Wednesday 18 December 2019

Germind 'Synthesis' Review







Artist: Germind



Title: Synthesis



Label: Cosmicleaf



Released: 18th September









The latest single from German born but St. Petersburg based Germind . The advertising blurb states ‘Germind transforms his galaxy of sound synthesis to a downtempo psychill trance universe. Full of acid lines and deep space arps invite you in an endless twisting spiral dance under the stars’. Which I’m sure if your a regular reader of this blog sounds enticing.


This single goes against the grain, in the sense it doesn’t start with the title track. However, the intro to the piece entitled ‘Spiral Light’ is quite frankly superb. Lush deep synth voices rise out of fuzzy electrical noise and slowly drifts into a hypnotic blend of psychill and trance and acid and that flowery description of ‘an endless twisting spiral dance under the stars’ isn’t far wrong.


The next track ‘Fractuals of Being’ is more of a hypnotic plodder. Admittedly, it’s got all the right ingredients in the pan. However, it doesn’t deliver the dish as well as it’s precursor in my opinion. Maybe on another day I’d feel differently or with further listens it may grow on me.


Last up is the title track ‘Synthesis’ and again it’s a bit of a plodder. The difference between this and the last track is there is a heavy 303 influence to the piece. In the right mood this is definitely music to let you mind get lost in and perhaps this single would have worked better building up to the opening piece, as opposed to working downwards and finishing here?


Reviewed by Woodzee


Links





Saturday 14 December 2019

Chlorophil Exclusive Interview





I talked with Chlorophil Djinn an ambient DJ, producer and founder of Sychronos Records about his musical background, his studio setup, the impact of festivals on the environment and along the way discovered something I didn’t know about DF Tram





1) Firstly thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to talk to us. Could you tell us a little about yourself and how you got into producing music?

Ya I was heavily into doing coloring comics at one point met some good friends in life drawing class at the community college and we met up occasionally to work on comic book art. I Couldn’t draw the best but I realized I had a talent for coloring. One day my friend had FLstudio going and I was like wow that is cool, he showed me how to use it and we started making some beats in between the art sessions. That’s where it started. 

Also in college they had an electronic music class and I took that and started doing production with Reason and Logic at the schools computers. I remember helping other fellow students with the music projects and a portion of the finals were somewhat my production. The last quarter of community college I started an electronic music club. I realized I should have done this my first quarter there. 2001 was the year when I first started DJ'ing and producing at the same time and that year for Christmas I had my first album which I gave out to some friends.

2) Who were your early musical influences and are they still relevant today?

Early musical influences I have to say when I was in elementary school I listened to whatever my brother had and also my neighborhood friends, it varied with my brother and his best friend liking the alternative rock 80’s classics like Depeche Mode and Duran Duran, the Cure etc., and I personally listened to rock n roll like Def Leopard, Motley Crew, Anthrax, Guns n Roses, Led Zeppelin, Poison etc. these were all tape dubs back then some I actually bought. Also watched a ton of MTV in my childhood as well. 

Before that when I was a toddler my father had a huge collection of audio tapes and records of light rock and I remember recording my favorites on the radio like the Beach Boys, the Monkees,  Lionel Richie, Phil Collins, all sorts and making my own tape dubs. When middle school happened I remember listening to Faith No More and rock n roll stuff still. Then high school hit and Dr. Dre, The Chronic hit and I started listening to hip hop, in classes we trade tapes to check out, I remember the first Cypress Hill tape I listened to from some kids talking about it in class and Ice Cube predator, a lot of reality rap around that time and stuff on MTV All throughout high school I collected rap & hip-hop and remember some classics like Lethal Injection, MC eiht, and Snoop's first album Doggystyle. 

There was also BMG Music Club and Columbia House Music subscription where you get like 12 CD's for a cent and took advantage of that listening to the commercial hip hop stations in San Fran and won the compilation West Coast Bad Boyd (WCBB) on air and remember walking home everyday from school listening to that and I thought the production on that was done very well and it was bay area artists and that was like the bible for bay area underground rap. Each song the artist had their own album and the production for the time was done better than anything I heard which was way ahead of the time and still better than stuff today. I was a  senior in high school I remembered and was when 2 Pac died shortly and after that rap hip hop turned for the worst.

