Mergi Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 Artist: Paragliders Release: Paragliders EP Year: 1993 Label: Superstition Records Cat-#: Superstition 2012 Rating: 4/5 Tracklisting: A1: Paraglide 7'02" A2: Bagdad 6'38" B: Paraglide (Blue Sky Mix) 12'15" First 12" from the Paragliders, Oliver Lieb & Torsten Stenzel. I've been stumbling back into the trance ditches and for some reason that means records from the first half of the 90s. I thought I had left trance long ago but trance from back in the days is actually quite good and I'm having trouble keeping my fingers away from the records. Paraglide is a fast paced piece of music, but with all good trance it manages to combine this with dreamy ambient pads and melodic loops. It's subtly epic, mainly due to the combination of melodies. In the middle we get to hear the first real break and a melodic buildup follows, this actually sounds just like the intro to Etnicas The Gili's Voyage with added pitch of course. This melody loop, used in the break, is also chopped up and added later on to add to the flow of the track. Very nicely done actually. Bagdad is another dreamy tune, but less complex. It does retain a somewhat ethno atmosphere with grande ambient layers and a flute line. The trance melody could have been worked out just a little more as it's a very simple loop of notes, and interest falters in the end... for me at least. The Blue Sky Mix is essentially the same as the original in that all pads and layers are identical. Some slight differences of course, which was the break in the original is now the intro. We also get much more percussive elements throughout, an extensive session of percussion is added in the middle. It seems to me like this is the track you're supposed to play to the crowd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemmiwinks Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Paraglide is one of my favorite classic trance tracks of all time! Bagdad is pretty forgetable in comparison and the B-side Paraglide remix isn't really great either. Still, A1 is definately worth grabbing a hold of this EP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniël Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 I love this EP, Its my fav in my collection!!! thanks for reminding me to listen to it....NOW, hehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rino Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 I just wanted to share my opinion on this release. I usually avoid playing anything labelled as 'regular', 'dream' or 'uplifting' trance, but the Paragliders debut EP is not only an exception to the rule, it raised the bar so high I don't think I've ever heard anybody reach those standards again! It is about as simple as music gets, but that's the key! I don't know a single artist who could modulate leads (OK, Martin Freeland aside) and mould them as Lieb does on A1 around the 03:20 mark; he retracts all percussion, leaves the background effects all in tact, brings in the piano loop in, giving it a more acidic touch a few dozen seconds later. Genius! The melody absolutely dominates the track from there on, with no preposterous epic sounds and attempts to get the crowd screaming, hands high up in the air. I guess you can say this is trance, or at least what I always wanted it to sound like... Imitated more times than Nasa's experts can count, but equalled never. The A2 track, Baghdad, does not strike me as much, with a more typical approach to music, with fast drum rolls chasing a hypnotic lead for six minutes. Not bad, just not as impressive as the title track or its flip side, blue sky mix. Speaking of which, I find it great. Mainly because it maintains the original's core elements, but pulled through 12 minutes of music. The piano lead is all over, the secondary melodies, but the kick is somewhat harder, or I'm deaf. Or possibly both. There's a huge breakdown some four minutes into the track, where new elements are introduced, only to really get back on track and start sounding like the A side some three minutes later. Overall: a must have release for all those who claim to be melody suckers, but even if you like brain drilling acoustic artillery, you might want to check the flip side to the coin, you know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qa2pir Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 I'm looking for more Lieb tracks similar to "Paraglide" and "Oasis" by this project. Any hints? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LLB Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 I'm looking for more Lieb tracks similar to "Paraglide" and "Oasis" by this project. Any hints?I've got a marvellous mix of Paraglide, that i'd recommend to every Paraglide's fans : it's the Sheik mix appearing on Cosmic Cubes vol 2. Have you tried the projects of the other half of the band, i mean Thorsten Stenzel, with Nuke or Warriors of Love for example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemmiwinks Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 I'm looking for more Lieb tracks similar to "Paraglide" and "Oasis" by this project. Any hints? the only Lieb project that comes close is Mindpace (especially Two Minds). It's a pitty that someone so productive made so few tracks in the style Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qa2pir Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 Thank you guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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