Whoever knew that fast forwarding a cd could sound so absolutely beautiful. Very high, round, full, honest tones possibly ripped to a cd and the skip button pressed. The clicks of the skip create a light, clicking percussive effect. Toss a bit of echo in there and it tickles my damned brain. Delicious.
Beautiful track. Extended electric guitar loops, layered. A bit of echo here and there, airy. A little bit of lilt, a lot of lift. Gets way high up there and out there. Really trips out and washes away toward the end, flood of watercolors cross the landscape. Sure call it ambient if you want. Trippy spring day, easy going, everything is green and the sky is blue, no clouds.
1994, Em:t/Instinct Ambient
CAT#: ex.294.2
Track Listing:
1. On Earth - 32′13″
2. Odonna - 13′15″
3. Amoeba - 01′45″
4. Wuub - 09′29″
5. Strange Air - 10′32″
6. Emperor - 04′28″
Commentary:
My experience with Woob began one sultry afternoon at the office in the middle of August, the air conditioning having called in sick the night before.
I was a bit antsy and unsettled and looking for some new music. My wanderings brought me to, of all places, the streaming electronic webcast of mtv.com. I hung out there, casting my line for something I haven’t heard before. Yep, an unlikely place, but the sound quality was above average and the stream wasn’t breaking up at all.
That’s where I first heard a nine minute edit of the track ‘On Earth’. Blew my mind. I was literally carried away by the beats and the bassline. The edit I heard started around the 10 minute mark of the album version.
The album version of ‘On Earth’ begins with percussion rolled out on a tabla, layered intermittently with a Moroccan street scene crowd effect, strong yet mellow sincere chords in the background. Moves to feature a middle-eastern female vocal. Sounds pretty serious. A chugging beat off a kit sample rolls in and becomes a link between the parts of the track.
Fades to only thick chords with a sample from “Quantum Leap,” then off to near silence. If it’s a journey, we’re quite far from home at this point, or perhaps things have simply begun to kick in. Orbiting the Earth, we’ve moved to the night side.
We hit paydirt around the ten minute mark. I just can’t get this out of my head. Beauty and majesty. Bird sounds. A chugging percussive track. Then the hook. Hollow, distant, approaching. Some sort of horn, sounds like its being played from a mountaintop and we’re hearing it in the jungle. At night. Maybe coming up on some sort of lost village.
A more prominent, dub-influenced bassline emerges from the depths, followed by the kit drum sample from the beginning of the track. We’re there folks, one of the greatest moments in music. This is why the album hardly ever comes up on E-Bay, and when it does, you have to give up an arm and a leg for it.
It’s just a chugging, groovy, mellow, alive thing, rolling along. Organically mechanical and natural. Like realizing that no matter how powerful we humans think we are, nature is in charge, and we’re in the engine room, beholding the inner workings of the planet, where mountains and jungles and thunderstorms are born.
One of the best places music has ever taken me.
We’re there, we roll along for quite some time, but not quite long enough. Elements begin to fade out, the tabla from the beginning reappears. We’re coming back to the light side of the earth, back to the human reality perhaps.
Thirty one minutes of pure bliss. I honestly can’t name another track that I could say the same thing about.
Drifts into the next track, ‘Odonna’. A track with three different personalities. Far out ambient at the outset, high, almost nasal, thin chords. A spoken sample denotes a transition. Sparse but intense percussion. Very serious, percussion only, slow tempo, almost plodding pace. Gets thicker and louder, keeps same tempo. The high chords from the beginning roll in.
Percussion fades out, the chords thin to a constant note, and a synth sound that sounds almost like a chorus in a cathedral fades in and dominates. Powerful.
‘Amoeba’ is great. Starts with what sounds like an old teletype chugging away, fades into a Parisian-sounding guitar/harmonica affair, trebly and aged. Quite beautiful. Sentimental.
‘Wuub’ starts sinister, with a sample from a movie, “Alex, you know there’s only one way we’re going to end all this…”
Chugging, not quite dominant percussion drives the piece. A female vocal sample, ethereal and drifting provides the hook. Probably Middle-Eastern. Percussion sounds like a slowed-down tabala sample. Light but eerie, not quite mellow.