I worked at a record store at one point after high school and at one point becoming store manager of the warehouse which specialized in music and movie rentals. There I discovered trip hop like Bjork, Portishead, DJ Shadow, DJ Krush, Radiohead, Tricky, Mono, and even Goldie’s Timeless and that put me into another direction of listening. Also running the store tons of music promos came in from all kinds of record labels. By time college hit I accumulated over 1,000 rap CDs. Some of the music coming out after working at the record store wasn’t as good and the electronic music was speaking to me more and trip hop, one day I was in the back seat of my friends car and he worked at the Blockbuster Music where they had the listening stations and we were listening to King Crimson and I look over and see the Thievery Corporation and Kruder & Dorfmeister albums were chilling there. 

So at one point I remember checking out Thievery Corporation for the first time Mirror Conspiracy and it was raining, was such a magical moment in the back seat of my friends car smoking blunts. After that I started getting into more instrumental music like that, and started spinning records my friend had turntables and I remember I started getting records and checking them out at their house. I was finding records that were not available on CD like a lot of the singles with the different versions and I got heavily into collecting records.

I also remember Amazon had the favorite lists people liked featuring certain albums and other albums that sounded alike which I imagine they still have and utilized those favorite lists. Back then mp3s were a new technology and then there was Audio Galaxy, Napster, and AOL message boards, and so I just learned so much by listening to these lists people made from all over the world on Amazon with this new technology. It was amazing to hear music from the other side of the world that I never heard on any radio station in the states other than college stations like Stanford or Foothill college. 

During college I took a jazz appreciation class and music business class and learned a lot of ins and outs of the music industry. When I became of age I started checking out the shows 18+ hip hop shows and eventually turned into electronic music shows and festivals. I learned a lot by experiencing live shows. You get to see the professionals do it in front of you and that is the best influence you can get!! One point I remember checking out a big chill tribute party in SF and met my good friend DF TRAM which is an acronym for don’t forget the real ambient movement  and with him and the Ambi-Sonic crew I learned a lot of chill out and ambient music which is still a great influence for me today!! Also at one point spun at a hookah lounge called Giza Lounge and got my first sponsor with Six Degrees in partner with another DJ, De Nada. we used to have a monthly party where we gave out CDs from the six degrees label to help promote the label.

Nowadays  I don’t listen to much rap as a lot of its is negative and I want to be more positive with my music, but at times I find the negative music brings a good mood to people, also when I was a kid I used it to balance out an argument I recently got into with my mother some of the music which is worth a lot today and I utilize that knowledge when I am at a store and speculate if I can sell it for more and which I put up on my Discogs account for sale. 

3) Could you tell us a little about your set up and are there any bits of kit or software you find compulsory? 

I find my DJ mixer is definitely the first thing I need since I can hook up anything pretty much to it. I would recommend this to anyone doing music production at least a 24 bit mixer but 32 if you can find one, if you are a DJ then a DJ mixer where you can cue the tracks in your headphones. 2nd is computer as I have multiple software you can use within it. 

The software utilized is some editing sound wave sound design program, they have a free one called Audacity which works good, I utilize Sound Forge as its little bit easier to use I think the earlier versions are better but the newer one more capable of higher bitrate functionality but older one by Sony is way more solid. The newer one I have to switch between the newer and older version all the time which is weird. With the sound editing program you can also record in DJ sets or sampling instruments and add effects to samples and edit remix stems. 

Then you have the DAW which varies I use mostly FL Studio since its easiest for me to compose. When composing its like that one theory of getting to one place from another A to B  is a straight line, and for me FL Studio works that way for me. Another good DAW that is within a good budget is Reaper which seems to work like Logic and doesn’t hog up your memory and utilizes VST Plugins, you don’t want a DAW that hogs up your memory I rather go for more detail than less and having more memory you can put more layers or details on the production. There are other software that I would like to use but this is where I stand now for production software wise, I will possibly check out some other software like Renoise and Bitwig and explore more VST Plugins which vary from free to pricey ones but I tend to start down the ladder and work my way up according to my budget. 

For hardware I have midi controller Akai MPK25 which I use to make some melodies and midi map effects and automation, and I have basic instruments that I sample which can vary from time to time which aren’t as important as having the stuff I mentioned beforehand as those are just for sampling and you can sample anything it doesn’t have to be a music instrument. For DJ’ing I use Serato Scratch live with a midi controller and have two turntables for spinning vinyl, CD’s I usually rip into computer and play in Serato. 

4) You are the founder of Synchronos records. Could you tell us more about the ethos of the label and what's on the horizon in terms of releases? 

