Nolax - Turning Point

[Trance2MoveU]

 

Artist: Nolax

Title: Turning Point

Label: Phototropic Records

Date: June, 2010

 

 

1 Out in the garden

2 Linear Vortex Scaling

3 The chromium fence

4 Lonely Sunday

5 Soul Sucker

6 The crack in space

7 Project Earth

8 Spectral Diversion

 

Where the hell is the review for this? This came out 4 months ago and it baffles me that it hasn't been reviewed yet when goa trance releases are routinely the first to get the treatment. Do you hate it? Did he screw your girlfriend or mom? Well, let's get to the basics. This is Christoph Mitsch a goa trance producer from Vienna, Austria. He released his first album 3 years ago called Persistence which wasn't bad and it recently got a re-mastering. He doesn't produce a lot (or doesn't release a lot) so I always look forward to what he is cooking up next.

 

Out in the Garden- I was a little nervous when I heard a Matrix sample at the outset, but the twinkling sounds and movement soon calmed me. It comes back at a short break, but it fits well. He gets the most out of his melodies as they are long and drawn out. In a great way though. Very nice start. Straight forward with a hint of mysticism.

 

Linear Vortex Scaling- I don't even know what that means. The bassline is an old school rambler as melodies begin to collect. Sounds gurgle, and I get a vision of a shaman on the mountain top. The break has a delightful sample about a man that can get me whatever I need. Not incredibly varied or complex, but very enjoyable.

 

The Chromium Fence- I love this track title, but unfortunately I found this to be the weakest track on the album. There isn't a lot of variation in the melody or the structure of the track. It didn't resonate with me and I usually end up skipping this.

 

Lonely Sunday- Nolax shows good string work again as the track starts with an evolving feeling. They are very rich and when the swirling melody comes in it is bliss. Even though I would like to hear some more varied sounds in his tracks this was still a great listen.

 

Soul Sucker- This track name I am not so crazy about, but I am sure he has his reasons. This is another track with a lengthy introduction, but it really carries the listener to an otherworldly plane with the long, long melodies. The final third of the track has a nice melody that sneaks under the main one, filling the track out. Great stuff.

 

The Crack In Space- I would say this is the most layer heavy track on the disc. It begins with a very cold staccato lead that is from the deepest reaches of space. The break arrives quickly as this mid-tempo number begins to evolve. More melodies combine and it is a head nodding good time. Very deep and thought provoking.

 

Project Earth- More otherworldly feelings germinate from the intro as his synths are delicately laid out. There isn't a kick until almost 3 minutes. As with the last track the floating melodies are to the point, but allow you to see where it will take you. Beautiful.

 

Spectral Diversion- With the final track Christoph twists the mind again with more subtle melodies. I would say that for the first 4 and a half minutes there is little change and allows you to just drift. After a small break he is right back at it. Not complex at all, but a good end to a wonderful ride.

 

What a fabulous trip this has been! I would describe his sound as very old school with long melodies that are suited for escapism. As I mentioned before, he doesn't beat you over the head with tons of melodies, but chokes the life out of the ones he does give you. So in that respect his sound is thinner than some of the other neo-goa artists out there. Yet even with that he manages to charm you with minor key atmosphere and smooth, lush strings and pads. And that atmosphere is deep and compelling. He likes to start his tracks with long intros that set the tone for what you are about to hear. While I sometimes like thicker tracks with more variation in sounds (a minor quibble), he definitely made a more cerebral goa trance album. I would say this album is what you make it. Rather than giving you the answers to the test, he lets you interpret the question, thereby allowing different meanings. I enjoyed it thoroughly and highly recommend it.

 

Goastore

 

Beatspace

 

 

 

Mdk

[MAM015]

I was a little nervous when I heard a Matrix sample

HAHAHA me too, i thought this is another lame goa track, but it turned out actually good.

there is still alot of work to do and this album could have been better imo

[Penzoline]

This is such an odd release, though let's get one thing straight here, it's not odd as in bad, but it's odd. Why is that? The amount of layers doesn't seem to be much and the tracks sound empty at first glance, every single one. This guy isn't like the others who just go for layers upon layers and twirling multiple melodies, but he lays out a small framework and just continues with it. If you skip these tracks, like preview it, it will not sound good! He does not have the continuous force that other producers do. Every track here starts simple, and continues fairly simple, but everything flows forward. If you give it the time necessary, which is around the first ~2minutes, you will be lost in the music. It will remain simple, but the flow of the melodies just makes it work. It is rewarding in a sense. Think of The Muses Rapt. The sounds are bad at first glance, really old low quality midi-like sounds, but if you are open minded and give it time to show the melodies, and when it just clicks, it's so good. Here I find same sort of situation with Nolax, at first I actually found it bad "ew wheres the epic melodies and blasting adrenaline?" "Why are the sounds like that??" but one day I decided to listen to it in the background and it hit me like a rock how everything just flows into place. Most of the tracks here are really nice journeys! The only track which I'm not really fond of is The Chromium Fence and that's about it. Definitely a solid release, but the style is just so different from everything else that it may be hard to notice that at first. A little open mindedness never hurt anyone. Recommended, check it out if you can.

 

I want to mention that the covers do no favors for phototropic releases imo. And by the looks of it, it seems the music artists make these covers themselves.. For example, suntrips and DAT Recs covers are better simply because they hire professional graphics artists to do them! But then again this isn't only a problem with phototropic, I'm just trying to give some cc here that's all. Zelur Project had an amazing cover though and the new Amithaba was pretty nice too, to give some credit.

[digitoxin]

I want to mention that the covers do no favors for phototropic releases imo. And by the looks of it, it seems the music artists make these covers themselves.. For example, suntrips and DAT Recs covers are better simply because they hire professional graphics artists to do them! But then again this isn't only a problem with phototropic, I'm just trying to give some cc here that's all. Zelur Project had an amazing cover though and the new Amithaba was pretty nice too, to give some credit.

 

 

This cover was made by a professional artist with a really strong portfolio. He is just not a "psychedelic" artist, and i like that. Just like the music, its different, not bad

[Klas]

I love the cover. The theme is simple, but works every time. Nice font and nice colours!

 

I will dig deeper into this album!

[Richpa]

and the new Amithaba was pretty nice too, to give some credit.[/size]

 

Astrancer did that cover art and It's probably one of the best cover arts in this genre. Besides his musical talent he is doing great graphics too.

[Usling]

I like this album a lot because it's good in its own way but also different from everything else. Quite minimal compared to most other neo-goa. Refreshing!

Soul Sucker is my favourite track. Don't know why, i just think it's epic. Love the drawn out intro.