‘Strange Air’ is a clear night sky with plenty of stars. 70 degrees, you’ve decided to sleep out tonight. No mosquitoes. Looking at the blazing firmament, you’re able to pick out a single star and comprehend the distance between.
Powerful, extended, throbbing chords that start out on the low end of medium and drift downward to fully basic subsonic everything.
My analogy would be perfect except for the horror film samples in the middle and at the end. Could this be where John Roome draws inspiration?
‘Emperor’ starts thick and deep. The house is shaking. A deep, throbbing, sustained note that rises just a bit, then settles back in, sort of fades in and out in intensity. Then a slowed sample of an emperor penguin call is threaded through, followed by a drifiting, rounded synth.
The thickness fades out, high synth and the slowed down penguin samples. Almost as if we’ve been ushered into the emperor’s throne room. Like some twisted dream where it turns out a five hundred foot tall emperor penguin is in fact the ruler of the universe.
Devolves to only the penguin sample, very sparse, fades to nothingness.
Overall the work is an incredible journey. Smooth with intriguing percussive structures and an excellent sense of sonic space and majesty. It’s everything ambient music is supposed to be.
Overall Rating (1-100): 95
1999, Nettwerk
cat#: 06700 301312 3
Track Listing:
1. Further Away - 5:33
2. Hard To Kill - 4:56
3. Fly Together - 4:43
4. Hit And Miss - 3:38
5. If Only U Could See - 6:16
6. Dazzling Gasoline - 4:02
7. Messed Up - 3:51
8. Again & Again - 3:33
9. Love Takes Two - 3:40
10. Extra Planetary - 5:57
11. If Only You Could See (Fade Vox Remix/Edit) - 4:56
Overall Review:
Somewhat difficult to describe. The album has an electric fuzzy feeling to it, like fog vaporizing on high-voltage wires. Couple this with a disconnected attitude and a tendency to drift completely away from the bounds of conventional reality and we have something thoroughly tripped out and interesting on our hands.
Percussion styles range from slow, lumpy, plodding beats to lively ripping drum and bass phrases, but rarely on the same track. Vocals are vivid and abstract, ghostly, ethereal.
At times, some tracks have a slow, brooding, funk feel, as in “Hard To Kill”, “Fly Together”, “Messed Up”, “Love Takes Two”, and “Extra Planetary”…it’s almost as if their souls are laden with an unspeakable burden, using all their will to see the brighter side of things. The product is most satisfying.
Especially with “Let’s Fly Together”…the simple chorus carries us through like drifting through a memory, through sepiatone skies. It’s not your typical bliss.
“Hit And Miss” - slow, groovy beats, dense mood, intense lyrics. Then dig that quasi-candy-pop chorus. In spite of bordering on camp, it’s deep groove and hip-hop sensibilities make it stand out. Dig that guitar bridge. I’m all over it.
My first impression was that it’s the same sort of journey as Tranquility Bass’ Let The Freak Flag Fly, just more electronic and much further out there. Extremely deep and lush, broad. Worth more than a passive listen. This isn’t a fast food lunch, more a seven course meal for the tripping side of your mind.
Overall Rating (1-100): 58
Various Artists - “Fourth Flight: Velocity”
Published April 8th, 2006 in Psychedelic, Trance-Goa, Trance and Psy/Goa Trance. 0 Comments1999, Flying Rhino Records
cat#: AFR CD 16
Track Listing:
1. Sleeper: “Severe Clear” - 6:55
2. Atmos: “Bad 2 The Bone” - 9:50
3. Slinky Wizard: “Hit and Run” - 9:23
4. Stoop & Fidget: “Hardware” - 8:49
5. Bumbling Loons: “Onhcet” - 8:12
6. Kuro: “FreeXone” - 9:28
7. Venom vs Bus: “Bugged” - 8:12
8. Astronomikx: “After Life” - 8:31
9. Bus: “Bullet” - 8:50
Featured Picks:
4. “Hardware” - Yep, I’m a sucker for the answering machine concept. I must say, that is one burly sounding female answering machine voice. Begins with the answering machine sample. Swirls about for a moment, as ghostly electronic demons being conjured from the ether. Begins to organize around 1:30. Fast steady tempo, good pace. Has a stern mood to it, good feeling. It’s more of the “Vivid Trance” concept that’s becoming the hallmark of Flying Rhino.
