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BT - This Binary Universe (DTS Entertainment) Aug


Goa Bill

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1. All That Makes Us Human Continues (8:15)

2. Dynamic Symmetry (11:23)

3. The Internal Locus (10:27)

4. 1.618 (11:34)

5. See You On The Other Side (14:23)

6. The Antikythera Mechanism (10:06)

7. Good Morning Kaia (8:11)

 

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BT is the artist name of Brian Wayne Transeau, one of the most influential electronic musicians in the 90's. A man who almost single-handedly defined epic trance together with Sasha in the beginning of the 90's stood in the middle of 00's with a big dilemma. He had a choice to release another crowd pleasing pop candy album like his previous "Emotional Technology" album or to continue exploring the uncharted water and to experiment with his amazing technological and musical skills. Something that he started not long ago with highly acclaimed soundtrack for the movie "Monster". Lucky for us and probably for him too, he decided to experiment. This is BT's 5th studio album and once again after many years he starts something totally different and dare i say the G word, groundbreaking.

What we have here is 7 tracks on the Audio CD and 7 tracks on the DVD that contain some of the most mindboggling sonic experiments that interlace with complex musical structures. Some of it may sound very weird for somebody who is used to the western 4/4 time signature, but i assure you that in the end it worths the effort.

It wil be highly unjust and perhaps even boring to review the tracks one by one because the tracks themselves are built from little tracks and some tracks have the same theme but with different variation. This whole album is a journey, a journey by a classically trained musician that utilizes the modern technologies and plays with them with the joy of a little kid that got a new toy. Some parts are very minimal and might challenge your patience, some parts are too maximal and might force you to lower the volume. The CD was mixed on 5.1 setup and the original mix can be heard if you play the DVD version on a DTS compatible system. The DVD contains the videos for all the tracks and although they can be skipped some of them are really good and worth checking. The CD is mixed in Stereo and is compatible with the regular Audio systems. I can easily write thousands of words on that album but it won't matter a bit. My only problem with this release is the fact that the tracks are not mixed continously. But that's really negligible.

Summary: Modern Classic that sets new technological and musical standards, but maybe a bit too weird for many.

 

Grade: 9.8/10

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It isn't that weird an album, kinda like IDM - a more subdued Autechre will give you an idea. Give it a go - There is not any prolonged exposure to cheese on this album.

 

Pavel, I was a bit skeptical in seeing BT on psynews reviews section, but this is kinda like IDM ;}

 

On behalf of us trippers everywhere, we beseech thee the abstain from posting reviews of cheese.

 

 

NO TIESTO

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On behalf of us trippers everywhere, we beseech thee the abstain from posting reviews of cheese.

NO TIESTO

624303[/snapback]

There's no Tiesto here. And btw it's a free forum, you don't see me asking people to stop posting review of Dark Noise albums, that have nothing to do with Psy or Goa or Music generally. IMO
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There's no Tiesto here. And btw it's a free forum, you don't see me asking people to stop posting review of Dark Noise albums, that have nothing to do with Psy or Goa or Music generally. IMO

624322[/snapback]

Im with Pavel on this one... I mean, where do we draw the line to psy? Can i review Skazi on this forum? Could I review Early Plasticman or Hardfloor (Which was considered Psychedelic music back then)...

 

If the music is cool, why not tell people about it.... or are "Psytrancers" afraid of learning something new?! :D I dont think so.... I dont want to believe that a community like this is narrow minded towards good quality music!

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

This is a must have album!!! I can't stress this enough. The DVD is a masterpiece!! The album is incredible!!! It just gets better with every listen.

 

To fully enjoy this release you need to have a HD / 16x9 TV with DTS 5.1 digital surround sound.

 

I don't understand Why Psy artist don't do this?? I can only imagine listening to some of my better psy albums with visuals in 5.1 surround sound. Come on the technology is out there....

 

Please let this be the future for psy releases!!

 

If you enjoy electronic music then BUY THIS ALBUM!!!!!

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Sweet album! Nicely programmed beats (IDMish) and melodies that strongly remind me of video game music (of the SNES / Mega Drive era).