Let us start with the name and that will reveal a lot by deciphering what the name means to me. I use the word chrono, and that is from one of my favorite video games chrono trigger a game that was in high school that was for me inspiration a story of time travelling to save the world from global epidemic. With an added ‘s’ to the end we have chronos a Greek word which is the personification of time. And then ‘syn’ which is short for synchronicity which the analytical psychologist Carl Jung is about meaningful coincidences and that could be a lot to be with our solar system and the way the full moons and planets align each year along with the eclipses. So the label represents time synchronicity where it be checking out music at a show or festival or meeting the love of your life or your best friends and also within what music corresponds with the notes and keys and the time of year with seasons and day and night. 

For releases forthcoming we have a free compilation for winter solstice a tribute to the dragon god Ryujin in collaboration with Ю who helps put out music through compilations himself through different label. The release is in part me and him putting together songs that flow together with the theme of deep east Asian influences. Originally it had no theme but at one point they all started sounding together with a theme so we just made it themed.  I have gathered some local talent for the compilation close to where I am living at and people I met on my travels and new connections through some of the labels that sponsor me already being a DJ. These compilations are a great way for people to discover new music and at the same time deliver some songs with some favorite producers of mine like I mentioned earlier with the WCBB compilation I won from the radio station when I was in high school. The new compilation features some artists released before through my label in addition to some newer artists. Each release put forth on my label also has visionary artwork featured for the cover that I spotlight for each release. This release will feature the same artist I used for the first release Elysium. 

We also have some E.P.'s dropping in the near future too that are in the ambient, chill out, progressive category. Most of the releases have been dub focused but in general chill out tracks and some going into deep bass or ambient. Early 2020 we will have some E.P.’s dropping by Cerceaux from Mexico and Elohi from Poland and then in spring hopefully our annual compilation which will be released on CD, called The Balance of the Butterfly and possibly another E.P. by me or an album.





5) You DJ at festivals in both the States and Europe but are also admin for a Facebook group about sustainable space.  What are your feelings on the impact festivals have on the environment and which festivals do you feel take this onboard and deal with it the best?

I feel some festivals effect the environment immensely with the resources put forth like burning man for example, even though they show forth a zero tolerance for trash or moop they call it, I see it as impacting the environment a lot. With a cell phone tower across the playa. Cell phones in general contribute to global warming and have a butterfly effect to them that many people don’t realize. Also I see chemtrails at times at festivals and not only effect our breathing but the soil and the balance as well as it pushed the balance somewhere else where its not needed.  

I observed what was happening at the time Burning Man hits and this year was a hurricane. Also non sustainable community as each year they put up and take down the camps and have no solid infrastructure other than center camp area. Whereas you look at other festivals like Ozora or Modem for instance and they have structures there they don’t need to take down and put back up and they allow the rains to happen if needed and not so heavy on trying to control it to make it sunny for a BBQ. The trash at the end is still there but not specifically on the playa but surrounding it and also the same problem with Samsara this year with the trash situation with illegal dumping and local residents complaining. 

Also at times on public reservations the wildlife and environment is impacted somewhat like a tent on a lawn for a week it just suffocates the terrain underneath. Rain is a good sign at a festival where as the festival is not creating an ulterior balance for that short time. Having a farm and garden on-site at the festivals like Ozora has helps create a sustainable approach so people don’t have to worry about food from other sources from afar creating some sort of carbon footprint. I am sure the smaller festivals have smaller impact on the environment, it’s just humanity at large has a huge impact on the environment, we need to be more conscious of the results of these festivals happening with the balance and even question is it worth it due to the impact it has on the environment

6) With the festive season fast approaching are there any events you're appearing at?

I am playing at an event for the solstice in Santa Cruz opening up for it on Wed Dec 18th,  other than that not doing much as I sold my car before summer but mostly a bedroom DJ at home launching mixes online as I feel is better impact and people all over the world can appreciate. Definitely expect some more mixes before the end in tribute to some of the record labels that sponsor me DJ’ing spotlighting some of the latest releases and favorites.

Links





Thursday 12 December 2019

Kwali Kumara & Pete Ardron 'Let It Go' Review




Artist: 

Kwali Kumara & Pete Ardron


Title:

Let It Go


Label: 

Pink Hampster Recordings


Released: 

13th December







Following on from the albums ‘Exalted’ and ‘Estastic’ where performance artist, dancer and Kundalini Yoga instructor Kwail Lox teams up with Orchid-Stars Pete Ardron to produce music designed for Kundalini Yoga mediations but also stand in their own right as music to listen or dance to.