6. “Onhcet” - Ooh…this one’s quite the smoking foray, as one would expect from a James Monro/Dick Trevor (Green Nuns…) collaboration. Establishes itself with fast tempo beats. Around the 1:10 mark, a percussive phrase dropps into the flow, then vanishes…happens every few measures…brilliant. Fits like a glove. This same percussive element (somewhat changed) drops in to stay and mixes with the beats. You don’t really notice it, but you feel the different sonic elements flow in and out of the mix…supersonic, crystal clear, neon elements that slide in and out of the spectrum. The percussive elements are downright astounding. Interlude at 6:16, beats go away save for a single distant snare and an icy synth sky, then smack back into the beats at 6:45. Impressive.
8. “After Life” - This one is absolutely stormin’. It’s like fury unleashed. Whereas most trance starts out quiet and easy, this one sets out frothy…we’re in for it. Another example of what I’m calling “Vivid Trance”. Beats and bass that roll along, synth background, and crisp, luschious sound elements that rip in and out, back and forth. These vivid sound elements aren’t your out-of-the-box flanged-to-acid-oblivion sound schemes, but intricate sonic constructs coaxed from the great beyond. 4:38, and I’m really grooving. The sounds are extremely unique and dense, lush. And it doesn’t stay the course. The beats are just beats…the trip is in the sounds. It’s almost frightening. It’s pure modern-day digital shamanry.
Overall Rating (1-100): 67
Commentary:
I think I’ve coined a new term…Vivid Trance. In Vivid Trance, the beats keep the pace and the synths provide the backdrop for extremely vivid, luscious, intricate sonic elements that jump back and forth, in and out. It’s a style that I first noticed on The Green Nuns of the Revolution’s Rock Bitch Mafia and began to evolve with other artists through the mid to latter half of the First Flight series. As far as I’m concerned, Flying Rhino is the home of cutting edge trance, period. The fourth installation of the “flight” series carries on the tradition of bringing the very best trance acts to the turntables of the world.
Various Artists: “Slipstream”
Published April 8th, 2006 in Psychedelic, Trance-Goa, Trance and Psy/Goa Trance. 0 Comments1998, Flying Rhino/Wasabi
cat#: 66762-20000-2
Track Listing:
1. Atmos: “Klein Aber Doctor” - 9:25
2. Slide: “Confusional State” - 7:35
3. Stoop & Fidget: “Mudless” - 10:49
4. Kopfuss Resonator: “Holy Water” - 8:51
5. Venom: “Try It” - 7:46
6. Dragon: “Freak The Greek” - 8:06
7. Bus: “Something’s Always Out There” - 8:47
8. Blue Planet Corporation: “Micromega” - 6:56
9. O.J. Project: “Tribal Chord Projection” - 8:43
Featured Picks:
#1 - “Klein Aber Doctor” - Incredibly lush effects shooting all over the place. I doubt you’d find one out of the box sonic element in the mix. Vivid.
#5 - “Try It” - Yep…check out that deep two note melody at the beginning. I’m drawn toward the experience. Rolls through a transition into the main beats, grinds up into a rugged fury. The icing is when the two note melody reappears around the 4:30 mark. I’m all over it. Sonic elements rip from everywhere. Colorful. Dives back into the main beats. Really powerful.
#6 - “Freak The Geek” - This is not - by any stretch - trance music for the faint of heart. Again, what grabs me is the neon vividness of the sonic elements. A buzzing, 50lb atomic mosquito. Bongos. Deep voices in the distance (or did I imagine that). It’s kind of like when Space Ghost shoots lasers from his wrists. 100000 x more vivid than technicolor. Exciting, not repetitive, but definitely trance. Really pushing the envelope on the style. It’s almost like if they were to throw in a bit more juice I’d be experiencing the music on an altogether different level…not hearing, not seeing, not feeling…not even in the proverbial “moved my soul” way. It’s like someone is kneading my brains in their hands. Yow is right.
