DeathPosture Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 Phi - Phinalizer Format: CD Artist: Phi Title: Phinalizer Label: Elf Music, Japan Cat. #: HYCA-5001 Date: June 16th Year: 2004 Track listing: 01. 05’14” Henro 02. 06’00” We Can Go To Your Country 03. 05’54” Perfect ATK 04. 06’07” Ganja Of It All 05. 07’13” Plz Pass Me Beer & Acid 06. 06’13” Phinalizer 07. 07’02” King & Slave 08. 07’03” Afrobad 09. 08’24” I Don’t Need Your Justice 10. 06’22” Desert Legend Review: Japanese tweakers… Phi consists of Shuji Ichimura and Shinnosuke Masuo, both born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. Formed in 2002, they’ve gained massive support in their home-country for their out-standing live performances that are actually as “live” as you can get when we’re talking electronic music. They are touring Europe at the moment, and with this, their debut album these crazy Japanese trancers are sure to turn some heads and gain some fans… Let me take you thru the tracks… #01: [142 BPM] An ultra-short intro is soon interrupted by a banging bass, floating analogue synths and good old, pure acid-squelch-a-rama… Very clever use of digital percussion and high pitched melodies… This reminds me of older Infected Mushroom – Very nice! But why is it so short? Should have been much longer… ;o) #02: [147 BPM] This is the second-fastest track on the album, and that does not go unnoticed… It’s full-power-no-questions-asked from the get-go, and then it just blast its way through your speakers… Full-on goa-trance with a deep, repetitive bassline… The super-fly, versatile, twirling acid-melodies will take you on a musical journey back to 1996 when the TR-303 ruled the scene… Check out the oscillating build-up and climax… Very trippy! #03: [144 BPM] This starts with some very spacey pitched-up voice samples – and then the mood is set for Japanese psychedelia! Again we are treated to good old analogue basslines with the added flavour of electronic farts, twisted synth melodies and pure acid-lines… Very well structured and there are more layers than you can even begin to count… #04: [146 BPM] Is that a Tokyo Shock Boys sample in the beginning? And what is Ganja of it All supposed to mean? I’m clueless, but what I can tell you, is that this is still full-on psy-trance but with a darker, more introvert nature… Though there are sweet little acid melodies, they somehow drown in the massive wall of bass and percussion… Well, that is true for the first half of the track at least… Funny Wizard-Demo-like sample btw… ;o) #05: [141 BPM] “Pass me the beer & acid”… Yes, now I can relate… The acid-squelches have found their way to the top of the sound spectre again on this track... Welcome back! This full-on track has a few changes of pace – at one point it gets almost minimal, but only for a short while and always maintaining focus… The small build-up/climax part that starts @ 4’55 is just pure nostalgic brain food for an old-school dreamer as me… Not bad at all… #06: [146 BPM] The title track is another fast-paced, hectic track… This time with a more moody, dark atmosphere… Clever use of laughing samples and great synthesizer action… There are a lot of ‘silent’ parts here – and some crazy breaks… I have a feeling the madness is only just beginning… #07: [138 BPM] Despite the ‘low’ BPM-range on this track, it is a brutal assault on your eardrums… The bass is banging, and the guys are tweaking their knobs like crazy leaving us with a sick, sick tune… And that was meant as a superlative… I mean, that melody is just so damn hypnotizing… Japan meets Finland… Sushi-Sauna trance… *sS* #08: [145 BPM] Not much is worse than a bad afro – we all know that! Yikes, it gets even darker now as we sound-wise move from Finland across the border into Russia… ‘Cause this is Sushi-Vodka-trance… With all the elements we know from the darker side of the Russian trance scene… The melodies and joyfulness are replaced by darker, more distorted beats… With just a sip of the usual Japanese psychedelia… Great, driving night time track! #09: [148 BPM] Nice organic intro… After a few secs we launch straight into the fastest track on the album… After a few minutes of hard-hitting night-trance the guys really start spitting out all kinds of trippy FX… A sick, sick melody – some crazy drums – another sick melody – etc… There is SO much stuff going on here, but somehow it manages to stay focused… The absolute highlight is the climax @ 5’07 – I mean, DAMN!! … Pure full-on acid bliss… Well done guys! ;o) #10: [136 BPM] As legend prescribes it, it’s chill time on the last track… But in Japan chilling is done at 136 bpms… This IS a slower track – with lighter, fluffier melodies… The pillar is some kind of synth-guitar-sound and there is a soothing dubby bassline holding it all together… This album really surprised me in