GSH 2006 Music Review

[GaySatanicHippie]

So, 5 days to go until 2007 and I think it's time for a comprehensive 2006 music review. It also helps that I'm sitting in the office with nothing to do because someone has to be here in case something happens. And I am that unfortunate someone

 

Anyways, for me personally 2006 has been a spectacular music year. As some of you have probably noticed, I have completely turned my back on the psy-scene, even prog. psy, but I still go to some of the parties. I have completely submerged myself into germanic techno and other music styles from my homeland instead, and finally the excitement about music has returned instead of the saturated bloatedness of the killarrgghhh psy-world. It also helped that I have completely shifted to mp-3 stores and that I don't bother at all with Vynil or CD's anymore, who needs them? All I need is Beatport and kompakt-mp3.net (not to forget a little bit of Soulseek here and there ) and my every wish and dream will be fulfilled. I feel like I did 1995 when I first walked into a (vynil) record store, just that I can do it everywhere and anytime!!

 

My favorite past time is to cruise through the label sections of Beatport and kompakt-mp3.net and listen to random stuff that comes my way. THERE IS SO MUCH FUCKING MUSIC OUT THERE. And that's just electronic... Sometimes I wish I was a vacuum cleaner that could suck up the whole Beatport catalogue and know it all. I feel so tiny after listening to endless samples, I wanna know it all and own it all, I go into a complete craze, I click on one sample after the other, only tiny bits and pieces, another sample, fast forward, skip to the b-side, more and more and then I hit the buy buttton, buy, buy, buy, buy.

 

Check-out crate: €193,67.

 

Ouch.

 

Then the hangover comes. I feel empty, disorientated, I'm looking for guidance. I want someone to take me by the hand and show me what I like. Virtual Sven, where are you? I fall back into the arms of my favorite artists, labels and tracks. It's a good thing my mp-3 player only holds 1 GB. My next one will have 40 GB, the question is: Do I really want that?

 

Now it's time to honor some outstanding artists from the past year, those who consistently made it onto that tiny mp3-player:

 

Favorite Gay Satanic Artists of 2006:

 

Minilogue:

Let's start with someone familiar, Son Kite's side project. These guys never cease to amaze me!!!! I have followed them since their very first 12" release on Naja, and they keep re-inventing themselves over and over and they have never, ever sucked. No, they get better every time! And they keep busting out one gem after the other and they are not afraid to venture into new territories. Right now they are preparing a double CD with a DVD. Go to youtube and look for the video for "Hitchhikers Choice". Amazing stuff (actually the video is better than the song, it's one of their weakest IMHO). But what really sets them apart is the sheer quality of their production. Sounds so smooth and bright and thick, manipulations so gentle and subtle... All the newer Minilogue tracks have an amazingly long "half-life", they just keep getting better. My favorite Minilogue tracks of the year are Seconds, Small Town Beauty and Ahck

 

Loco Dice:

Even though the name Loco Dice sounds like a gay handicapped mexican homeboy, he is actually a german-tunisian ex-hip-hopper turned techno DJ. Martin Buttrich is his producer who also releases excellent music under his own name, he's also worth checking out. All of Mr. Dice's tracks feature a minimalist trancyness that manifests itselfs in many different guises. Always very subtle and unassuming, his productions create a gentle vortex that's perfect for listening on long journeys and road-trips.My favorite Loco Dice tracks are Flight LB 7475, Seeing through Shadows and A Chico A Rhytmico

 

Gummi HZ:

This guy must be nuts or very evil. It's like the old-school ghostrain psytrance of the year 2000 gone minimal techno. He has some great tricks and weird sound manipulations up his sleeve. It's always a trip to listen to his music, I think this is definitely something psytrancers will enjoy. Check out his remix of Anja Schneider & Sebo K. "Addicted" or his own "Gomma Elastica"

 

Mathew Johnson:

This guy is just cool. Even though some of his tracks are a tad-bit on the strange side for my taste (Automatic, anyone?), he keeps busting out great stuff left and right, like his "Cobblestone Jazz" project for example. But even in the strange tracks flashes of genius appear out of the mist. Check out "India in me" from his Cobblestone Jazz project, all y'all dirty hippies will love it.