This elongated sixteen minutes of melodic and pleasing to the ear musical production, bears all the distinctive trademarks of the style fans will instantly associate to Pete. Add the three simple words (that are the title of the piece) in a rolling mantra with echo fx and your mind can float away on a blissful journey.


Reviewed by Woodzee


Links



Saturday 7 December 2019

Albums of Interest 2019


What has resulted from a combination of sheer volume of releases and my own listening habits. Where I found myself slowly gravitating last year to more beat orientated music (I’ve probably brought and listened to more techno than dub and chill at periods this year) in all honesty I haven’t come across as many stand out albums in 2019.

So you may well view this list and think why didn’t X or Y make it? On the other hand there may well be artists or albums you missed that appeal. For a more in-depth look at this years releases I’d recommend hitting this link for a whopping 60 album reviews of 2019 ... 




1) Pitch Black – Third Light (Dubmission Records)

On the top of their game Pitch Black dive into deeper and mellower tracks and deliver wonderfully at times. However, there is still plenty of the techno and drum and bass infused dub they have crafted over the decades.



2) Pure Love: Pure Chill Out Vol 1 (Altar Records)

A collection from the back catalogue of Argus and friends which also featured six teasers from the ‘Invisible Sun’ album which followed. Simply an amazing collection of beautiful music.



3) Reverend John Chester – The Tibetan Book of Dub (Mutantra)

Initially pre-released last year under the title ‘Nature Never Lies’ a selection of spaced out eastern dubs with plenty of robotic vocoder. The full release including the more up-tempo re-mixes recently saw the light of day.


4) The Human Experience – Things Are Changing


A selection of tracks by Gone Gone Beyond an Americana/folk/electronica collective put together by the Human Experience. This album was on constant rotation for months on my daily commute.



5) The Human Experience – Stillness in Motion

A fantastic follow up later in the year chock full of Amerianca and world music collaborations.


6) Sven Laux and Daniela Orvin – The Writings (Dronavrivm)

Daniela's piano enhances Sven’s ambient drones and electronica into somewhat of a masterpiece in modern classical fusion



7) Hollie Kenniff – The Gathering Dawn (n5MD)

I’ve been following with interest the teasers pre-cursing this album and suspect now that Hollie has stepped out of the shadow of her husband Keith (Helios, Goldmund) and taken the plunge with this debut album, she will be one to watch out for in her own right.



8) Eguana – Destiny (Cosmicleaf Records)

A wonderfully textured journey of space ambient music that sets the mind adrift.



9) Suns of Arqa – Heart of the Suns :1979 - 2019 (Interchill Records)


If like myself you have only dipped into their vast back catalogue this is a worthy selection compiled by Andrew Interchill that features a few elongated ambient versions.



10) 100th Monkey – Space Dubs and Other Miscellany 1992 – 2017 (Disco Gecko Recordings)


Another back catalogue collection of an artist I knew relatively little about. Due to the time frame some of the tracks do sound retro but I’ve found this album is growing and growing on me.




Thursday 28 November 2019

MCTHFG 'Korean Dub Vol II' Review








Artist: MCTHFG



Title: Korean Dub Volume II



Label: Dubmission Records



Released: 6th December









In the second instalment of this series places the spotlight on some of the female artists, who are part of Seouls growing underground scene of alternative dj’s and producers.


The first to make an appearance is Itta of Pan-Asian psychedelic drone duo Tennger. In this instance it’s a re-working of ‘Only’a vocal and fx recording (originally released on cassette) re-entitled ‘Deeply alone with everyone dub’. Christopher takes a subtle approach with bleeps and overly familiar loops, that slowly build behind the ethereal vocals to somewhat of a percussive crescendo.


Next up is TheSojuQueen described as a producer, singer and visual artist. Here he re-works a version of ‘Pond’, Re-entitled ‘Empty Pond (your true reflection dub)’. Apparently the original combined a ukelule riff with haunting vocals and from what I can gather he puts the brakes on. To be honest if I hadn’t been informed of the ukelule, then I would have assumed the strings were of an oriental instrument. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there is something about this tune that draws me in.


