Koan - Condemned (2016, Blue Tunes Chillout)

[voice of all]

image: https://www.discogs.com/Koan-Condemned/release/9438656#images/25889248

 

Koan - Condemned, 2016 (Blue Tunes Chillout)

 

The Devil's Confession 8:50

One Day All Will Become Clear 9:29

Darkness in the Box (Condemned Mix) 8:37

Through the Looking Glass 8:07

From Nowhere to Nowhere (Condemned Mix) 7:10

Pleasant Punishment (Condemned Mix) 7:23

Blind Theolatry (Condemned Mix Part.1) 4:43

Broken Crown (Condemned Mix) 6:41

Resistant Men (Condemned Mix) 6:44

Conscious Delusion (Condemned Mix) 7:36

Intruder (Condemned Mix) 5:37

He's Here (Condemned Mix) 2:44

Blind Theolatry (Condemned Mix Part.2) 4:42

Fallen (Condemned Mix) 8:08

Penance (Condemned Mix) 5:47

 

Link: https://bluetuneschillout.lnk.to/condemned

Country: Russia

Label: Blue Tunes Chillout ‎– BTCDR046

Format: File, FLAC, MP3, WAV, Album

Released: 01 Dec 2016

 

Koan is one of the brightest brands in contemporary downtempo scene. There is no need to introduce it any special way. Everyone who are involved with this music genre familiar with its own unique sound and impressed by huge amount of releases. It is eleventh one in lats two years! We can discuss what is a reason for this fertility or how it is really needed for best self-representation on the scene... But lets leave it out of this review. The main thing is that music is certainly has high quality production and tends to be different.

 

Two previous years passed for Koan in some experiments with styles. Releases varied in wide range from totaly slow beatless weird ambient to progressive romantic trance. Series of full length albums were dedicated to different moods and genres so fans were overloaded by tons of tracks. Almost of all those albums appeared more as collection of tracks then as real stories or trips.

 

Now in Condemned everything has changed back. Here we have an epic story with great cinematic effect. For me it is a return to the format of the best masterpieces of the project as Two Moon Butterflies (2006), When The Silence Is Speaking (2009) and The Way Of One (2014) were. It seems like years of experiements were not wasted by composer and all of the gained expirience collected in this new great album.

 

The realese contains of three parts.

The first is slow bold ambient of rather epic atmosphere. It is lasts first five tracks. It is not dull at all cause it is morphing all the way bringing different features of contemporary electronic music. The mood is changing too. It is waddling on the edges of more dusk and more light spirits. Great evolution has its top at on From Nowhere to Nowhere (Condemned Mix). Here is the end of the suppositive first part.

 

The the second one (6 to 12 tracks) is a cascade of many different genres and moves from breaks and dub to jazz fusion. Track by track it changes again and again presenting very great development and showing outstanding music purview of the composer. All the practice of last 2 years of other releases is here packed in 6 brilliant tracks that blow your mind with great composition and highest quality sound design.

 

The third part is second climax and summary of the whole release. These two tracks repeated the mood of the middle of tracklist to deliver great conclusion to the album.

 

It is rather long album (102 min of 15 tracks in total) not usual for todays scene. It is not a collection of tracks to bring you section of genre hits. It is not a set of pieces to mix.

 

It is really impressive tale with overture, climax and a plot. Chapter by chapter it is unfolds to you in slow but very diversified way.

Sure it is one of the best downtempo trips I've ever heard. It is one of the best downtempo albums. And maybe it the best of Koan.

I think it should be cheked by every fan of the music alike.