Fragletrollet - Playground Of Spirit (Shaman Film Records / Media)

[psytones]

Fragletrollet is the creative and strangely imaginative product of Magnus Støren Wedén who was born in the beautiful and fairytale-like country of Norway in the everlasting year of 88. From where and when his soul descended before entering its human Earth host, is fairly unknown. From my few meetings in person with Magnus, I’d like to confirm that he’s an intelligent, young and extremely talented person with what seems to be a very bright and exiting future in clear sight. His energy and big heart has on this album taken him towards Trollish’n dark-like playful psychedelic trance realms with a special touch of storytelling, mushy-carnival and shamanistic charismatic altitudes.

 

 

Finally, years after he first started tweaking sounds for fun and love, we are getting the opportunity to listen to his tracks wrapped inside a beautiful piece of wonderful artwork by Egnogra which stinks enchanted and powerful forest trance with entheogenic confusion, and the overall sound-package is mastered by the legendary Tim Schuldt. Fragletrollet has nit-picked, adjusted and fine-tuned his tracks over the years while juggling other projects like the Unknown Cause material which in a higher sense reflects his own musical soul more correctly, and the end result is what you know have the delightful privilege of owning.

 

As far as I know, Fragletrollet had trouble getting a record label with balls and visions enough to release his full-length album. By chance and destiny, a respected record label called Shaman Film Records / Media was interested and willing to release his album of special non-generic sounds to the world. The result is utterly exiting, different/interesting and in total connection with what PsyTrance is all about, playground of spirits.

 

Fragletrollet - Playground of Spirit (Shaman Film Records / Media) 2009 (SHAMFCD011)

 

 

1. Unknown Cause - Human Alien (9:45)

2. Fragletrollet - Alien Human (10:33)

3. Fragletrollet - The Forest Spirit (10:17)

4. Fragletrollet - Beauty of Duality (9:16)

5. Fragletrollet - Reptilian Regime (8:14)

6. Fragletrollet - Manik 11 (Knights of the Awakening) (18:15)

7. Fragletrollet - Playground of Spirit (7:30)

 

 

Some strange words about the tracks:

 

1. The introduction track is by Unknown Cause, which is Fragletrollet’s more mature and musically balanced side-project starts off calmly with Magnus hymning in dialog with a didgeridoo whose wind blows over a landscape of light and power. Some tender moods and crystallizing sprinkles are setting the vision up as we are being guided through a path of swaying beats and ancient stories of a Human Alien in modern yet classic settings. The details are well balanced with floating elements suitable to its message, and the atmosphere weird’s before the tribal groove kicks off as we embrace a world of possibilities. This is a slow progressive alien swamp-like track with a walk of a comfortable and reutilizing 115 beats per minute, which feels good and relaxing before entering the weird and crazed spirit of Fragletrollet’s debut album.

 

2. The transmission flows beautifully to the next track, beats picks up in tempo, the bassline is tightly packed to create an extra strange and stomping effect - The choruses used before the 1 minute mark sort of reminds me of the ‘Animatrix OST with Junkie XL - Beauty Never Fades (edit)’ track. This is defiantly a pleasant stomper track wrapped in Progressive Goadelic for the troll’ish feat of weird stuff about to happen. It’s nice to hear that the sounds got good attention to details covered in effects and mood. The Alien Human is taking form while building patiently, dialogs between voices and sounds are in harmony. The overall walk is pretty nice and the progression is like being and expecting something exiting and curious to happen. The instrumentals play in good melodic fantasies, sort of feels like I’m in some crystallized green castle with a strong defense ready to protect, or if necessary, attack - it defiantly got a fairytale mood to it with interesting harmonics swaying and tumbling chamfering effects inside. The floating spaces with three dimensional layers are building around without being noticed as the castle piano takes you on a soft ride. The synthesizers are getting a sharper edge now, someone is slicing bread and it needs a sharp blade. Melodies used feels very deep and as the end nears, it morphs back to its predecessor with a different overlap heading towards the third track where the authentic and unique Fragletrollet sound kicks in.

