Music Reviews of Techno, Trance, Industrial, Electronica
Band Spotlight
Chiodos
Perhaps no one can explain the sheer ferocity and timid quietness it is better than when vocalist Craig Owens says “we don’t want to let the kids down” when discussing the group’s intense vocals live at shows. Well they never let a single kid down with their vicious assault on the ears and grip on the jugular...
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Current Top Ten Chart
Skinny Puppy - Mythmaker
Converge - No Heroes
The Graduate - Anhedonia
Death By Stereo - Death Alive
Comeback Kid - Broadcasting
The Snake The Cross The Crown - Cotton Teeth
Dear and the Headlights - Small Steps, Heavy Hooves
The Geeks - Every Time We Fall
Limbeck - Limbeck
WinterKids - Memoirs
03.09.2007 by J-Sin
Music Reviews of Techno, Trance, Jungle, Trip-Hop, Industrial, Electronica, IDM, House, Drum&Bass
Bebek — Open Eyes Buy it at Amazon
Their self-titled album brought my focus squarely on this Philadelphia-based group. Their brand of trip-hop unleashes a sea of undercutting melody and sultry vocals. Laid back grooves force the hand into downtempo territory with electronic bleeps driving the rhythms. Lush harmonies are layered neatly on top of stellar breaks and thick bass lines. Gothic fused atmospheres give “Open Eyes” a unique texture that continues to keep Bebek several arm length’s away from trip-hop’s least kept secrets like Portishead and Tricky. This soulful groovy trip-hop meets pop EP is one that you simply must seek out and purchase.
- J-Sin
Analog Pussy — Trance N Roll Buy it at Amazon
Psychedelic trance is something that has conquered Israel and the Middle East as well as the goa-infused regions of India. Analog Pussy takes their psy-trance sound and then adds classic rock sounds from the likes of Bob Marley, Ozzy Osbourne, and of course Deep Purple’s rocker “Smoke On the Water”. All of this is amid huge synths and banging trance rhythms looped together with magical awareness of keeping things uptempo and driving. Nu-NRG fanatics will probably like this as the beats are quick and fast.
- J-Sin
Andrew Emil — Four Play Music Buy it at Amazon
Four Play Music is Andrew Emil’s label and is based in Chicago. He joins forces with several of the Windy City’s top house artists to produce a soulful and groovy compilation. Several of the tracks give off this neo-jazz feel with some soul mixed in. But it’s all sexy and sultry house music with steamy percussion and nifty groove. Good stuff and more reason why Chicago is one of the first places folks look for great house music.
- J-Sin
MothSpyEros — Sueno Rojo Buy it at Amazon
Dreamy soundscapes with odd melodies and thick textures comprise this release by this duo. The duo is comprised of Ruben Reveles who recruited guitar player and singer Kevin Dockter. They utilize laptop electronica with live instrumentals to mask melodies in fuzzy and sometimes hazy atmospherics. Dreamscapes are perhaps the perfect definition to pinpoint this incredible sound.
- J-Sin
KiloWatts — Routes Buy it at Amazon
I reviewed their “Problem/Solving” album a while back here on Smother Magazine and thoroughly enjoyed it. They continue in the ambient vein with some dark and dank tunes that sound like processed field recordings with distorted psychedelic sonic etchings drawn through them. There’s plenty of melody and catchiness though, just check out “Learn to Love Loneliness” which despite it despondent and melancholy moniker is a richly texture bleep riddled glitchy IDM beat-oriented groovy anthem. Think Aphex Twin with a little dash of Autechre and plenty of hypnotic groove and downtempo breaks. I’m thinking about how redefining this album is for the whole IDM and ambient genre in of itself. If you don’t pick up this album, you’re missing out on a genre-definer for sure.
- J-Sin
Armin van Buuren — A State of Trance 2006 Buy it at Amazon
Armin Van Buuren has been on the top of the publicly voted DJ Top 100 for some time now. Why? Because he’s one of trance’s elite DJs. Minting us with a double disc of fun-filled high energy melodic trance bangers, Armin has made a mark as a DJ, producer, and renowned remixer. He canvasses all of trance to find some of the true gems and have combined them here for a mix album that blends house influences with some breaks and a lot of progressive melodic trance. Floor fillers for sure will be found around each corner. I’ve always been a big fan of Armin, whether it’s his own signature trademark cuts, his fantastically blended DJ mix albums or even his incredible live sets. Perfect follow-up to his fantastic “A State of Trance 2005”.
- J-Sin
Steril — Realism Buy it at Amazon
Industrial mavens Steril boast elements of EBM and driving electronica that delivers their fifth album (and first studio album in some four years) into the hearts and minds of those who love their electronic music harsh and yet oddly melodic. Catchy rhythms that are both danceable and energetically driven provide the backdrop. Meanwhile the synth loops remind one of Apoptygma Berzerk with its pseudo trance-pop infectiousness. The vocals can snarl and melodically croon. Awesome!
- J-Sin
Massiv In Mensch — Klang Der Unsterblichkeit Buy it at Amazon
German dancefloor addicts look no further than Massiv In Mensch for their fix. Banging out huge big beat techno hits along German vocals and hard synth tweaking, Massiv In Mensch provide the landscape perfect for readying your dance shoes. This is the teaser EP to tantalize your tastebuds for their forthcoming full-length “Clubber Lang” and boy does it do its job. A remix by The Promise along with a remix of “Around My Heart”, a b-side, and a live version of “You’re the Greatest Lover” makes this essential for collectors and fans.
- J-Sin
Venus Hum — The Colors in the Wheel Buy it at Amazon
Having toured with the Blue Man Group, Venus Hum got some bit of notoriety and fan attention. “The Colors in the Wheel” showcase Venus Hum’s ability to write soft melodic indie pop with beautiful melodies. They mix in crafty electronic pop with eclectic synths and sweet laptop drum loops while always focusing on the female vocals. A bit similar to an Imogen Heap type of sound, “The Colors in the Wheel” is a fantastic journey of melody, harmony, electronics, and ethereal vocals.
- J-Sin
Massiv In Mensch — Clubber Lang Buy it at Amazon
Swirling hard electronic pop music from Germany’s Massiv in Mensch is on order here on their fourth full-length release. “Clubber Lang” shows off big beats, dynamic synth loops, and awesome acid lines. Bouncing beats and hard floor fillers seem to promise to keep your body in constant movement. Indeed there’s no calm of inertia here on this four-to-the-floor EBM adventure. Their interpretation of U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday” is an exhausting take on that pop-rock juggernaut which saw the group enlist some help from The Promise’s Sven Enzelmann.
- J-Sin
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