a positive way… I mean, the production seems flawless to me, the layers are countless and the Japanese creativity unfolds beautifully…At parts it’s a trip down memory lane – with modern production techniques… Not bad at all for a debut album… I could have wished for some of the tracks to be longer though – and at some of the tracks have parts that are not instantly head-bang friendly. But overall I like the variation here – it’s good! Before receiving this CD, I had absolutely no knowledge of Phi, but I will for sure keep an ear out for them in the future – and I encourage anyone who likes old-school-experimental-crazy-highly-psychedelic trance to do the same… 8.5/10 Favourites: 1(!!), 2(!!!), 3, 5, 8(!), 9(!!) DeathPosture External links: Phi: www.phi-music.net (Audio samples available!) ELF Music: www.elf-music.net Wirikuta Distribution: www.wirikuta.at (Should be in European distribution shortly…) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest X Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 old-school-experimental-crazy-highly-psychedelic trance? I think I found my next cd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DarkShiva Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 Definatly an amazing release.. good to see some dark hard psy come out that actualy is half decent!. this is a must have album for all psyfiends out there. Fav tracks: Henro Ganja Of It All King & Slave Afrobad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Le Lotus Bleu Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 2 main interesting aspects with this debut release for this new japanese based label Elf music, they’re releasing, with Phi, an artist from their own country which seems to be an exception for japanese labels according to me & a duo which focus his production on a mix of full on combined with goaish flavor. Henro starts full on, but you don’t have to wait long (1 minute) for some goaish lead to appear. This one is quite muffled & subtle, not the most kickin or powerfull even if some 303 lines can be heard after 4’00. Indeed it’s kinda soft warm up for your eardrums for not having one’s ears pierced with too brutal begining. Now everybody’s ready, We can go to your country offers you a fast groovy bassline coppled with electrictrising guitar riffs (yes not only Sun Project can do it). Perfect Atk is fill in with electric tones, there’s a fat ambience, a kickin stuff here. The particularity of the track is a slighty sour tornado-cycling arpeggios. Ganja of it all results moore goaish for me than the 3 previous one, very raving with people laughing (5’05) & inhalation (several times all along the tune) samples without forgetting an intense moment of fx on sound between 4’30-5’00. The melody sounds very much goa upto 2’35 (indeed the leads i should have said), pure old school feeling here with the difference of a more original rythmic than the traditionnal goaish ones. We’re going a step beyond into crazyness due to a fast funky bassline married with fat metallic vibrating lead at first then a lead made of half brass, half electric guitar. A more bouncy bass, some goa leads are also back here & another stomper rythmn are constituting King & Slave, special mention here for the swaying ringphone sequence at 3’00. First of all, a little sample of someone clearing one’s throat after rolling bassline plus explosive kick preparing for the fury, during it, the climax is reach with changing tone, throwing you a floor higher in the sky, each time the tone is changing. Hard kickin & heavy bass confers I Don’t Need Your Justice avery rough ambience. Then a fireworks of snipers sounds pounces on your ears. Be carefull, if upto now you’re in the mood of the track coz an drastic unexpected musical changing cap is happening (2’15) based on hacked-weird-funny sounds, a little tribal session also is coming after that. But that’s only few things of all that’ll be occuring during this song as Phi, don’t seem to wanna let you fall asleep as they give you subliminal message which could be their slogan , something like ’Dance till you’ll collapse on the dancefloor & don’t stop before’ ; indeed kinda modern japanese way of life : a psytrance hara-kiri. Time to slow in Desert Legend, i don’t like too much when the lead gets fully agressive by moment ; the track would have resulted better with a constant use of his more muffled one version, nervermind. Best moments :2,3,6,8,9 A debut album which should fit to all goafreaks lacking of new fesh inventive stuffs. 