Oshrat (Psysex, Ace Ventura, etc) & Corin Kiser and this PS remix has been unreleased for quite some time… Anyway, as you might have guessed this is the traditional oddball track of the album… Like flipping the dial on a radio, this track browses thru a number of different genres within electronic music – a hybrid track if there ever was one… And as with most PS tracks, the last half is by far the most interesting – and an interesting contrast to the somewhat commercial first part… A pretty neat tune – I just wish it was longer… What an album! I’m happy to say that this album is everything that I expected – and it’s as good as I’d hoped for… There are no bad tracks here and the stand-out tracks are many… Yes, some of his tracks have commercial, fluffy elements, but those moments are always balanced out by edgy, genre-bending, experimental parts. I’d prefer this over Antix, Gaudium, Insane Creation or Sonic Cube ANY day! Yuli is the master of journey tracks and the progression in his tracks is unsurpassed by few in our scene… It’s the ever sought-after story telling which I like so much! Brilliant! Learning equals change… That’s very true, and in retrospect Yuli’s change from full-on’ish trance to much more versatile hybrid trance seems like a very successful learning experience… I for one wouldn’t want it any other way… This is a VERY ripe album that compasses the very distinct sound that Yuli has refined and defined in recent years… It’s as mature as it is cutting edge! The cover art by Bakke (Spiral Trax) is absolutely gorgeous and as always with Iboga, you really get your money’s worth here… This album gets two thumbs up from me – it’s a safe purchase for any fan of rich, versatile progressive/morning/hybrid trance and it doubles as both a valuable DJ tool and as a living room favourite. Enjoy! Favourites: 3, 4(!), 5, 6(!), 7, 8(!!) DeathPosture External links: Iboga Records: http://www.iboga-records.dk Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/release/642847 Saiko Sounds: http://tinyurl.com/lw8bc TranceShop: http://tinyurl.com/r9akz Beatspace: http://tinyurl.com/ovo23 Psyshop: http://tinyurl.com/qo2r5 Wakyo: http://tinyurl.com/rk8n6 Chaos: http://tinyurl.com/mopsh Ajuca: http://tinyurl.com/nkvoz Juno: http://tinyurl.com/q9gcl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pr0fane Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 Perfect Stranger - Learning = Change (Iboga, March 2006) Artist: Perfect Stranger Title: Learning = Change Label: Iboga Format: CD (Jewelcase) Released: March, 2006 Review: Yuli Fershtat is undoubtedly one of the most important figures on the Israeli psytrance scene in the last decade. Under the name BLT he released no less 4 albums on labels like HOMMega, Krembo and Tokyo Dance - the last one being the collaboration-album "Anything U Want" with Danni Makov, released in 2004. After the release of the last album, Yuli decided to end the BLT project to concentrate on slower music, and Perfect Stranger was born. Since the launch of the Perfect Stranger project, he has already appeared on releases from labels like Iboga, Flow and Iboga, as well as having compiled the 2 Iboga compilations "Set:4" and "Hibernation", so naturally there where some expectations for his new "Learning = Change" album on Iboga. 01. Starter [130 BPM] "Starter" - well, here's a no bollocks trackname for you. The track with the well-chosen title start the show in style - no time is wasted on a long, beatless intro, instead the groove is there from the first second, and it slowly progresses, adding more and more elements along the way. A nice, laidback opening tune with a sweet melodic theme - good job. 02. Dr. Feelgood [132 BPM] The tempo is raised with "Dr. Feelgood", and it's also slightly more dancefloor oriented than the opener. A lot more stuff is going on, the percussion is more intense, and the tribal beats are deep and heavy. Another tune made with the outdoor dancefloors in mind - very cool, although still quite laidback. 03. Morning Blues [133 BPM] Ok, now we're really getting started - "Morning Blues" is by far the most intense track on the album so far, with a stomping, rolling bassline, crowdpleasing breaks and peaks and some uplifting vocals and effects. A really delicious morning stomper, blending the tribal and psychedelic with the brighter, more trancy elements to perfection. 04. Those Days [134 BPM] "Those Days" is even faster than the previous track, but not quite as intense. The groove is more reclining, and generally it's a deeper track, blending sweet, subtle melodies with the solid organic grooves. Another fine track, although I feel that it is one of the least impressive on the album as a whole. 