 

3. The samples used in this third track on Fragletrollet’s Playground of Spirit have been taken from a Japanese anima named Mononoke Hime. I had the honor of watching this movie together with FragleMagnus many months ago, and besides being a fantastic animation movie about forest Gods and Demons, it was clear that Fragletrollet was in deep love and admiration with this films total story and energy, so was I. The Forest Spirit is a disturbed and special track with a hefty kick and bassline that are kicking and running in great maneuvers while the fighting madness begins (which became the stamp of Fragletrollet’s sound through the years, delightful madness inside fairytales). Siren-like spooks are entering the story, squelchy effects and different type of sounds steps in to play their twinkled tune. It suits well; each sound has its direction and feel, their own life patterns. Floating energy balls fly around while animals in the forest run and jump around in confusion of where to go because these demons coming seem fluky and swellheaded. The tension is increasing and the sirens are blowing while fighters of light hacks their swords in defense of flaming arrows. A mighty wild boar appears! - Huge as a destructive meteor, angry as a ticked off lemming. These tales are creations of the fear in one self to be concurred only by facing its own demonstration. “Maybe we took a wrong turn somewhere; this is a place of Gods and Demons”. The warlike situation exudes and powerful fighters attack each other in mental creations of good and evil. - Hard leads bashing your sanity, forcing their way inside your mind. Fragletrollet eventually revisits the battlefield with some warm sounds that grabs your hand to give you a hug and lead you through the rest of his demonizing place by adding pleasant sounds to lay your soul and mind on. Towards a fortune teller he leads you, she tells you about which paths to walk. Still the quarrel in the Spirit forest is going strong, warfare still hungry for dementation and despair. Hold on and enjoy the ride!

 

4. A wider and stronger feel now of angry angel wings. The sounds shimmers around as they float and a hard bassline with trasklende sounds trash the place up ripping down posers and propaganda pushers. It’s got a fat walk, really thumping heavy with ambience around and a lot for the ears and eyes to feast on. It builds up to a head-groove marked with effects making their points sweetly sting. Monks pray for their own hope, beats play rough and creates power-bar take-offs. Swirling space-creatures slugger around, tickling your ears while duality fights for its voice to be. Melody played along the story being told is lightly spinning around before being intruded by a heavy kick-break that brings orchestral peace. Storyteller’s music, film-score, excitement are flying high as hawks. The action is on, the mouse is being chased by the cat, or is the mouse chasing the cat? It crashes and smashes like a Tom & Jerry cartoon. Destruction is the key.

 

5. This is the Reptile Regime, heavy strings in swing creates the entry at the gate. Knocking as the heart pumps, bass hits and kick drives the heartbeat away throwing out glass splintering effects on the floor, be careful where you step now, no return. Flow is powerful and the glass splinters are escalating while a reptile like soundproof flicker around. Heavy blast... Stones are falling, swords are drawn, excitement and drama are rising to levels of lizards riding on rhinos plundering human villages, creating terror and destruction on their path to their screwed view of world order, returning to their castle as the ports are being raised...Dreaming and hoping "violins". O’ reflect the darkness and horror these reptiles have created with their regime. Sad but true. Are there any political intentions inside?

 

6. Now this is one of the best moods I’ve ever heard in an intro before! It reveals forever haunting and emotional stuff. Again, but as always with a variation, enters the ragging bassline we love from Fragletrollet, and holy guacamole sings a tune. An insect that flies follows the lead. A Psychedelic cow in the sky blasts an inspirational ChillOut impact up to the moon. Now the melodies and leads make strange faces and tearing appearances. Quirky sounds follow by. Layers are working in their own special harmony. Samples speak and ringing circulates while the intro mood creeps back and background noises do their thing, looks like another world. And whoppa’, the horse rides us into more rhythmic trance, inducing stomps performed by an invisible and truthful Shaman. Story flow takes turns and weird directions with more Psy with a Cow in the Sky inspiration. Indians are joiking along the nature trail, dances being replied by Indian flutes and mumbling tribal woman while piano-like rolls weird’s up the madness. Something I don't like much about these types of trippy factors of madness. The key choices feel very awkward and make me feel lost and sort of irritated until (luckily) Fragle picks up the tempo and groove with some exiting tricks, never getting stuck in nonsense. Some funky kicks bring your head back on a shake. Love the prayers, the flute play and weird melodies in glass-shapes when they with no worries and stress manage to roll gently yet loud out of retarded madness, which is the case of many of the tracks.

 

7. Things sounds epically advanced with blabbering effects and exiting moods that rises into a drum-rolled bassline out of this stomping world. Playground of Spirits feels cool while pumping. Subtle and obvious melodies are building their layer while the whirling spiral tightens and runs in near fright - feeling loose and breezy of colorful imagination. Snickering spirits play with the tension giving it nerve and posture as the twinkles and leads form breathtaking environments. It really makes the mouth mope and eyes roll in excitement and harmony in the wicked and controlled chaotic variation which is the title track of an epic and adventures album. The effects used really creates some hallucinogenic moments, and the sample work with sunny melodies levitated by a strong walk feels divine as angels hum their chores above and inside the light with delicious break'beats, before the night gets swallowed by the flash of day. And so the beautiful story ends.