#7 - “Something’s Always Out There” - Once again, I am thoroughly entertained. It’s such non-formulaic material that I can’t help but become captivated. There’s a large, high-pitched, tubular sounding element that appears from time to time, becoming the melody, tieing things together brilliantly.
#8 - “Micromega” - I pretty much dig everything I’ve heard by Blue Planet Corporation. I present thee with yet another thoroughly diggable offering.
#9 - “Tribal Chord Projection” - This one’s interesting. Rhythmic bed flows throughout with different sonic events given center stage throughout the progression of the track, with the various elements coming together toward the end. Lara doesn’t like it too much, turned off by the harshness of the solo elements. But I’m pretty much there. I dig the dark mood.
Overall Rating (1-100): 80
Comments:
Nope, not your “run of the mill” trance music. No repetitive beats with a bit of razor tooth effect, tinged with a bit of flange. Let me provide a brief visual recipe. Take a box of crayons, a stick of butter, a bottle of choice vodka, and a large frying pan. Combine the elements in the frying pan, taking care to remove the paper wrapping from the crayons. Place pan with ingredients over a hot stove, and stand back. Without a doubt the top pick of the Flying Rhino “Flight” series.
V/A: “Electro Lounge - Electronic Excursions in Hi Fidelity”
Published April 8th, 2006 in Trip-Hop, Electronic and Lounge. 0 Comments1999, The Right Stuff
CAT#: promotional
Track Listing:
1. Uberzone: “Hypnotique” - 7:10
2. Q-Burns Abstract Message: “Gopher Mambo” - 5:21
3. Utah Saints: “Watermelon Man” - 5:41
4. The Rip-Off Artist: “Sway” - 4:47
5. Gearwhore: “The James Bond Theme” - 5:43
6. Tranquility Bass: “Jump Jive and Wail” - 3:32
7. GusGus: “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly” - 5:30
8. Wagon Christ: “Do It Again” - 3:37
9. Omio Trio: “Séance on a Wet Afternoon” - 5:49
10. u-Ziq: “Lonesome Road” - 3:41
11. Meat Beat Manifesto: “Stacatto’s Theme” - 5:18
Commentary:
I’d like to shake the hand of the person that brought this one about. Simple as that. Swing is in, so is the whole electronic thing. I suppose it had to happen sooner or later.
The interesting thing is that at the present point to which electronic music has progressed, this kind of stuff happens all the time. Look at Fatboy Slim’s latest effort-it’s chock full of lifted loops, phrases and riffs from the earlier half of the century-hell-everybody’s doing it now I suppose-why the fuck not-
Uberzone’s cover of “Hypnotique” rocks straight out. They lay down a mean rhythm bed and pull out the stops on this up-tempo remake. Gearwhore conjures a very dark and very mysterious James Bond, shrouded in a static electric mist. Low-tempo and blistering. Omio trio offers up a sleek drum & bass version of “Séance on a Wet Afternoon-the big synth chords are a bit overpowering but the structure is quite impressive.
u-Ziq’s metaphorcial representation of “Lonesome Road” is a real treat-it’s like driving through the North Woods on a cold, starry night, no other cars within miles-just you, your car and everything. Feels like a Stephen King novel (Imagine if Paradinas had scored The Langoliers-or The Stand).
Tranquility Bass’ interpretation of “Jump Jive and Wail”-Phat, hip-hop style beats, thick and round, groovy. Vocal samples from the original track are nicely tricked out. In a champagne-induced moment of goofiness, I decided to road test this track during the whole garter/bouquet toss event at my wedding reception a few weeks back. It was so ultimately satisfying to see my 89 year-old great aunt grooving along to the beats along with the confused, too cool swingin’ cats & chicks. The beats are ultimately satisfying, the composition is right on.
Meat Beat Manifesto’s cover of “Stacatto’s Theme” is quite interesting; The drum loop from “10x Faster Than The Speed of Love”, samples from a big-band horn section, trademark groovy bassline, theremin. It’s the same direction they were headed throughout Actual Sounds + Voices.
