abasio Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 Label: BooM! Records Catalog#: BOOM CD 020 Format: CD, Album Released: Dec 2006 Tracklist 1 Gloopy Theme 2 Disease In The Shadows 3 A Heavy Responsibility 4 On This Journey To The Human World 5 Never Talk To Strangers 6 Sorcerer's Theme 7 The Escapee 8 Strange Woods (Featuring - Phonic Request) 9 Harky's Swarm 10 Song Of The Forest 11 Gloopy Is Missing 12 Growing Hatred 13 Battle Of The Great Oak 14 Gabriel's Theme 15 Shivering At The Sound 16 The End I had never heard of this before it was recommended to me but the cover looked cool & I liked the track titles so I though I'd give it a go. When I opened the CD I was treated to a little booklet telling the story for each track. Nice Idea & it made me think this might be a very nice story of an album (which it is). 1 Gloopy Theme Sound like the title of the album. A dark, slow lullaby. Some slow strings & bells & then some hard orchestral kicks before... 2 Disease In The Shadows We pick up into trance, a fullon baseline fits in well although the track itself is not high paced. Dark ambient sounds in the background make this sound like I'm in a forest at night, scared of what the forest might hold. 3 A Heavy Responsibility We pick up the pace a little more here. This track is definately more moving, it has a sense of urgency to it& the changes in it are superb. Fullon Trance -> Lullaby -> Classical Orchestra -> Fullon Trance again -> Drum & Bass beats. This for me is such an amazing track. Throughout all the changes the atmosphere stays the same. It never loses it's dark, urgent feel. 4 On This Journey To The Human World A slow intermission connects the tracks well 5 Never Talk To Strangers Sounds like Cramina Burana at times, this does. I has am urgent pace again but also manages to sound like it's doing something bad. A great atmospheric track again, love the chanting in it, very dark temple of doom stuff. 6 Sorcerer's Theme Drops right down into another intermission. A very classical sounding piece with cello playing a funky bedtime story kind of tune. Short but excellent 7 The Escapee Back to trance, this track sound very tecky to my ears, the background sounds may give an outside organic feel but the main synth sounds very retro tech. 8 Strange Woods (Featuring - Phonic Request) Another energetic, atmospheric, outside track. The baseline really moves this track & the synth work is absolutely out of this world amazing. Lots of cool background noises give this a running through an enchanted forest atmosphere. 9 Harky's Swarm Very alienesque voices throughout the track as if some weird creature is trying to communicate. After 3 minutes the track changes in to something like infected mushroom circa Classical Mushroom with the melodies & atmosphere but changes again when soft strings come in & again with weird tech sounds. This track progresses strangely but it's good & sounds quite a lot like a battle. 10 Song Of The Forest Another downbeat intermission. Quite nice but that's it 11 Gloopy Is Missing Another baseline driven track, sounds more urgent again. More very strange sounds which to me sound like monsters talking. This "conversation" also manages to sound urgent. That is until it slows down to lullaby pace in the middle. This to me sounds a really dark, night time atmosphere. When the beat kicks in again it seems less urgent and more plodding but continues to build before the end. 12 Growing Hatred Another short slowbie, bells, strings sounds like it's leading into battle, think Lord of the Rings when in the battle scenes with huge armies marching. 13 Battle Of The Great Oak Well, this is the battle track. Growing Hatred served as a brilliant introduction leading into this one & it really sounds like a battle. Just as much as Harky's Swarm does. The progression of the track, how it slows down & kicks back in again really gives this a movie feel. Very nice! 14 Gabriel's Theme Very short, slow, sound like the end of a battle. 15 Shivering At The Sound This track has a slower pace than the previous trance tracks. You can tell we are coming to the end, the end of a story. There is no baseline driving this track & all sense of urgency has disappeared. 16 The End The End! Another slow lullaby paced track track to finish the story. Beautiful strings & bells round us off! All in all then this is a fantastic concept album. It's dark and atmospheric all the way through. It has a lot of classical & orchestral influences & it really does sound like a story, a lullaby maybe but told through trance. The intermission tracks really help with the storytelling element here, they act as bridges to the next chapter of the story. I think that listening to samples of this would never do it justice so if you are a fan of dark, atmospheric up tempo music then get yourself a copy of this. It sounds a little similar to Infected Mushroom's Classical Mushroom but IMO this is better & sounds more like a work of art. I've listened to this so much since I got in this month. Definately one of my favourite releases this year. Favourites #1,2,3(!!),5,6,7,8,9,11,12,13,15 yes that's most of them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sideffect... Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 good album, perfect for homelistening, lot's of many influences, very variated in bassline and sounds, infected / talpa influences, a story highly atmosphere reminds me of melodic psychedelic trance around 2001-2002 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOn9 Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 The samples sound outstanding especially 'A Heavy Responsability'. I know what I'll be spending my hard earned student loan on next week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abasio Posted January 6, 2007 Author Share Posted January 6, 2007 The samples sound outstanding especially 'A Heavy Responsability'. I know what I'll be spending my hard earned student loan on next week And here I was thinking people wouldn't like the samples. The full album is soooo good mate. Get it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sideffect... Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 And here I was thinking people wouldn't like the samples. The full album is soooo good mate. Get it indeed listened to it again for the second time and it gets better and better, it has the varations and unexpected influences like voice of cod and OOOD latest album psychedelic level is like infected and also the sounds, very crystal clear but short, fast and detailed, lot's of sounds creating one concept what makes it live. the climaxes and atmosphere remind me more of the misted muppet but slower. the bassline ticks like the latest infected album what means present but not overloaded, bassline is defenitely not the main issue in this release, it tells a story, well done and nice review abasio btw, I only first listen before I read... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frosty Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 killer spun cd very nice crystal clear sounds while listening to heavy responsibilty during the break down i was waiting for the guitar from infected mushroom - meduzz to kick in fav songs 3,9,11,13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chis Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 The interludes and "orchestral" themes are all quite decent and appropriately disconcerting... (e.g. Sorcerer's Theme, Song of the Forest - sounds like they're straight out of Harry Potter, hell that film could have benefitted from the odd dark trance tune here and there ;P) nice strings, piano, glockenspiels etc. and check the harpsichord on "Gabriel's Theme"... ...but the trance tracks are just generic full-on dark psy with one-note basslines, and lots of wizzy, funny fx and sounds flying everywhere. Fun if your stoned, but musically it sucks. Shame really, this is one of the first proper concept trance albums I've encountered. Great idea, poor execution. Edit: Okay, the non-trance stuff is actually pretty cool. So "poor music" wouldn't be right. The trance tracks are all pants, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
advance Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Yeah, I kind of agree with Chis. I love this album, in fact - I've been waking to the first 3 tracks every morning this last week. However, as much as it grows on me and as much as it gets a large time of spin, I still can't but feel a bit disappointed about the lack of that extra "polish". I don't know what's missing, I can't really say. I think Disease in the Shadows is a great example of what Chis is saying. It starts a bit Dark Soho'ish, if you know what I mean. A groovy base line comes in, I love the windy melody in the background... Around 0:55 I'd expect some kind of "tweak" to the sound, instead it just sort of skips and just reloops. I don't know what else I'd put there, actually, I just know something is just not "there". "I" "like" "typing" "like" "this" "". We're at 02:00 now, and still - nothing changes. Same beat, same music since the beginning of the track. In fact, if anything - a few sounds just disappeared, to re-appear in 2:23. Nothing new, still. At 2:50 at last we hear something a bit different! Same melody, different theme, sub-lime 303ish sound, a bit downbeat... and now you'd expect some kind of huge explosion! But what do you get? Not so much as an explosion or an uproar... the music just sort of returns. Same music, again. Maybe the base line is a bit more emphasized. At least at around 05:00 we get something a bit different, a-la South Afrikan (the K is for Artifakt, of course ) full-on. Then A Heavy Responsibility starts, and it just sounds as if the tempo gets a bit faster, but it's still the same thing! At least A Heavy Responsbility has some great orchestral and slow, melodic parts... in fact, I think the strongest point of the album is these parts and the cross overs. I think that if this guy worked with Artifakt, for example, we'd get a simple masterpiece. Melodic genious coupled with beat and bass genious would be something beyond exceptional. I hope you get my point Anyhow, I still haven't heard this album to truely review it properly, so let's just say for now that even if what Chis says is true, this is still one of the best albums of 2006. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chis Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 so let's just say for now that even if what Chis says is true, this is still one of the best albums of 2006. Please try Safi Connection - Shout Aluma. I know it's not "cool" and dark, but it's so melodic, and fun. My pick for the best trance album in 2006. I'm quite serious about this. The trance tracks on Night Time Lullabies sound so by-the-numbers and lazily composed, by comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
advance Posted February 1, 2007 Share Posted February 1, 2007 Well, I tried. I listened and listened... but Safi Connection's album just sounds so... cheesy. Trance covers of pop/rocks songs...? Principles of Flight is a proper candidate for album of the year, even if it doesn't have the "spark" that Jikkenteki and Ka-Sol have in their trance parts, imho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chis Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 Well, I tried. I listened and listened... but Safi Connection's album just sounds so... cheesy. Trance covers of pop/rocks songs...? Philistine! Whether they're covers or not, it's the most creative, diverse and memorable trance album I've heard in 2006. And - unlike ANY other psytrance artist - Mishel isn't afraid to let his sense of humour reveal itself in his music. I'm getting sick and tired of people flying around descriptions such as "cheesy" the moment a psy/goa artist attempts something vaguely new, creative and MELODIC. It's those sort of opinions, and trance artists that pander to them, that are holding this genre back. Though the same could be said of techno, these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