The final track is by Yetsuby a producer whose work ranges from ambient to groovy electronic and experimental weirdness. Here Christopher takes her ambient piece ‘The Dolphin Song’, re-entitled ‘Dolphin Song (from the depths of lazers dub)’ and weaves her vocal through echo fx whilst applying a deeper bass for a slow chugging dub alternative.


Links



Tuesday 26 November 2019

Kick Bong 'Take Me Away'





Artist: Kick Bong




Title: Take Me Away



Label: Cosmicleaf



Released: 20th Nov 










This latest single from Paris based multi-instrumentalist Franck Jousselin A.K.A. Kick Bong commences with a deep rumbling synthbass, before lighter synth voices rise through the sound. The track then settles into a groovy downtempo piece of electronica with subtle melodic vocals float away from the accompanying synth. Whilst the tail end of the piece adds a bit more squelchy grit to see us out.


The flip side ‘Lost in Time’ isn’t a million miles away from the A-Side to say the least, although there are looped sequences that catch your attention and drag your mind along the track. It’s also a piece that in many respects reminds me of tunes from yesteryear but retains a modern touch.


Reviewed by Woodzee





Wednesday 20 November 2019

Dr Trippy 'All Cows Eat Grass' Review







Artist: Dr Trippy



Title: All Cows Eat Grass



Label: Disco Gecko Records



Released: 22nd November









Dr Trippy releases another five tracks of his unique mash up of bhangra, dub reggae and breaks that he calls Punjabi Swamp. On this occasion he strays even further incorporating elements of progressive chill, balkan beats, Russian rapping and Industrial percussion.


The intro to the opening track ‘Kali Hari’ sounds like an early voyage into experimental electronics. However, it doesn’t take long before a dose of eastern flavoured synth is prescribed, alongside gated vocal fx and raggamuffin verses. Whilst the intro to ‘Delysid Dub’ sounds more progressive those familiar reggae keys soon ascend and there’s plenty of dancehall vocal snippets and dub fx peppered throughout.


The reggae vocal sample kicks off ‘Willow’ he then throws in the Indian female vocal amidst a shufflin ska rhythm, horns and eastern flavoured passages. This is followed by ‘Ragga Reel’ where I found myself drawn to the concoction of acid, reggae, Balkan volin and Indian vocal snippets. Last but not least is ‘Swamp Life’ where the intro is more elongated and dark. However, it eventually leads to bamboo flutes, a touch more acid and those expected vocal snippets.


Reviewed by Woodzee


Links




Tuesday 19 November 2019

The Russian Linesman 'Monomyth - The Departure' Review





Artist: The Russian Linesman



Title: Monomyth I – The Departure



Label: Loki Recordings



Released: 8th November











This E.P. in this series takes you on a journey through field recordings, ambient electronica and vocals, dipping into a myriad of sub genres whilst weaving storytellers talk about their beginnings with tape to tape, thought processes of job rejections, jazz teachings and mis-spent youth. This really is one of those occasions where the story behind the project, will tell you far more about the project than I can and if you find that intriguing enough, then you may as well dip in and take a listen.

One of the electronic scene’s true mavericks returns to unveil the first in a remarkable new six part series of EPs, focused on the art of storytelling. As with his previous 2017 project (‘The Eysenck Suites I-IV) this “modern day composer” has been inspired by psychological theory in the creation of his latest enthralling musical collages. 

Joseph Campbell’s ‘A Hero with a Thousand Faces’ is an analysis of centuries of human storytelling, based around the anthropological theories of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, and this fascinating book provided the blueprint for the new Russian Linesman project – an artistic abstraction of the concept of the ‘Monomyth’ – a formula we are all familiar with in modern day films and books.

In narratology and comparative mythology, the ‘Monomyth’, or the Hero's Journey, is the common template of a broad category of storytelling that involves a hero who goes on an adventure, and in a decisive crisis wins a victory, then comes home changed or transformed.

Each song within the Russian Linesman’s ‘Monomyth’ episodes (the project will be released in its entirety over the next year at bi-monthly intervals) is named after the relevant part of the hero’s journey and has been accompanied by unique, complex compositions that combine a multitude of diverse collected instrumentation and field recordings to fit the mood of the storytelling. Most storytellers remain anonymous, retaining an abstract element to the process and allowing the listener’s curiosity to be uniquely aroused and be drawn into each different story as it unfolds.