 

Robert Babicz:

This is no one other than good old Rob Acid releasing under his real name. Every single track I have heard from him is good, and he released a lot lately. His production is unstoppable, so crisp, so clear, so fat. And his composition is also great, he keeps coming up with new ideas and he's really good at mixing "pretty sounds" with screechy sounds and warped grooves. Check out his remix to Phonique "River" (that's the one where the women talks about hydrochloric acid in her cunt, you might have heard it), or maybe his Cloudpainter EP on Out of Orbit. But it doesn't matter, everything is great.

 

Now it's time for the "Gay Satanic Coke Mule Award", given to something or someone very fucked up, strange or just plain cool:

 

Ricardo Villalobos-Zieheuer (Playhouse):

If this track wasn't by Ricardo Villalobos, it probably would never have been released. But since Mr. Villalobos is very popular and has a Posfordesque reputation here in Germany, his drug-induced 35 minute long synthesizer ramblings have made it onto Vynil. And that's great!!! So basically this tracks consists of a little trumpet loop that gets repeated for over half-an hour, with the occasional spanish trumpet interlude, and a minimal beat that slowly morphes over the course of the track. And that's it. And you will NEVER EVER EVER forget this trumpet loop until you die, and you will go crazy and your motherfucking HEAD WILL EXPLODE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! The Nazis back in the day devised a torture method where they locked a prisoner into a room and played him the melody from the opera Carmen over and over until he freaked out. Now they would use this track.

 

Ok, I can go home soon, tomorrow I will post charts for the year 2006!

[Goa Bill]

*takes notes of what to check next*

[Stalker]

*takes notes of what to check next*

+ 1

 

Especially interested in the music of Gummi HZ and Robert Babicz

[mahoney]

Nice selections GSH, surely some of the finest artists from the past year!

[Stalker]

Lets agree in one thing here. German people knows about music. Mozart, Beethoven, Johan Sebastian Bach, Spirallianz etc

[Basilisk]

You have a blog yet? It would be worth reading I wager.

[Goa Bill]

Lets agree in one thing here. German people knows about music. Mozart, Beethoven, Johan Sebastian Bach, Spirallianz etc

You forgot Scooter

[Anakoluth]

You forgot Scooter

how dare he....

 

Gummi HZ sounds interesting indeed. gonna ask my man at the recordstore coz i'm still into cd's and vinyl

[GaySatanicHippie]

First of all, Scooter stands in a long line of German artists whose genius was overlooked in their day and only later recognized. Like Mozart, for example (I know most people consider him Austrian, but Austria was part of the German empire back then as it should be today). Memorials will be erected in honor of Scooter and the great H.P. Baxxter will be recognized as the father of a new kind of poetic expression. HOW MUCH IS THE FISH!!!

 

Then, no, I don’t write a blog. I’ve thought about it but who would give a fuck about what I write and actually read it. There are millions of bloggers out there; I don’t think the world needs another one. I write kind of a digital diary for myself, it consists of pages and pages of psychotic ramblings that I usually end up deleting because I don’t want anyone to find it. I only recently started doing that, because writing down my thoughts makes me feel a lot more at ease with myself and my surroundings. The topic most of the time are the cunning, evil and deceptive ways of the human female in relation to the nice, naïve and innocent human male that am I

 

Anyways, I don’t wanna get into that, but since I don’t have shit to do in the office once again I’m gonna complete my 2006 music review with a listing of my favourite tracks of the year. There are two tracks I have identified as the number 1, and there are a couple of others that I can’t really rank but that definitely deserve to be mentioned. Here we go:

 

The Gay Satanic Tracks of the Year:

 

Minilogue - Seconds (Traum Schallplatten):

If you would have asked me at any point since the release of Seconds for my current Top Ten, it would never have been the Number 1, but always amongst the Top 5 or so. For half a year it’s the only track that has always been in my little MP3 Player, because the more I listened to it, it just kept getting better, and I never wanted to take it off. The construction of the track is just perfect, especially the combination of the very danceable pulsating groove and pushing percussion with the long velvety arc of the lush sounds that keep rising and rising. I love the part where everything stops for a beat and kicks back in with that little siren sound. To sum it up, this track is just pure skill and musicality. Perfect!