05. Hyperdrive [130 BPM] Things get even more interesting with the next tune, with the strangely ironic title "Hyperdrive". It has a hard groove, which is a striking contrast to the deep, thoughtful atmosphere the track has overall. The melodies are absolutely wonderful, and this track definitely stands out as one of my absolute favourites on the album. A potential DJ-favourite this summer. 06. Truth (with Emok) [133 BPM] Up next is "Truth" - a collaboration with one of the founders of Iboga Records, Emok, a Dane widely known for his stunning DJ-sets and productions as part of the duo Phony Orphants. Emok bring some slightly more electro and progressive house oriented sounds into the album, and even though it's not as tribal and psychedelic as the rest of the tracks, it does work rather well. 07. Nobodys Perfect Remix [134 BPM] "Nobodys Perfect" was originally released last winter on the "Set:4" compilation, and it was Yulis first release under the Perfect Stranger name. Here is a new remix that isn’t remarkably different from the original, but does contain more power on the percussion and an extra layer of melodies. Although it, as a remix, doesn't add much to the original, this is still a good tune on its own. 08. Desert Session (with Zen Mechanics) [135 BPM] Next up is a collaboration with Zen Mechanics from Holland, also known as Spanner - undoubtedly one of the rising stars of the psytrance scene, with releases ranging from ambient over progressive house, progressive trance and full on, with a full-length album on Neurobiotic in the making. "Desert Session" is the most intense track on the album, with a heavy, rolling bassline and some seriously massive dance floor potential. 09. Schatsi - Radio Schatsi (Perfect Stranger Remix) [124 BPM] Last track is a remix of "Radio Schatsi", originally made by Yoni Oshrats (known as Ace Ventura, and previously a member of PsySex) electro-project Schatsi. It is by far the slowest track on the album, blending the somewhat commercial sounds of the original and the organic, tribal sound of Perfect Stranger - a cool, different approach for an album ending. Bottom line: Despite having released some really memorable tracks over the years, Yuli Fershtats really seem to be best on his albums. His last album as BLT, the collaboration with Danni Makov "Anything U Want" was a really strong album leaning towards full on, and "Learning = Change" is also a real treat. It is very organic and tribal, and even though all the tracks have solid 4/4 beats, the real potential is for home listening - it's a deep album that will likely need some time to grow on you, but give it some time and it will offer so much. "Learning = Change" is another high quality album from Iboga Records, and an album that proves that - despite being a part of a scene dominated by fast, stressful kiddie-trance - Israeli artists can also produce mature progressive albums with soul, depth and a very personal touch. Keep doing what you feel is right Yuli! Favourites: 1, 2, 3 (!!), 5 (!!), 8 (!!) Verdict: 9/10 Link: Iboga Records: http://www.iboga.dk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Hatter Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 Thank you, Yuli, for that release! Up to know by far my favorite Progressive album. Everything has already been said in the 2 reviews before: it is a brilliant piece of electronic music that totaly stands out. For me it has become the best release in 2006. BUY IT!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sawfly Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Despite having released some really memorable tracks over the years, Yuli Fershtats really seem to be best on his albums. His last album as BLT, the collaboration with Danni Makov "Anything U Want" was a really strong album leaning towards full on, and "Learning = Change" is also a real treat. It is very organic and tribal, and even though all the tracks have solid 4/4 beats, the real potential is for home listening - it's a deep album that will likely need some time to grow on you, but give it some time and it will offer so much. Have to agree you on that Great album here, needs more attention :posford: 9.5/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alleycat Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Love this one! Such a wide range of different sounds... Definitely one of my top 5 in this style! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin OOOD Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Good album. Really good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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