It’s fun, all the mixes kick my butt. I’ve got the unfinished version here-there’s a track by Eat Static that didn’t make the early release. There’s also supposed to be prologue, tutorial, sponsor, and epilogue tracks on the finished version, due out June 8th, ‘99. As the cats on the corner are wont to say from time to time, “It’s all good”.
Overall Rating (1-100): 70
Various Artists: “Digital Empire II: The Aftermath”
Published April 8th, 2006 in Broken Beat, Electronica, Mix, Remix, Compilation and Breakbeat. 0 Comments1998, K-Tel International
cat#: 6367-2
Track Listing:
Disk 1:
1. Crystal Method: “Comin’ Back” - 5:38
2. RUN-D.M.C. vs Jason Nevins: “It’s Like That (Club Mix Edit)” - 4:10
3. Atomic Babies: “Cetch Da Monkey” - 5:08
4. Propellerheads: “Velvet Pants (Spare Pair Mix)” - 5:40
5. Frankie Bones: “Luv Dance” - 5:04
6. Lunatic Calm: “Dub The Dice (Fatboy Slim Mix)” - 7:37
7. DJ Donotask: “3lectro” - 5:34
8. DJ Icey: “Vocodor Bass” - 6:06
9. Rabbit In the Moon: “Flori.d.a. (Pimp Juice Mix)” - 6:27
10. GFS: “Creep” - 7:25
11. Uberzone: “Believe” - 3:56
12. Deep Sky: “Legend” - 8:00
Disk 2:
1. Cornershop: “Brimful of Asha (Norman Cook Original Radio Edit Remix)” - 4:00
2. Roni Size: “It’s Jazzy” - 7:01
3. The Sabres of Paradise: “Tow Truck (Chemical Brothers Mix)” - 4:47
4. Micro: “Free” - 8:24
5. Mantrinik vs EPMD: “Strictly Business” - 3:35
6. Cirrus: “Back On A Mission (DJ Dan Remix)” - 8:12
7. Expansion Union: “Playing With Lightning” - 4:30
8. Infiniti (Juan Atkins): “Skyway” - 5:53
9. BT: “Godspeed” - 5:32
10. Pressure of Speech: “X-Beats (Orbital Remix)” - 6:18
11. WINK: “Hard Hit” - 6:59
12. Freestylers: “Don’t Stop” - 4:43
Featured Picks:
Disk 1:
#2 - “It’s Like That” - I dunno…I guess it’s the RUN-D.M.C. vocals that I’m digging on this track. The beats work just fine with the rap. Really cool track.
#3 - “Cetch Da Monkey” - I’ve got their full-length release sitting next to my monitor, still in the wrapping. I guess I’ll need to check it out. Dark mood, medium to fast tempo, lurks down in the darker bass registers. Solid beats, not overwhelming. Dark cool.
#4 - “Velvet Pants” - Still groovy as hell. Medium tempo. Regular beats from a kit. The hook is that rolling piano loop in the back, along with the jazz organ. Never mind the female velvet pants samples. The track evokes memories of a guy I used to know in college out in DeKalb, IL. His name was Scott Kamin. Although I never saw him wearing velvet pants, I wouldn’t doubt if he owned a pair. He certainly owned more than his share of nehru jackets, tie-dyed shirts and leather pants…it just seems like velvet would be the next logical step in his pant-repetoire. Anyway, we have a review of the propellerheads full-length right here for your reading enjoyment.
#6 - “Dub The Dice” - The Fatboy Slim interpretation of this track is nothing less than breathtaking. The piece rolls up and down the audio spectrum - building, shattering, starting over, exploding, rolling and shattering again. All the while rolling on a bed of subsonic sweetness. You bet I dig it. More cliffs and drops than a rollercoaster on acid. I’m all over it. Check out our full-length review of Lunatic Calm’s Metropol here.
#9 - “Flori.d.a.” - I really dig the seven-note bass loop. It’s infectious.
#10 - “Creep” - Drum & bass rollercoaster, mainly because of the bass. The kit sounds a re somewhat subdued. The sonic elements in the foreground keep my attention…it’s the bass line that really floats my boat.