This project quickly developed a life of its own and all the individual stories twisted into a patchwork of yarns that tell an even greater story than I could have ever told on my own. In ‘Star Wars’, the droids make all the space opera weirdness accessible. My droids are my storytellers, my narrators. Placing some of the stranger musical moments within reach of the more casual listener. A hero is only as great as their villain. This project is a proper human interest story.” Russian Linesman



Links
Beatport: https://www.beatport.com/label/loki-recordings/15992



All Stores:https://lnkfi.re/Monomyth-I




Monday 18 November 2019

Liquid Bloom, Porangui & Spice Trader 'Ayé Yewo' Review







Artist: Liquid Bloom, Porangui & Spice Trader




Title: Ayé Yewo



Label: Desert Trax



Released: 22nd November




Liquid Bloom is a project formed by Amani Friend (Desert Dwellers) which places focus on inner growth through ancient and spiritual soundscapes, whether paired with meditation, yoga, bodywork, dance or artistic creation.


This single incorporates vocals and instrumentation from Porangui, with additional instrumentation and production from Spice Trader to form a blend of African music and deep house. Which is paired alongside an ethereal mix from neo-western producer Tone Ranger.


The single shuffles along nicely with an acoustic loop, vocal chants and tribal rhythms before adopting an afro-beat feel with the added horns. It slows down a tad and employs delay before the vocal verses takes hold. Whilst the Tone Ranger version initially seems to accentuate the drums overall it’s a smoother mellower take on the original piece.


Reviewed by Woodzee







Friday 15 November 2019

Orenda 'Reverie' Review





Artist: Orenda



Title: Reverie



Label: Gravitas Music



Released: 15th November











Orenda is an unknown entity to me. Perhaps it’s a new face or perhaps a side project released under a pseudonym from a producer I already know? What I do know is the aim is a marriage of ethereal voices and aggressive bass, a battle between light and dark within bass music, what could loosely be labelled as melodic dub-step.


The journey begins with the title track where you escorted in by airy synths, harmonic female ethereal vocals and sparse bleeps. A minute in and the low frequency bass is dropped. Personally, I didn’t find it too harsh, in fact it worked just right for me. This is followed by a collaboration with Equanimous on ‘Mystic Descent’, this piece initally moves a touch faster with looped sequences and tribal chants, the track slows down into dub-step and then shuffles in and out perfectly.


Next on the agenda is ‘Numinous’ which works a little bit more like I anticipated. With the lighter melodic passages contrasting against the heavier and harsher breaks. Whilst ‘Marmoris’ begins in a style I would compare to the Deepheads label, melodic synths and vocals slowly unfurling ripples of harsher electronics and bass. That impression remains with me on ‘Fracture’ and I’m feeling like I’ve settled into the Orenda sound nicely.


Heading towards the close of the album and I’m still drawing comparisons to the deepheads label, especially with the way the soulful vocals stabs are toyed with over the track. Finally to see us out alongside DTO is ‘Gayatri’ where the bamboo flute intro leads us into similar territory with an eastern edge.


Reviewed by Woodzee

Links


Wednesday 13 November 2019

100th Monkey 'Space Dubs and Other Miscellany - 1992 to 2017' Review



Artist: 100th Monkey



Title: Space Dubs and 

Other  Miscellany 

(1992-2017)



Label: Disco Gecko Recordings



Released: 15th November







 

This album release is nicely timed for anyone whose attendig the Coventry leg of Pitch Black's tour, as 100th Monkey is kicking off the proceedings alongside Dr. Trippy. I knew relatively little about this project other than the man behind the name is Andy Guthrie who was initially in Banco de Gaia alongside Toby Marks.



You have to take into consideration that some of these pieces go back to 1992 and you can tell. The first few tracks of the album is what would have been termed as ambient dub. On the one hand if I were to hear them on a compilation in the 90’s (which you may well have) I wouldn’t lift the needle to skip the track. On the other hand I wouldn’t look back at them as memorable classics.



The album does get interesting on the fourth track ‘Moonchild’ which I would say leans more to trip-hop with jazzy touches and a mellow female vocal from Angèle. My interest is held on the latter section of ‘Until the Dawn’ due to the angelic vocals of Neera. This is followed by the Icescape Secret Beats Remix of ‘The Inuit Snow Song’ a piece I’ve always had a soft spot for and this version really places the emphasis on the vocal and is super laid back.



The remainder of the album returns to instrumental pieces and lifts the pace a tad. However, aside from the last track ‘Marakch’ which I was drawn to it left a similar impression on me as the first few tracks.



Reviewed by Woodzee.

Links