Gappeq - Made of Clay

[Trance2MoveU]

Artist: Gappeq
Title: Made of Clay
Label: Parvati Records
Date: November, 2010


1 Fallen Angel
2 Maximillian Hollow
3 Made of clay
4 Iron
5 King Rat
6 Carousel
7 Mobius Strip rmx
8 Nag Champa
9 E pur si muove rmx
10 Presence of reality


Gappeq is Jiri Tomasek from the Czech Republic and this is his 2nd album. His first Speaker Seeker was a very powerful night-psy ride that had some very good tracks. This one is released on Denmark's own Parvati Records and their specialty is dark music. They call it hyper trance. Well, it is late and I am in the mood for something dark and scary.

Fallen Angel- Gritty, downtempo beginning. Warning of things to come from this post-apocalyptic world where we have been forced underground. Haunting strings create a symphonic undercurrent as a dark choir reveals prayer as the only hope. Very melancholy.

Maximillian Hollow- Eerie noises surround you as this track has a rolling bassline from the get go. This is very dark, walking through sleepy hollow at midnight and your torch is beginning to falter. No melodies until almost 5 minutes and even then it is only slight; just a pinprick of light amidst overwhelming darkness...If you like Darkpsy, this is a great one as the atmosphere is rich.

Made of Clay- Title Track. A piercing whistle is eventually strangled as a deep thumping bassline appears. Horror movie strings lurk just beyound sight. More scary effects are inserted as the break approaches. This has a well done combination of power and atmosphere, making you feel like you are deep in the lair of a creature that you really don't want to meet. Very alien.

Iron- How can one create a bassline so deep? More industrial effects, metallic and cold. His breaks are short and to the point with no annoying buildups. Always a plus. If the previous track only had a miniscule amount of light, this is complete darkness. Man each track is darker than the next.

King Rat- Have we finally made it to the evil one's lair? Satanic sounding chants (I want to say that is the evil wizard from LOTR) and more nether worldly effects compliment that punishing, always present bassline. The break swirls with grimy tentacles, short though it is. This is like being buried miles underground with your air running out. Verrrrry dark.

Carousel- See now this is just crazy. Distorted leads, scary effects...now he is just toying with us. So far this is the most melodic (comparitively) track yet, but no less powerful or menacing. His work in the breaks continues to impress. I think aside from the intro this is the track that people not used to darkpsy can find the most accessible.

Mobius Strip(remix)- This is a remix off of his first album and is pretty varied. The sounds are great, the bassline keeps hammering away and that dark environment is still present. There are a lot of layers here, and that keeps it fresh. Plenty of abrasive leads and screeching effects, but not painful to the ear. It just goes from one intense refrain to the next.

Nag Champa- Nag Champa is an incense with a mood altering chemical. Oh yeah, I can see it. Speed. Intense. Dark and cold but rhythmic as hell. More clever break work that other artists could learn from. I like how he sneaks little melodies amongst the darkness. Little pinpricks of light. They go by so quickly they make you say, "That was cool how he did that!"

E Pur Si Muove (remix)- Another remix to a track I haven't heard. This one has lasers and seems a little slower. The darkness continues to reign, and I'll be honest I am a bit worn down by the intensity of this album. I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy this at least a little bit though.

Presence of Reality- If I didn't know any better the beginning of this track could sound like something Depeche Mode put together. It is a breakbeat with electro influences. Much less intense and dark as if I am emerging from the deep hole I fell into. The leads are still eerie, but slightly more friendly. But make no mistake, this track lets you know that if you decide to come back, you might not make it out alive. Very juicy.


Whoa.

Let me catch my breath. Ok...I'm good.

There is an intelligence here and an ability to create such a vivid atmosphere. First off let me just say that this is without a doubt the most creative darkpsy I have ever heard. The effects always make a track for me and he crafts them in such a way as to immerse the listener in what he is trying to explore. This disc tells a story, a dark, demented story where almost no light can enter. If you are looking for melodies there are precious few to soothe the nerves. Normally that would put me off as I find darkpsy to be noisy and boring after a few minutes. He doesn't let that happen. This music is full of tension and power and will leave you wondering where he will lead you next. The first and last tracks are delicious downtempo treats that just add to the journey. Like all music this heavy you have to be in the mood for it. I mean, can you really dance to this without punching someone in the face? But once you realize where your head is at, this is a scary ride. While I can't say I would reach for this regularly I would recommend this for darkpsy fans.

Psyshop

Beatspace

Goastore

Parvati Records

Mdk