Templar Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 Master Blasters - Life Changing Experiences Nano Records, 2011 1. Overtones 2. Initiation 3. Funk Junky 4. Snowjob 5. Interconnected 6. Space Racer 7. Can U Dig It? 8. Shake 'Em 9. Revelation If there is anyone saying that full-on is dead - think again. Surely this kind of psychedelic trance can sometimes reach very strange, very often cheesy territories and give reasons to complain, but here is the proof that it can be pleasing and devoted of garbage, while keeping its essence and vigor. I found myself interested in Blasters years back after hearing many collaborations of DJ Pogo (Jamie Patterson), 1/2 of this project, with many established names in the psychedelic trance genre, which took place along with the release of his own compilations: "Wingmakers" (Dragonfly Records, 2004) and "Wingmakers - Beyondwards And Upwards" (Nano Records, 2008). The second one featured his debut with Zephirus Kane as Master Blasters. Finally they delivered their own full album. It is also a kind of a historical release of this label, as it was recently announced that the following releases by Nano Records will be released only in digital forms - thus with the advent of Master Blasters’ album we are saying goodbye to physical CDs. Summer is fully ongoing and the label decided to mark its existence at festival trancefloors and house-listeners' homes and speakers with a large portion of fat danceable and tranceable tunes. What makes his album so good to listen to? Most of all, it is good fun with a couple of brilliant tracks, all topped with a significant dose of that good-old British vibe. I am sure that you will have shivers while hearing the main sample in "Can U Dig It?", which in my opinion captures the essence of this CD. It makes both the legs and the mind dance like wild. There is no place for boredom or insignificant lalala. A blasting layout and rich sonic ornaments of the tracks make them a serious threat regarding body tiring at a dancefloor, as well as a weapon against our neighbors, because there were destined to play them loud. A serious flaw of the album is that the tracks suffer from the copy-paste syndrome, because the album, when played in one sitting, can give one the feeling of all tracks being one undistinguished mass. One could experience more variety with Master Blasters' single called "Blaster Pieces", where one of the tracks was made with Tristan who stamped his distinguishable style on it, making the menu more diverse. Fortunately it is not so bothering as in the case of a weak Laughing Buddha album released last year ("Sacred Technology"), though the album could sure use more variety as far as its tracks are concerned. A major disadvantage is also the fact that as much as 1/3 of the tracks were already released ("Interconnected" was featured on the aforementioned "Wingmakers - Beyondwards And Upwards" compilation, while "Snow Job" and "Can U Dig It?" were available at last year's single "Blaster Pieces"). Is it so hard to come up with a totally new material? I don't think so. Still, I am willing to forgive many things to such an effective and spectacular album. I am sure that it delivers in all conditions, whether it is a trance festival, a club party, home listening or driving in a car with a tight soundtrack on board. Another plus is the graphic part of the album, which is stunning. The digipack is enriched with a holographic foil, which makes up the title, giving a very good visual effect. It changes like a cameleon, bursting with rainbow colors. The devil is in the details. "Life Changing Experiences" is a light, extremely cool and energy-loaded album. I would even say that it is one of the most energizing British psytrance releases which saw light in the recent years. When it comes to dancefloor madness at psytrance parties, the material presented here is flawless. It is a shame though that Patterson and Kane did not raise the bar higher. Still, they showed that one can created a piece of fine meaty psytrance without reaching for cheese. Maybe it was not a life changing experience and the album is not as good as I expected it to be, nevertheless it is very good. A fine blast indeed. Templar / http://www.psytrance.pl Links: http://www.psyshop.com/shop/CDs/nar/nar1cd027.html http://www.nanorecords.co.uk/releases/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trance2MoveU Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 Templar, you really are testing my budget. How can you refuse the British psytrance sound? Mdk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exotic Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 Im not complaining. This is some serious ass kicking psychedelic , every track is loaded with high octane energy , with some tracks that have the potential to send serious dance parties into a tizzy. Nothing in the last three years has come close to sounding like this , this is raw power from start to finish. Hats off to Nano for a releasing this and the duo for showing how full on psychedelic trance should sound like. Very impressive release :hatsoff: 10/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nectarios Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 Hands down the best album this year. Peace out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BraneFreeze Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Excellent album. More please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest antic Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Together with Portamento's 'Portamental' this is IMO the best album of 2011 - full of crunchy sounds, wicked 'melodies', awesome and innovative arrangement and impeccable danceability. I could do without the final run in 'Space racer' but otherwise it is flawless. 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trance2MoveU Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Artist: Master Blasters Title: Life Changing Experiences Label: Nano Records Date: July, 2011 1. Overtones 2. Initiation 3. Funk Junky 4. Snow Job 5. Interconnected 6. Space Racer 7. Can You Dig It? 8. Shake 'Em 9. Revelation "The universe is talking to us right now...you just gotta listen." I'm listening. I heard this was good. But I wasn't expecting it to be this good. Psychedelic as hell with more crunch than dry cereal. It's what psytrance sounds like if Glowing Flame, Nano Records, and Blue Hour Sounds had a three way. All the tracks are so lush and layer heavy, pulling the listener in a thousand directions at once. Pumping at all times the leads are saturated with crackling energy and echo past the horizon. The disc reminds me of great compilations like God Save the Machine and Tales of Heads. Templars review was spot on with the lone criticism being it's lack of variety. Still, I'd rather have an album of great tracks that sounded the same than the alternative. Last CD from Nano? Sad indeed. At least they went out with a bang. Quality through and through. Highly recommended if you want to restore your faith in powerful psytrance dripping with psychedelia. Can...You...Dig It? Beatspace Goastore Juno Download Beatport Mdk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BraneFreeze Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 FYI, if you buy directly from Nano the digital album (320 MP3) is only $8. http://www.nanomusic.net/releases-2/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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