8,5/10 http://www.trance-shop.com/de/catalog/prod...1b593527cadb60a http://www.chaosunlimited.co.uk/cgi-bin/pr...asp?LR=HYCACD01 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jikkenteki Posted August 12, 2004 Share Posted August 12, 2004 Phi - Phinalizer ELF Records 2004 01 - Henro 02 - We Can Go To Your Country 03 - Perfect Atk 04 - Ganja Of It All 05 - Plz Pass Me Beer & Acid 06 - Phinalizer 07 - King & Slave 08 - Afrobad 09 - I Don't Need Your Justice 10 - Desert Legend One thing that has often confused me is the fact that psy-trance is very healthy in Japan, yet there seem to be next to no Japanese psy-trance artists releasing music. Phi is one of the new generation of Japanese psy-artists and their debut album starts things off right for these future monsters. While the general "style" of Phi is full on, the term doesn't really do them justice. The full on power is covered with a heavy dash of acidy goa lines and the term "new school hard goa" that was used in a lot of the Japanese press about this album fits very well. Imagine modern full on beefy basslines dripping with a mixture of full on leads and thick acidy old school goa leads and you have a good idea of where Phi is. All the tracks are quality here. Henro starts us off stomping right out of the gate and things only get crazier from there. Afrobad is a monster track that should destory any dancefloor with its steady throbbing bass line and nasty busy leads. I Don't Need Your Justice kicks things up even higher (at a full 148 bpm) and mixes all the best of full on with the best of old busy goa. Its only the last track on the album, Desert Legend, that I have any issues with at all. Desert Legend is a bit of a down"er" tempo number (its not downtempo by any means) and in an of itself is it s very nice track. However with the pure madness of the rest of the album it does some a little bit out of place. That said, it is really a minor point on what is otherwise a fantastic debut for Shuji and Shin of Phi. Keep an eye on these guys, there's something good a brewin' here. Highly recommend 8.5/10 _ _ _ _ _ _ PAR-2 Productions - PAR-2, Jikkenteki, Katapult www.par-2.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELF music Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 Phi Phinalizer Elf Music (Japan) review by damion from psyreviews.com This week’s Eastern flavour (or “flava”, if you’re under twenty) continues with yet another album that totally blows me away. This is delicious, delirious, screaming-and-creaming fullon that’s got some of the most intricate and dedicated production heard all year. Henro takes all of ten seconds (count’em) before it’s bashed straight into fullon mayhem -- I thought “no long intro’s” was a phrase used to advertise premium-rate sex lines, but I stand corrected. And it explodes into fiercely good melodic stuff, with rising 303’s, but nowhere near cheddarville. It ends a little soon though, but any objection to that is squished when We Can Go To Your Country comes in, a deeper edge but no less energy. This is staggering, sounding at times like a cross between Mr Peculiar and Lego head (a good thing), with melodies that are great but are somehow not core to the tune. Perfect ATK is an utter belter -- utterly staggering. The grooves change everywhere, the noises ar e perfectly-placed, it makes me want to call everyone I know and tell them how good it is (unluckily though I called my mum first, and she had no idea what I was on about.) Ganja Of It All is killer and all, a rising anthem with a quality break, great escalation… the raw power here is incredible. Plz Pass Me Beer & Acid is deep and rolling, futuristic synth stabs abounding. Not the greatest tune on the album, but the best evidence of how Phi layers and textures sounds. The title track is tuffer than a lot here, a gnarlier riff and more attitudey topend movement, plus Led Zep samples in the breakdown, before breathless melodies run it all out towards the end. And now to Afrobad -- a huge synth riff, building up and up then cascading all over you. Utterly sublime, but we’re hardly started yet: It rises and rises and rises, and at that final peak you’re left with one word on your lips: GOA!!! Yup, it’s the first Goa Trance record in about eight years. I Don’t Need Your Justic eis manic, fast space-tech, and the noises have to be heard to be believed. It’s truly awesome -- the synths come out at you in 3D sound, I didn’t think stuff like this was possible?? Finally Desert Legend slows things down but - f*ck me - it’s no less amazing. All of which means, this is a rather special record: there’s no formula here, there’s some of the most intricate programming of the year… a record that has you screaming and creaming as it takes you along. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maden Posted November 10, 2004 Share Posted November 10, 2004 The Henro track is simply the best track off the year for me ... really great ... other track that rock are : 4. Ganja Of It All 5. Plz Pass Me Beer & Acid pleasant sound , but for the other, i am a bit bored by the full on bassline :s ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alek Posted November 10, 2004 Share Posted November 10, 2004 pleasant sound , but for the other, i am a bit bored by the full on bassline :s ... 