#11 - “Believe” - First heard this track on Simply Jeff’s Funk Da Fried Two mix. Dug it there and I dig it here just as much. Medium tempo, beats stump along at a skip pace…foreground sonic elements squiggle and trip in every direction as the bass in the background divebombs from the stratosphere straight to the center of the soul…all the while maintaining the feel of the funk. Yep.
Disk 2:
#1 - “Brimful of Asha” - Since I’ve had my head absorbed in the tons of music that flows into The Spot, I rarely listen to pop radio, and I sure as hell never see MTV. That sort of explains why this track has escaped my radar scope. the first time I heard it was on this comp just about a week ago. It’s fun, has real guitar, and I love the lyrics. I think Mr. Cook has done a great job with it. Hell yeah…why the hell not.
#2 - “It’s Jazzy” - A pleasant drum & bass romp over the countryside. Ironic how the “it’s jazzy” sample is being screamed. Interesting track. I dig the piano loop at the beginning along with the horn sample bits later in the track. Check out our review of the It’s Jazzy/Maintain single over yonder.
#3 - “Tow Truck” - This is turning into the most interactive review in the history of The Spot. Click here for the track review along with streaming realaudio.
#10 - “X-Beats” - Remixed by the one and only Orbital. I haven’t heard anything about Orbital since they released In Sides a few years back. Seems like it’s about time we heard something from them. The beats on the track are typical orbital style, somewhat subdued, constant, carrying the track. Dark mood, medium to fast tempo. Nothing too wild.
Overall Rating (1-100): 70
Comments:
One of the best pure compilations I’ve heard in awhile. Alot of really good material for two disks. The copy I have comes with a special bonus “In The Mix” sampler, a taste of the In The Mix series. You sure as hell get alot of bang for your buck…
Underworld: “Pearl’s Girl (Single)”
Published April 8th, 2006 in Trance, Electronic, Broken Beat and Electronica. 0 Comments1996, WaxTrax!/TVT
cat#: tvt8739-2P
Track Listing:
1. Pearl’s Girl (Radio Edit) - 4:22
- Short, sweet, and to the point. A condensed version of the 9:37 album cut. Characteristic Underworld defined by the chanted, mantra-like lyrics and very busy musical landscape. A somewhat slower than usual tempo, with a melancholy sort of mood draped over the piece.
2. Pearl’s Girl (Album Edit) - 9:37
- Essentially a subdued trance piece, with the streched-out versions left intact. The drums consist mainly of snares and flattened out ride cymbals looped and streched into a matrix, with the bass drum given a random artcore slant. The trance element exists but takes a back seat to the foreground drums and mantra-like rap. A cool track that shines when allowed to fly. Cool artcore drums at the 6:20 mark. You’d have to dig the mood to dig the track.
3. Pearl’s Firl (Carp Dreams Remix) - 10:05
- ***Featured Pick***- Drum & Bass, sounds feel round and fruity. Then a fat as hell drum track kicks in and saves the whole mess. Tricked out, speedy and eclectic. I suppose it has that trance repetitiveness without the wigged out effects, so the fruity theme voice is forced to stand alone. The whole thing really comes together and begins to seethe at around the 3:00 mark. The vocal “crazy” is sampled and tossed in, then new drums are added to the mix and we really begin to roll…or, for the lack of a better term - hustle. If you had doubts, they’d be gone at the 6:00 mark. Around the 7:00 mark, the odd theme from the original, best described as shrouded in stardust, makes an appearance, eases us out toward the exit.
Track Notes: - “Pearl’s Firl (Carp Dreams Remix)” remixed by Underworld, engineered by Rick Smith, mastered by George Lambert and Dave Turner @ Tape to Tape. Original written by Emerson/Smith/Hyde.
Album Notes: - Art by Tomato.
Review:
Overall Sound Composition (1-10): 7
Overall Percussion Composition (1-10): 7
Overall Rhythm Composition (1-10): 7
Album Rating (1-30): 21
Fairly lame as singles go. There’s only one bona fide remix on the whole thing. “Pearl’s Firl (Carp Dreams Remix)” is worth hearing and is the only reason to purchase this single.