 

Loco Dice – Flight LB 7475 (Ovum)

Loco Dice’s masterpiece IMHO. Very seldom have I seen track that fits its title so perfectly. It’s just one looong overnight flight. The listener is taken on a journey into the realms of his own mind; images, sounds and pleasant memory pass by, at one moment you are looking out of the window of your airplane at the lights of a big city down below, in the next you are dreaming. You know the feeling when you smell something that reminds you of your childhood? And all the memories rush back? This track works its magic on the subconscious in the same way certain smells do. It’s not really a piece of music, but a state of mind.

 

Other cool tracks worth mentioning:

 

Abe Duque - When the fever breaks (Abe Duque Records):

I mention this track right now because it reminds me a lot of Flight LB 7475. Not because they sound alike, but because they both have the same effect on me. This one is a little more analogue sounding, though. Abe Duque is a heavy 303 user, but here he keeps them subtle. Anyways, it’s an atmospheric tech-house monster that I highly recommend, perfect to mix with the Loco Dice track.

 

Gregor Tresher – Neon (Datapunk)

Now let’s change the pace and serve up this killarrrghhhhh! It’s got the typical Datapunk sawtooth baseline madness, and on top of that it sounds like Frankfurt Trance of 1992 with a naïve little melody that keeps on getting repeated throughout the whole track. It’s quite simple actually, but very, very effective. Sometimes music doesn’t have to be new, groundbreaking or challenging to be great.

 

Back to Back Remix Series (Mobilee Records)

This is actually not one track, but two 12” releases where Artists from the Mobilee label remix each other. All tracks are good but there are two stand-outs. The first is the Sebo K. remix of GummiHZ “Isolate” on the first 12”. It’s a very basic minimal techno track, but it’s the beauty of all things minimal that the few sounds selected are effective and get you moving. Let me just say this, it’s very catchy and it doesn’t even have anything close to resembling a melody.

 

The second standout is my personal favourite, the GummiHZ mix of Anja Schneider & Sebo K. “Addicted”. Now this is one deep pulsating journey into the Abyss. Ghost train psytrance goes minimal techno. The beat is so weird, pumping and twisted; I never heard anything like it. You hardly hear it, but still it stomps like a madman. Eerie atmospheres and fucked-up sounds follow along, and a twisted female vocal keeps saying “addicted..dicted..dicted…”. Let’s all take some Heroine!!!!

 

Johannes Heil – Aquarius (Klang)

Talking about a journey into the Abyss, here comes another one. It’s a lot friendlier than GummiHZ, it’s more like getting a guided tour of the deep sea from a friendly humpback whale called Joe. No, I’m not on drugs, it really sounds like that. Johannes Heil is an outstanding producer; you really feel like you are underwater and in the end a whale starts talking to you. An Outstanding and very unusual track.

 

Dominik Eulberg – Björn Borkenkäfer (Traum)

Those who have been reading my reviews know that I’ve been preaching the Gospel of Dominik for quite some time. This year he released only a couple of 12” because he is working on a new album to be released soon on Cocoon recordings. The quality of all his 12” releases was extremely high across the board, so it was hard to pick a favourite. In the end I chose the track “Björn Borkenkäfer”, cause apart from the usual meticulous, detail orientated, dry production (which reminds me of Shiva Chandra in a weird way), it features a bleeping lead sound that I can’t get out of my head. Many times while doing other stuff I find myself trying to recreate the bleeping by whistling or by banging on glasses or whatever means necessary.

 

Also check out Dominiks trancy epic Bionik or his collaboration with Gabriel Ananda called “Harzer Roller”, a very subtle dreamy affair for the twilight hours.

 

Phonique – River (Robert Babicz Mix) (Systematic)

Other Robert Babicz tracks or mixes might be more subtle or sophisticated, but when a woman talks about hydrochloric acid in her cunt and fucking on top of a fountain which is followed by the onset of a phaaaaaaaaat electro bassline with a heavy kick and cool synth stabs, what on earth could possibly top that?

 

Petersky – Fuck them all (Oliverio & MOS Mix) (Sprout)

A robot with tourets syndrome!!! Yes!!!! The most amazing aspect about this record is that nobody has come up with that idea before. It just makes perfect sense. The track itself is also cool, but it’s the “lyrics” that make this one special. H.P Baxxter is probably hiding his head in shame in the face of such poetic brilliance.

