Shadow Chronicles - Arcadia

[yerg]

 

Label: Future Music Records

Country: Denmark

Released: 13 Sep 2019

Style: Psy-Trance, Progressive

Bandcamp

 

Tracklist:

1. Singularity 08:33

2. In the Company of Giants 06:55

3. Universal Language 07:30

4. G.ai.a 07:41

5. Indigo Sequence 07:42

6. Everything Is Everything 08:34

7. Arcadia 08:21

8. Vertical Mode - Inside Your Head (Shadow Chronicles remix) 07:29

9. Jungle Rocket 08:00

10. Moments of Clarity 06:48

 

You're probably wondering why I put the "protoculture" tag in the topic title, well that's because Shadow Chronicles is an alias of Protoculture (aka Nate Raubenheimer). This is his first album as Shadow Chronicles and it's darn good.

 

TOP 3

 

5.Indigo Sequence 07:42

Here is the contender for the most beautiful intro to any track ever. It's so pretty that I almost can't believe it. That's what trance should be.

The rest of the track will never leave you wondering why Nate is one of the most talented psytrance producers on the planet. It's a magnificent track, and probably the best one on the album.

 

9. Jungle Rocket 08:00

I love these kinds of slow burning yet steady tracks that just keep growing and growing on you. Jungle Rocket is a track like that, I just want to listen to it over and over again.

In the end it starts to remind me of Electric Universe, one of my favorite psytrance acts. It does get slightly more aggressive by the end, which isn't bad at all.

 

10. Moments of Clarity 06:48

A chill-out moment. It's also quite upbeat, and dramatical at times, but never too much. In several parts Nate goes playing with rhythms and vocal chops in a very inspiring way. However, I did feel that it wants to be something like Shpongle, maybe? But who doesn't want to be Shpongle, right? Regardless, it's a perfectly fine end to the album, and I'm happy to listen to it any time of the day.

 

Honorable mentions

 

2. In the Company of Giants 06:55

I wish this was the opening track of the album, as it really does the job much better than the actual first track Singularity IMO. In any case, the second half of this trck is so well done with the melody introduction, the vocal samples, and then the rhythm part - everything melts into a shimmering joy state.

 

6. Everything Is Everything 08:34

One could say that this is a typical combo of psy-prog, but we all know too well that Nate never makes typically typical tracks, and even if you could categorize them as such, then they still would be a head above any other typically progressive productions.

 

8. Vertical Mode - Inside Your Head (Shadow Chronicles remix) 07:29

I am not familiar with the original track, but if an artist includes a remix of theirs into a solo album, it means only one thing - that it's really worth it. And honestly, this remix is fantastic. An excellent piece of full-on psytrance.

 

Rating: 4.5/5

[recursion loop]

Very cool, didn't know he had released an album. Need to check it out asap.

I always loved his Circadians album and various compilation tracks he released around 2005-2006. I never cared about his "normal trance" output  but Shadow Chronicles is a very welcome return to the psy scene. I've heard few singles, it was sort of EDM-ized version of old Protoculture style.  Not really as good as his original melodic/morning full-on style but probably as close as it gets in 2019.

 

[yerg]

36 minutes ago, recursion loop said:

 I've heard few singles, it was sort of EDM-ized version of old Protoculture style.  Not really as good as his original melodic/morning full-on style but probably as close as it gets in 2019.

 

yeah, there are a couple of tracks like that on this album, too. for example, the title track is like that, which I didn't like that much. but the rest of the album is basically a good old Protoculture

[recursion loop]

7 minutes ago, yerg said:

 the rest of the album is basically a good old Protoculture

Awesome, will check it out 

[Tsotsi]

1. singularity: Talking about beautiful intro's. From the sounds of things i'm not even going to have to wait for track five. Singularity is dreamy, clear & tranquil, right until the lines hit and it turns into a funk monster. The songs shifts from these moments giving us fun twists and cool rhythms along with a surprise or two and some sounds that will lift you to the beyond.

2. In the Company of Giants: Hits like a sure to be banger right from the first drop, confident and well timed all the way throughout. Yerg is correcto, this track is a melting pot shimmering joy. Joy that is mixed into a driving beat and an outro that takes me past whale noises before i know it.

3. Universal Language: Easy to tell that this track is going to be enjoyable by this point. The twisted vocals into the drop snap my brain as I try to make sense of it &, the twists don't stop there; this song takes me back to the stuff that made me fall in love with Psytrance those few years ago; Maybe it was a Protonica song on the dancefloor. Made for the clubs and the warm Australian Doof night before the cold settles in.   

4. G.ai.a: Another dreamy sequence kicks us off into Tranceland. I get to learn a little bit about future G.ai.a as well is finally figure out while ti spelt that way. Sometimes you don't figure things out right away, you need to be guided. Shadow Chronicles helps me out all the way while soaring me through the sonar waves of a searing lead.

5. Indigo Sequence: Oh, This is what was meant by the most beautiful intro. If that got extended into a 21 minute sequence I wouldn't have minded. That is before I hear the rest of the track and become just as enthralled to be hearing it. From beautiful to rippa Indogo Sequence checks the boxes.

6. Everything is Everything: I stretched and sms'd through the start of this track and swung through both activities before being forced to put my goddamn phone down to get into this song. The most melodic and glorious track so far. Taking Tsotsi atleast, on a one way journey through ecstasy.

7. Arcadia: Whatever I have said so far can only be amplified for my description of this track. 

8.Vertical Mode - Inside of Your Head(Shadow Chronicles Remix): The last break and final drop at the 5:45 mark is what captivates me the most in this song an instant snap out of the trancey lull the track lures you into.

9. Jungle Rocket: Gabor should really consider a pure ambient monica as that intro brings you into the next tracks bassline and beat like a fog wifting through your cave, you fucken cavemen. Just yankin ya chain, flipping your crepes, stuffing your rice paper rolls. Jungle Rocket is bang on what you want it to be wrapped up in a bit of exciting music. In fact it encapsulates energy and zings you with you it.  

10. Moments of Clarity: A final banger that could have led into another trance stormer but comes in with a badass breakbeat romper instead. Is that a-minor? Just fizzing ya soda, I don''t know about all that, but I know that Moments of Clarity contains moments of magic, moments of calm, and moments of the most funk-doobiest-trance rhythms. 

 

What an outro. 

[Padmapani]

On 9/19/2019 at 10:32 AM, yerg said:

the rest of the album is basically a good old Protoculture

i wouldn't call it good old protoculture. this is more progressive than fullon and a bit more commerical (not in the negative/cheesy sense, but it's sorta inoffensive, appealing to a broader crowd) a than his first two albums. if course it still definitly has his signature sound and is high quality easy-going psytrance. approved. not the music that shoots you into space in the middle of the night, but the kind that puts a smile on your face before you decide to leave the dancefloor and go to bed after an exhausting night.

my favourites up to now are gaia, the vertical mode remi and jungle rocket. but up to now the best shadow chronicles track imho is still another earth.