201812[/snapback] Exactly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELF music Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 A very regrettable thing happened. I should tell to everyone. Shinnosuke(one of Phi) died in Goa of India only a few days ago. The traffic accident by motorbike is a cause of one's death. I 'm very regrettable.. http://www.symphonics.net Rest in Peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X-scream Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 maaan, I'm very sorry to hear that.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Cocco Posted February 12, 2006 Share Posted February 12, 2006 A very regrettable thing happened. I should tell to everyone. Shinnosuke(one of Phi) died in Goa of India only a few days ago. The traffic accident by motorbike is a cause of one's death. I 'm very regrettable.. http://www.symphonics.net Rest in Peace. 435503[/snapback] Oh no. This accident you speak of sounds oddly familiar to how the artist Cosma (?) died. Someone talked about that around 2-3 years ago on these same forums I think it was. As far as this album goes.. I don't think it's THAT good overall...surely not what any artist wants to probably hear after one of his buddies passed away unfortunately. However, the opening track Henro IS good. There are several other pretty good tracks, those being Ganja Of It All[/i], and I enjoy Afrobad. I kinda like the last track too, but not enough for me to consider it good. It takes too long to drop that melody. I suppose they could have done more with it but it's still cool. Nothing seems close to Henro, which is ashame because once you hear the first song on the album, you expect more knowing Phi can do good stuff. It would probably be only a good thing if Phi made a follow up album with tracks as good as the few mentioned, if not better, and add at least two or three real super-songs that go into excellence or being amazing sounding if that's possible, that would probably really push them up into the more popular, known realms of psytrance. Much of Phinalizer sounds boring to me, and yet tracks like Henro clearly stand out as being well done and better than the rest. It seems others agree too. Phinalizer has too many so-so, forgettable tracks. As with many other people, I can't buy any album with only two-three good songs. Some listeners on this page alone seem to agree on which tracks are the better ones... so if these artists are aware of whats considered good, and capitalize on that, make it great, take risks, change up their basslines more, get more imaginative, psychedelic, melodies, sounds, depth, creativity, etc... I'd be interested in hearing what they have to offer. As far as Phi gos, their work would wbe better on a comp unless thy can make high higher quanitity of very cool and overall likable songs like Henro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkeletonMan Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 Welcome Japan! Damn, 2004 was a good year for full-on psychedelic trance and I'm only now beginning to discover the amazing albums that was released this year!! But who cares? With classy material as this, you're guaranteed a ride as good now as it was then. And as I'm sure it'll be in 2040. Yeah, it's that damn good! The problem I often have with full-on releases is that they rarely deliver what they promise. They set out to blow you away, but then chicken out, down the tempo or just plainly loose it because of a lack of ideas. Or they incorporate some cheesy sing-along chorus, that might work the crowd but completely turns off whatever curiosity I have. Few have the balls and the talent to keep the pace up without the music becoming boring and without refuging to a handy modulation encore or a clubby melody. Phi has the balls and the talent. This is AWESOME full-on psychedelia and I know this becuase it manages to do what full-on psytrance may only accomplish when perfected: tumble you over like classical Goa trance with the sheer force of the musical bombardement blown in your face. Thank God I still stumble over full-on releases such as this to restore my faith in contemporary psychedelic music! On my 2004 top 10 this comes in as a strong candidate for runner-up album of the year in a tight battle with Quadra's Serotonia, both clocking in just shy of Rinkadink's Rabbit. How very sad one half of Phi, Shinnosuke Masuo, should end his life so untimely with a tragic accident. But if nothing else this album surely is a worthy testament of a gifted musician. Highly recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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