advance Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 Hey, what can I say, cheesy is the word that came to mind... I gave the album many chances, really wanted to see what you loved about it so much... but I just can't see it. It sort of reminded me of Smells Like Humus Spirit You want a psytrance artist with a sense of humour? How about the Texas Faggott guys? Suomisaundi? Now THAT is insane humour... like their Marriage track Cheesiness pushed beyond the limit and right into "humour". I don't feel this about Safi Connection's album... some tracks are quite cheesy, some are okay, the actual trance composition, sampling, beats are indeed mostly non-standard but nothing remarkable... :/ Check out Texas Faggott's video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3ZRFaJefXo I'll give it a few more goes, maybe I'll see your point. Just to make my point clearer, though, you say this album might be the best of 2006... has 2006 been such a horrible year? I mean, if Artifakt's Artifakts II is one of the best of 2005, and it is eons beyond the Safi Connection album, what does it say about 2006? Just my opinion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sideffect... Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 fantasy trance, keep liking it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gurutrance Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 A very good and nice album. The cinematographic sequences do that the release makes sense as everything. Through the serious nightmare not to have found it. For my one 4.5/5. The motive for the one that does not deserve 5 is because this one is the first release that they have and this guys are very young. If it was one 5/5 there would be necessary to reinvent soon a new scale only for them. The book is a marvel. To read it while listens to the release is to get into a story when child and they were making hide under the sheets. That will be capable of doing these guys in the future?.... My eyes tremble, my ears do not see, my head does not walk and the Trance is reinvented again. Excellent!!Excellent!!Excellent!! PS: release from 2007 not from 2006! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abasio Posted February 23, 2007 Author Share Posted February 23, 2007 PS: release from 2007 not from 2006!That's right! I managed to give this a good listen & review before it was released This was released in Dec 2006 mate A few months on I'm still enjoying this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gurutrance Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 That's right! I managed to give this a good listen & review before it was released This was released in Dec 2006 mate A few months on I'm still enjoying this one. I say because the copyrigth on the disc are from 2007. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abasio Posted February 23, 2007 Author Share Posted February 23, 2007 I say because the copyrigth on the disc are from 2007.As it does! Still I bought this one in December in a shop in Shibuya & if you follow the link in the picture to discogs it also says dec 2006 as the release date. This is definately one of the best releases in 2006 as well. It's different and interesting and well themed. The book you get with it is a funny little story aswell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amphiton Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 Baseline suxx and that's for sure All in all, this album is too chaotic to get into after the first listen, but I have to say I expected much more after reading all these comments. UPD: 15th track is pretty cool, once I began my set with it and it worked very good with some Talpa afterwards. And again: change that bassline, dudes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pifpafpof Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 Just a small message to thank everyone for the support you have given us. We are currently preparing our 2nd album, which will see the concept of the 1st one pushed a bit further. The release should be expected around end 2008 / beginning 2009. More info will come soon!! Remy & Pierre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abasio Posted November 29, 2007 Author Share Posted November 29, 2007 Just a small message to thank everyone for the support you have given us. We are currently preparing our 2nd album, which will see the concept of the 1st one pushed a bit further. The release should be expected around end 2008 / beginning 2009. More info will come soon!! Remy & Pierre That's so long away :drama: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trilliumazium Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 Very Moving Indeed. Thank You Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pifpafpof Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 That's so long away :drama: Come on, it's not that long... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abasio Posted December 7, 2007 Author Share Posted December 7, 2007 Come on, it's not that long... It's a year! Okay, I'd rather wait for a good album than have an album rushed any day. I put Nighttime Lullabies on after not having heard it for a while. Still damn good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sideffect... Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 I don't like drum'n bass special the new one... but I love the small drum'n bass part very nice, crystal clear... well done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkumaSama Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 I like this is good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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