 

Ellen Allien & Apparat – Jet (BPitch)

Taken from the excellent „Orchestra of Bubbles“album (also highly recommended), this is the only real 4/4 dance track. I would be very surprised if psy-heads wouldn’t like it, cause it’s very melodic and trippy, the sounds are so plastic that they seem to form 3-dimensional shapes right out of the speaker. If you have good headphones, this track is insane.

 

Oliver Koletzki – Da bleibt er ganz cool (Kling Klong)

It seems like Oliver Koletzki released 50 tracks and mixes his year, the market has been swamped with his stuff. Not all of it is really good, but this one from January is by far the best IMHO. The beat is tough and wobbly, not unlike Mr. Oizo’s flat beat (the Levis commercial with the hand-puppet), but the coolest thing are the orchestra-type-synth-stabs that come in during the break. It’s like epic trance without melodies and drum-rolls, if that makes any sense.

 

Nass – Nass B-Seite (Teile)

No we are getting back into the very deep realm. I would call it deep techno, because it really sucks into a hidden place in your subconscious, all the while pounding along with an incredibly heavy beat. And just when you think it can’t get any deeper, a guy starts whispering something about the “beating of your heart”, and then a woman joins him creating an eerie dissonant voice that sounds like it’s coming from inside of you. Deep, very deep.

 

Efdemin – Bergwein (Dial)

A good track to end my best of 2006 selection. Moody and melancholic, like a woman with hangover who is looking for some love…

 

Ok, that's a long list...I really don't have anything better to do at work, plus I'm not gonna be able to vote for the psynews poll because none of the artists I listen to are featured.

 

Well then, good night and I wish you all a good 2007!

[RTP]

Musical review of 2006?

 

Well, for me this year is a milestone, because I discovered how much better vinyls are compared to CDs. Many people say you can hear the difference only on good soundsystems ... I dunno whether my soundsystem is that great or just my ears, but I definitely notice a major difference and am now officially attracted more to vinyls than CDs...

 

Some interesting music stuff mentioned here btw. Next time I'm bored I'll check back here and check that stuff out...

[DeathPosture]

Thanks for a VERY well-executed and VERY interesting write-up GSH... You sure made me interested and one of these days I think I'll purchase these tracks and make a GHS Best of 2006 CD.

[fosku]

Very interesting stuff, GSH! Thanks for the reviews!

[Charlie]

My favourite track of 2006 was Hoppipolla by Sigur Ros. Nothing to do with trance but trance is dead anyway.

[GaySatanicHippie]

I forgot to mention the new Barry Manilow "Songs of the Sixties". Already great beloved tunes from the sixties get taken to the next level by the sheer magnificience and brilliance of Barrys Voice.

 

His rendition of "Strangers in the Night" is just heart-shattering, if you don't love this music you are a cold computer and not human!

[NEMO.BOFH]

My favourite track of 2006 was Hoppipolla by Sigur Ros. Nothing to do with trance but trance is dead anyway.

coming from the guy that listened to 3 releases this year

[DeathPosture]

Minilogue:

Let's start with someone familiar, Son Kite's side project. These guys never cease to amaze me!!!! I have followed them since their very first 12" release on Naja, and they keep re-inventing themselves over and over and they have never, ever sucked. No, they get better every time! And they keep busting out one gem after the other and they are not afraid to venture into new territories. Right now they are preparing a double CD with a DVD. Go to youtube and look for the video for "Hitchhikers Choice". Amazing stuff (actually the video is better than the song, it's one of their weakest IMHO). But what really sets them apart is the sheer quality of their production. Sounds so smooth and bright and thick, manipulations so gentle and subtle... All the newer Minilogue tracks have an amazingly long "half-life", they just keep getting better. My favorite Minilogue tracks of the year are Seconds, Small Town Beauty and Ahck

Fantastic video - right

[GaySatanicHippie]

Fantastic video - right

Indeed a fantastic video, imagine all the work that went into that, the guy must have made thousands ands thousands of drawings. I love how it fits the music so well, how it evolves right on the beats and clicks. THe other minilogue videos on youtube are pretty cool as well.