Fitalic - Atomic Atmosphere

[pr0fane]

Artist: Fitalic

Title: Atomic Atmosphere

Label: Tribal Vision

Format: CD (Jewelcase with 8-page inlay and DJ case insert)

Released: September 2006

Cover: http://217.160.138.169/pic_b/tvr1cd011_b.jpg

 

 

Review:

 

If you've been listening to progressive house for the last couple of years, odds are that you have heard of Fitalic. The act contains of Robin Fitter from Holland, who has had a lot of success with his mixture of tech house, tribal house, progressive house and progressive trance, releasing on well-respected labels like Bedrock, Vapour, Pangea, Nascent and 19Box. In later years his name has also started to become quite well-known in the more psychedelic-oriented progressive house/trance scene, gaining support from labels like D-Nox's Sprout and Plastik Park, Iboga, Very Progressive, Plusquam, Nervine and lately also the Czech label Tribal Vision Records.

 

Tribal Vision Records is also behind Fitalics new debut album "Atomic Atmosphere", containing 9 tracks of which 8 where previously unreleased.

 

 

01. Lost In Space [122 BPM]

The album starts with "Lost In Space", a 7-minute long beautiful chilled intro, somewhere between lounge, laidback electronica and breaks. It has a very charming, almost naïve vibe to it, and I consider it one of the best album-openers I've heard this year. Great work.

 

02. Liquid Motion [130 BPM]

"Liquid Motion" is co-written with a guy called Andres Bink (I have never heard of him before), and with that tune the album goes into steady 4/4 beat territory. It has the Fitalic-trademark bouncy grooves, and has some simple and quite positive melodies, lovely little key-changes and is generally a nice and very charming little tune for warming up. Lovely.

 

03. Atomic Atmosphere [130 BPM]

Following up is the title-track for the album, "Atomic Atmosphere", also recently featured on an EP-release. It goes a bit deeper than "Liquid Motion", more tribal and not quite as uplifting, and generally I think it's among the weaker tracks on the entire album. Not necessarily bad, but doesn't really have any distinct features to catch my attention.

 

04. The Way [130 BPM]

"The Way" raises the quality once again, getting less trancy than the previous tracks, more tech-housey and deep, with some very delicious chord stabs and a cool breakdown with a nicely filtered male voice-sample. Maybe not the most distinct tune on the album, but not among the weaker tracks either.

 

05. Airflow [132 BPM]

With "Airflow" we get a short break for the 4/4 beat stuff with a breakbeat tune much more energetic than the album-opener. I have mixed emotions about breaks - when it's well-done I can't get enough, while I find mediocre breakbeat almost unlistenable. "Airflow" is somewhere in between - it certainly isn't unlistenable, but I couldn't really connect to it either. Does supply some variation though.

 

06. Manufactured Miracles [130 BPM]

We're taken back into 4/4 territory with "Manufactured Miracles", which was previously released on the "Lime Light 2" compilation from Tribal Vision Records, where I considered it among one of the highlights. I still consider it a good tune - it has a massive big-room sound, trancy and uplifting, but with very solid house-grooves. Will work wonders both at peaktime at a club, as well as in the afternoon outdoors.

 

07. Into The Night [130 BPM]

With the aptly named "Into The Night" the album is taken in a deeper direction. It's the longest track on the album, running for over 10 minutes, and is more tribal than the rest of the tracks, a bit deeper than the tracks in the first half of the album, and with some slightly melancholic melodies thrown in in the finale. Ok tune on its own, but among the weaker tunes on the album.

 

08. Twisted Difusion [130 BPM]

"Twisted Difusion" continue in the deeper, tribal direction from "Into The Night", but with much greater effect. It's even deeper than the predecessor, one might even say it's relatively gloomy, and it contains some really well-placed spoken voice-samples by Cagri Eralp, who also have provided vocals for artists like DJ Tarkan and 4Mal. Great stuff.

 

09. Distructible [130 BPM]

The album concludes with yet another tune for the dancefloors, and "Distructible" is certainly not your average "ok-we-have-8-minutes-to-spare-lets-make-something-chilled" closing-tune. It starts out pretty standard, but more and more layers of melodies are slowly added along the way, and it develops into a very charming and delightful melodic tune - quite subtle, and very suited for the afterhours. A really nice ending for the album.