 

so...the ideal album for IDM fans who still cherish their 16-bit games consoles? :huh:

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a man who single handedly defined epic trance?

 

=(

 

but the review sounds too interesting to skip this piece

646779[/snapback]

Well yes, before it was bastardised by Dutch cheese makers that is.

I remember the days when full-on was still exciting (Deedrah-Reload anybody?)

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Haven't heard a single negative word concerning this album  :ph34r: . Will for sure check out this one.

 

UPD Oops! I heard it today :)

 

Providing a link to the samples would be much appreciated!

624026[/snapback]

Now you hear, loud and clear :D

Imo its pretty bad album. Or as pavel said, too weird for some (me) :ph34r:

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  • 2 months later...

Damn, had a nice post but the server decided not to respond just as I posted it... ;/

 

I haven't heard this entirely. I've just heard the few tracks in the beginning, as I admit I wasn't very drawn to it initially.

However, I wasn't drawn to the Artifakts II album either. I ended up fiercely loving it, so that goes to show you not to judge anything by first impressions. I heard Dynamic Symmetry while my player was in shuffle mode, and after realizing the greatness and weirdness of the track has to find what I was listening to. It sort of reminded me of Jaia's Orchestra 2.0 - a non-linear, non-standard time signatures piece of music - just weird and lovely. This is a fusion of jazz and IDM (though I dislike the term, nothing dancy about it). Beyond lovely.

 

All That Makes Us Human Continues is the introduction track - slow, touching, relaxing, with the odd electronic touches. This is the first track among quite a few that has a bit of Aphex Twin like sounds. Dynamic Symmetry is my favourite track currently. I've typed a bit about it earlier. The golden ratio track, 1.618, is just relaxing and beautiful. I assume the actual ratio is in play in the actual track - I can't hear it but then again I'm not a musical professional. The Internal Locus is indeed very video-gameish at times. It sounds like what Nubuo Uematsu would've composed had he the tools and processing power on the PlayStation 1 sound processing unit. If you've ever played Final Fantasy 7, 8 or 9 - you know what I mean. See You On The Other Side is so relaxing, harpish, atmospheric - though not in the Solar Winds / Carbon Based Lifeforms sort of way. It ends up sort of Aphex Twinish... Bucephalus Bouncing Ball. But with such a hopeful melody... The Anhtkythera Mechanism starts so childish, so small townish and grows into a insect attack soundtrack, with occasional relaxed parts. Like the background music of Starship Troopers had it been done well :) The medieval sounds move into eastern, groovy mood music... a very remarkable track. Good Morning Kaia is very... rock. It isn't very electronic. Lots of distortion, lovely melody - I wouldn't have been surprised to have heard it on... I don't know, any indie, brit or grungy rock album. I can't put my finger on the exact genre, but it might be a bit Radioheadish.

 

All in all, I have to recommend this album. It is quite remarkable, unorthodox and beautiful.

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  • 3 months later...

1. All That Makes Us Human Continues (8:15)

2. Dynamic Symmetry (11:23)

3. The Internal Locus (10:27)

4. 1.618 (11:34)

5. See You On The Other Side (14:23)

6. The Antikythera Mechanism (10:06)

7. Good Morning Kaia (8:11)

 

Posted Image

 

BT is the artist name of Brian Wayne Transeau, one of the most influential electronic musicians in the 90's. A man who almost single-handedly defined epic trance together with Sasha in the beginning of the 90's stood in the middle of 00's with a big dilemma. He had a choice to release another crowd pleasing pop candy album like his previous "Emotional Technology" album or to continue exploring the uncharted water and to experiment with his amazing technological and musical skills. Something that he started not long ago with highly acclaimed soundtrack for the movie "Monster". Lucky for us and probably for him too, he decided to experiment. This is BT's 5th studio album and once again after many years he starts something totally different and dare i say the G word, groundbreaking.

