Trance2MoveU Posted June 29, 2020 Share Posted June 29, 2020 Artist: Maan Title: Floral Cortex Label: Neogoa Records Date: May, 2020 1. Prelude: Havenless 2. Mother Moss 3. Instant Equilibrium 4. Re/Bells 5. Gardens With Flowers of Crazy Colors 6. The Wednesday Pond 7. Red Relic 8. Interstate Insects 9. Maven 10. Postlude: Antiquity Maan is Frode Ungar from Norway and this is his debut album. His Orbiter Ep from 2017 was very good as were his compilation tracks. Neogoa consistently releases quality goa trance and this is no exception. While not being exceptional at anything, it is extremely solid at everything. Ten tracks with the intro and outro being short sketches that had me wanting more. The goa gets started with Mother Moss and as the title insinuates this is more of a forest track with a goa feel. Loses its way a bit in the middle, but finishes strongly. Instant Equilibrium is an immediate stormer that feels very old school. Sounds like old X-Dream. It hardly deviates from its opening structure, but it's so bouncy and infectious I don't mind. I liked the metallic synth banging right out of the gate with Re/Bells and it maintains the goa flavor. The crystal clear sound and punchy bass of Garden With Flowers hits me immediately and the groove is similar to M-Run efforts. Most interesting track goes to The Wednesday Pond, sounding downtempo and progressive at the same time. Really a very zen experience. Red Relic combines a hammering bass and a frenetic synthline, but not a whole lot else. Insects is very high intensity with screeching synth leads and never fully takes a break, but keeps evolving. Maven closes it out with a super crisp sound and bouncy rhythms. Really liked the understated layers in this one. Like I said, not exceptional at anything, but great at everything. It's a solid goa album that I felt could've been better, but with numerous dalliances in other genres. I look forward to the next one. Neogoa Records Bandcamp 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsotsi Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 Artist: Maan Title: Floral Cortex Label: Neogoa Records Release: December 25, 2019 Tracklist:- 1 - Prelude: Havenless 2 - Mother Moss 3 - Instant Equillibirum 4 - Re/Bells 5 - Garden With Flowers Of Crazy Colors 6 - The Wednesday Pond 7 - Red Relic 8 - Interstate Insects 9 - Maven 10 - Postlude: Antiquity You know what I like about this album? It’s got gusto, bravery, perhaps some positive hubris if there ever could be such a thing and most of all it’s got a big pair of balls behind it. I’m not a Bandcamp writer, so I wouldn’t go as far as to say that Maan Himself is brave And we should applaud his voice in the sceneShut the fuck up. It’s art, straight and simple, brilliant philosophers can’t even decide whether life or art imitates the other and we certainly aren't going to figure it out over here. It’s brave in another way, maybe confident would be a simpler way of saying what i'm trying to say, it’s not like we are saying Maan is a risk taker. Jumping from mountains at 1300m with nothing on his back but a free flyer as he builds and changes and keeps your brains defunct attention span over and over in a Track like Interstate Insects while still finding time for a crescendo of euphoria delivered on a platter of melody and acid that one bite simply doesn’t satisfy. . Nor is Frode bravely enacting revenge on his enemies under the nose of Louis-Philippe during an inquisition of sort that involves getting the Mediterraneans to put toga's on and groove down to Re/Bells in the sweltering cloudless sky while they wait for the daily haul of octopus splatters of Acid lines and swordmen thump da bumps. It’s a more robust, more spectacular kind of confidence, the type that you need to perform an en passant or put a drop like Mr Ungar managed to put into Garden With Flowers Of Crazy Colors. And then to assert yourself, your talent like Mikey Hassleworf asserted himself in the world of government bonds, Grinding and sliding, throwing tickets in the air like FX and buying higher and higher but never with crash in site and don't be mistaken in thinking that The Wednesday Pond being placed right into the middle of an album is a crash. Rather a genre defying piece that manages to lead into the thunderous fuck you of Red Relic with 0 fucks, Then into brazen yet positively vain rhythms of Interstate Insects, Maven and... Darlings You needn’t to have actually foot danced with Jean Peters-Pierre on those strange yellow street stones in Beirut to appreciate the beautiful Prelude: Havenless… That’s what Floral Cortex by Maan, Mr Frode Ungar got me feeling, eccentric, exciteable, happy god damn it! In short the album is completed with a gallant postitude; Deep, exciting, Avante Garde with a sense of eer. Well I’m glad I have it and nice work every one. NeoGoa Records you guys kicked ass with this one and Richpa and every should be proud and yadadadada get on with the show. https://neogoarecords.bandcamp.com/album/floral-cortex 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richpa Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 Thank you for reviews guys, really happy to know you enjoyed the album Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drosophila Posted September 26, 2020 Share Posted September 26, 2020 I had hight expectations after the track on Goagilde and the Orbiter EP, and luckily I wasn't disappointed! A fantastic album, a really refreshing release. Full of variation and experimental approaches and talented audio-design, well spaced from top to bottom. 9/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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