 

 

Bottom line:

 

Ok, after listening to this extensively for well over 3 weeks I still have quite mixed emotions. On one hand this is, track by track, definitely among the better progressive house/trance albums I've heard this year, and I must say that it's also refreshing with a progressive album that doesn't fall for the current electro trend, but on the other hand - as a full-length album I feel that it doesn't quite reach its full potential, despite the two breakbeat-tracks thrown in at the beginning and in the middle.

 

If you would have asked me one week after I got the album, I would probably have rated it at 7 out of 10, but after repeated listens I have moved up to 8 - most of the tracks have really grown on me, and if you can ignore the laughable cover (by far the worst on a Tribal Vision release so far), I can highly recommend buying this.

 

 

Favourites:

 

1, 2 (!), 6, 8, 9 (!)

 

 

Verdict:

 

8/10

 

 

Link:

 

Tribal Vision Records: http://www.tribalvision.cz

[Tox]

Although this is his debut album, Fitalic is by no means a rookie.

Robin Fitter from the Netherlands has been producing Progressive house & trance since 2000.

So far he released around 20 vinyl’s on high profile labels such as Vapour & John Digweed’s Bedrock. Personally I only discovered him about 2 years through his track “Bustanovice” on D-Nox’compilation “Prooved Vol 2” on Plastik Park. I was really impressed but couldn’t seem to find any new Fitalic-material, until now… Once again on Tribal Vision, who are really trying to bridge the gaps between house, trance & electro.

 

1. We start out slowly with “Lost in Space” but after a couple of minutes we’re already heading towards the 120Bpm mark. A nice openingtrack but nothing unforgettable…

 

2.: Muffled & subtle melodic loops build up a “Liquid Motion”, then finally surface & evolve into truly hypnotising strings. No cheap euphoria, but genuine goosebump-material, the track presents a carefully crafted mix of melancholy & optimism. This reminds me of the feeling I got when I heared “Bustanovice”(especially the break) & that’s a huge compliment.

 

3.The title track “Atomic Atmosphere” is a nice synthesis of the what Fitalic stands for. No catchy melodies, but waves of percussion echoing in the background in the best UK-tradition. Different layers of sound blending into each other to create an overall gloomy (but not scary) atmosphere. Fitalic proves that “progressive” is not the same as “fluffy“

 

4. “The Way” is made up out of pumping beats & has some influences from Detroit Techno. Not the banging kind but more warm textures. Not bad, but it doesn’t really grab me (yet)…

 

5. “Airflow”: this is one of the highlights for me: a real, full breakbeat-track. Highly original & pretty welldone too. The kind of track you can hear over & over again A nice remedy for a possible progressive-O.D.

 

6. Manufactured Miracles: This track was released on V/A : Limelight 2, as a teaser before the full album came out. Sexy female moaning & dramatic build-ups mixed with pounding tribal beats that aim straight for the dance-floor. A sure winner for any dj! Who says progressive doesn’t have any climaxes???

 

7. Deep sounds all the way to take us “Into the Night”. Slowly evolving & gathering strength, we’re not in a rush, are we? Halfway through the track, it’s all systems go & Fitalic unleashes another one of his dark club-tracks, which seem to build-up & evolve until eternity, forever changing. Great stuff that sends shivers up & down my spine. What a huge monster this is: over 10 minutes long & not a dull moment in sight!!

 

8. Twisted Difusion: The percussion establishes a real tribal feeling & then haunting vocals pave the way for the housey beats. Only after 2 minutes the groovy bass line kicks in & then Fitalic once more brings some Detroit sounds into play, that are deadly effective. Everything falls into place & we’re off for a slow ride through the dark-rooms of clubland.

 

9. Distructible: first of all, congratulations to Robin for not going for the cliché downtempo last track. Having said that the focus isn’t on the beats here, but rather more on gentle twirling melodic parts that leave you with a smile on your face.

 

Overall: this is mature music that will do well in sweaty club but also on sunny afternoon festival dance floors or in your own living room. The psychedelic elements are lacking, but that probably wasn’t the aim from the beginning. Nearly all tracks are exactly 130 BPM, so this will definitely be too slow for some people, but I just love it.

Favourites are tracks 2,5,6,7 & 8. Especially the second part of the cd shows that Fitalic has plenty of tricks up his sleeve. Stay tuned for more!

[psylove]

Good reviews guys... I pretty much agree with your attitudes towards it.

 

This album gets you straight away, but it takes a few listens to truly appreciate what it is doing. Certainly a winner in my books

[NEMO.BOFH]

I have had the album for some time now, and I am trying to get used to it. My negativeness towards progg trance is not helping though. I will write a proper review, when im not that negative... or maybe I should actually write it... Ill think about it