 

 

Recommendation: Fragletrollet’s debut album ‘Playground of Spirit’ is about fairytales in the dark and imaginative places of one’s mind. He has set out to give the viewers and listeners a wicked ride of multiple emotions fighting for their stand and it can at times become intense and a little bit frightening with so much drama going on. This music is defiantly carnival with a special unique and soft touch by a sensitive and humble person wanting people to have some fun in their mad state of being, even though if this fun is sometimes in a land of despair. Special music is the word as Fragletrollet leads your hand through his personal journey. It’s about giving loads of impression, obscure melodies when the insanity peaks and beautiful scenery when it builds or/and lands. In my strong belief there is nothing wrong for a producer or DJ to bring their attentive viewers a ride down in their darkest corner of mind and fantasy, as long as the person leading them got the intelligence and compassion to bring them safely back up again to divine comfort and smiles.

 

Fragletrollet for me does this perfectly by opening up the album with a couple of tracks that prepares one for the strong ride to follow in a chilled-out and patient manner. Then he will totally crush and grind you inside his stories of demons, Gods, pixies, warriors and heroes only to lead you safe and wise out to steady grounds. There is something about Fragletrollet’s magical guts that pleases the ones who desire a special adventure and don’t mind the feeling of at times being in a motion picture with a magical movie-score with repetitive rhythms.

 

The sounds, effects and moods scattered and portrayed are more than willing to morph and change in everlasting dramatically sceneries to high flying harmonics with heavy bulldozing and grind making basslines that sets an deep impression. So if you like it imaginative with almost no boundaries of making something unique and exciting, I would with the strongest beat of my heart recommend you to check these sounds out in their wholeness, because the stories told are defiantly worth checking out for that extra odd experience. The style used is hard to define, if not impossible. But if I had to give it a try I would box it in Epic-Freestyle-Fairytale-Psytrance with loads of turns and twists to excite and surprise. Be aware, the sounds are near lethal; they will hit your brain in unsane manners and make you go gaga with sweet madness. For some his tunes and stories might become challenging because the mood is special, where he brings you can become unsettling, but try to be guided by his hand, watch his scenes and become entertained, because he will lead you back to safety when followed. I promise.

 

If you are among those who know this album and enjoyed the whole package but preferred the two first tracks and the last one which contains less madness and more steadiness, I’d suggest you keep an eye and ear open for Magnus’ project Unknown Cause, which will bring you more of the desired factors of perfected tranced and chilled psychedelia.

 

 

Key-words: Epic, Special, PsyTrance, Experimental, Forest flavors, delightful and madness in drama.

 

where to buy and other links:

Fragle: http://www.fragletrollet.com

FragleSpace: http://www.myspace.com/fragletrollet

FragleDiscogs: http://www.discogs.com/artist/Fragletrollet

Shaman Film: http://www.shamanfilms.net

Psyshop: http://www.psyshop.com/shop/CDs/sam/sam1cd011.html

Saikosounds: http://www.saikosounds.com/english/display_release.asp?id=8082

Wirikuta: http://www.wirikuta.at/web66/product_detail.jsp;jsessionid=DPAHMOIBPFMC?showDetail=225705

Play.com: http://www.play.com/Music/CD/4-/10771881/Playground-Of-Spirit/Product.html

Beatspace: http://www.beatspace.com/dettagli/dettaglio.asp?id=5054

More f***ed up reviews: http://www.myspace.com/psytonesmusic

[Penzoline]

This is brilliant. 2009's Tamlin imo, overlooked and insanely good.

 

This album is like a perfect mix of Ka-sol, Ubar Tmar and Tamlin. Highly psychedelic, colourful like a rainbow, very moody and extremely interesting. Even the bassline manages to catch my attention! I actually wait for what happens next in it, unlike other albums the bassline stays the same or has little to no change, but Fragletrollet plays around with it like a maniac. Great stuff.

 

Great review pietones by the way.

[PsycheDanic]

One of the best psytrance albums I have ever heard. I thought 'Ukalen' was the only *perfect* psy album for me out there, but this one is definitely joint with it.

 

I love the way each track segues into the next. The album is like one long track, essentially. A proper story!

[Starkraver]

Very Nice album, very few reviews! Wtf.

 

Buy it, listen to it, dance to it.

 

5/5 (Antic's criteria applicable here. Its not strictly limited to darkpsy or forest listeners. Others can enjoy and appreciate it too)

[antic604]

Very Nice album, very few reviews! Wtf.

 

Well, this IS a goa-trance forum mostly, so for those types of releases - darkpsy, progressive, full-on - you'll usually get fewer comments, which is a pity...

 

5/5 (Antic's criteria applicable here. Its not strictly limited to darkpsy or forest listeners. Others can enjoy and appreciate it too)

 

Happy the system is catching on

[Manuser]

Manik 11 (Knights of the Awakening)  what an epic track.