What we have here is 7 tracks on the Audio CD and 7 tracks on the DVD that contain some of the most mindboggling sonic experiments that interlace with complex musical structures. Some of it may sound very weird for somebody who is used to the western 4/4 time signature, but i assure you that in the end it worths the effort.

It wil be highly unjust and perhaps even boring to review the tracks one by one because the tracks themselves are built from little tracks and some tracks have the same theme but with different variation. This whole album is a journey, a journey by a classically trained musician that utilizes the modern technologies and plays with them with the joy of a little kid that got a new toy. Some parts are very minimal and might challenge your patience, some parts are too maximal and might force you to lower the volume. The CD was mixed on 5.1 setup and the original mix can be heard if you play the DVD version on a DTS compatible system. The DVD contains the videos for all the tracks and although they can be skipped some of them are really good and worth checking. The CD is mixed in Stereo and is compatible with the regular Audio systems. I can easily write thousands of words on that album but it won't matter a bit. My only problem with this release is the fact that the tracks are not mixed continously. But that's really negligible.

Summary: Modern Classic that sets new technological and musical standards, but maybe a bit too weird for many.

 

Grade: 9.8/10

Smart review pavel!!!i agree with you, with the most of your words!!!For me as you said is weird album but it has a good touch!!!i found this album very good...my rating isnt so big than your: 8/10
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  • 3 weeks later...

wow glad to see a review of this album on psynews. A good review it is too pavel ;) This is by far the best ambient album i bought last year. Actually to call it ambient does it a bit of a disservice IMO because the spectrum of music on this disk is far too broad to be pigeonholed into one genre: on this album you'll find ambient, IDM, jazz, (post) rock, classical music, some slightly heavier dance music and some other stuff that simply defies categorisation. I just love the way BT manipulates the all the intruments you hear on this album, one intrument morphs into the next and then that will suddenly get changed into a flock of beeps and so on. The production is fantastic too, one of those albums which you can really appreciate if you listen to it on good headphones/a surround sound system. Also, if you buy the double CD you get the bonus of a surround sound DVD with individual visualisations for each song (the visualisations aren't that great but listening to it on DVD quality on a surround sound system is really something else!)

I'll take you through my favourite tracks:

 

Dynamic Symmetry: This song has a slooooow build up to it (around 2 minutes long) and then suddenly bursts into life, with some beautiful (almost childlike use of) piano, heavy drums, strange beeps and some effects that kind of sound like a baby crying. Put together the song sounds kind of like something being born into life. Beautiful. The song continues to build with some great use of guitar and then BT throws you into a cacophany of beeps morphing that float around the sound system/headphones and then quickly change into an old fashioned, smokey jazz riff.

Internal Locus: This song starts out very simply with some simple piano chords playing over some rain effects. The piano gradually gets put under electronic distortion until it is completely submursed in it. Then out of the distortion an orchestra suddenly appears, sounding kind of like something you'd see on a discovery channel program (not literally, but this is the image it creates in my mind :)). Towards the end of the song theres a wicked shift again where it sounds like the music literally over exerts itself and dies of power, it's started up again and shifts into some funky house type music.

The Antikythera Mechanism: This song starts out beautifully, with two piano solos sounding like something you'd hear out of a fairytale. Some guitars join in, again building the song up until your hit by an increasing amount of electronic distortion. About 3/4 the way through the CD, the orchestra kicks in again, this time harder than ever: very, very powerful.

Good Morning Kaia: This song sounds like something sigur ros would play if they ever delved into electronica. Supposedly written about the birth of BT's newborn child (the whole album in fact has a theme of new life being brought into the world that seems to run through most of the songs.) Again starts with some beautiful piano, which grows and grows with the addition of a moaning sigur ros styled guitar and then finally develops into a glorious post rock anthem. I had the opportunity of listening to this song high on shrooms a few weeks ago, at dawn whilst the sun was rising over the horizon and beams of light were beginning to pierce through my bedroom window and fill my room with warming light. I could not think of a better soundtrack for watching dawn rise than this album. They fit absolutely perfectly together :rolleyes:

 

So all in all i'm with pavel on a 9.8 out of 10 for this album

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