1998, Island
CAT#: 314-524 599-2
Track Listing:
CD1
1. A Huge Evergrowing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Center Of The Ultraworld (Orbital Dance Mix) - 8:10
2. Little Fluffy Clouds (Dance Mix 2) - 4:10
3. Perpetual Dawn (Solar Youth Mix) - 3:35
4. Blue Room (7″ Mix) - 4:01
5. Assassin (7″ Mix) - 3:41
6. Pomme Fritz (Meat N’ Veg) - 7:12
7. Toxygene (7″ Edit) - 3:31
8. Outlands (LP Version) - 6:10
9. DJ Asylum (7″ Edit) - 3:56
10. Mickey Mars (7″ Edit) - 3:51
11. Towers Of Dub (Original Mix) - 10:23
12. Pi [Part 1] (LP Version) - 13:26
CD2
1. Little Fluffy Clouds (Live from Washington DC ‘97) - 7:43
2. Perpetual Dawn (Ultrabass II) - 6:14
3. Pomme Fritz (Orb Remix) - 6:25
4. Toxygene (Ganga Kru Remix) - 6:27
5. DJ Asylum (The Soulcatchers Mix) - 7:12
6. Assassin (Chocolate Hills of Bohol Mix) - 1:15
7. O.O.B.E. (Pool Mix) - 6:02
8. A Huge Evergrowing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Underworld (Radio Version) - :58
9. Blue Room (Ambient Mix) - 10:00
10. Mickey Mars (Red X Mix) - 9:16
11. Pi [Part 2] (Orb Remix) - :27
12. Montainge D’Or [Der Gvte Berg] (Vestax Mix) - 6:25
Commentary:
I’d thought I’d completely blown this one. I noticed a copy of U.F.Off on top of my friend’s stereo and was disappointed to see that it only held a single cd. I knew that the double cd release was supposed to be a llimited run. I figured if I were ever again to stumble across the double, I should snag it in a heartbeat. As fate would have it, this afternoon I did just that-I stumbled across it in the lame record store in the mall - the defiant finger launching skyward, twice as jaded with 24 tracks listed on the back cover.
Orbital kicks things off with an impressive dance version of “Pulsating Brain-”. Starts off like a prayer with a large chunk of vocals sampled from “Loving You” over deep dramatic chords, flowing water and crickets-then rolling dance beats. It’s more than sweet.
Mickey Mars is an unreleased track seen for the first time on this collection. It features what must certainly be the same Native American singer that was featured on Enigma’s “Return To Innocence” over furious, rolling, drum & bass style percussion. It’s extremely powerful, sheets of bass ripped from the fabric of existence and cast into the audio spectrum. You bet I dig it. Interesting sample - “Do you suppose robots would enjoy listening to music? / Are you willing to work on it? / Well, you already have and its on the other side of the record-”
Pi (Part 1) features a hidden treat-a slightly misty remix of “Plateav” from Orbvs Terrarvm.
Now for the uncharted waters, the meat n’ veg of my big score if you will. Disk 2 - Exclusive unreleased wonderful new remixes. Starts off with an ultimately satisfying live version of “Little Fluffy Clouds”, live from Washington DC, 1997. Around this time I witnessed the Orb for the first time while they were on tour with the Chemical Brothers. This was the one track I was dying to see live. Still pretty good, but nothing like actually seeing it, or rather experiencing it.
100% curative therapy for wretched souls-yeah, I’ll probably be condemned to hell by everyone for saying that the original version of “Perpetual Dawn” was merely pretty good (I really like the vocals though)-the Ultrabass II version rocks my donkey hard. Rolling, driving bassline, maintains many of the same sonic elements as the original. I prefer the solid flow of this version. The Orb remix of “Pomme Fritz” isn’t a mere remix-they’ve turned the original inside out. Steady, pulsing beat, sound elements flit and ripple along in time. All the sounds of the original are there, it’s merely a look at reality from the other side, ‘tis all.
“Toxygene” starts off glassy, glimmering and tubular, rolls into drum & bass beats. Optimistic, somewhat lighter than the original. Still has the car horn and skid effect. Ohh, dig that dropped bass-I’m all over the sheer abstraction. Right here I’m getting my $24 worth. This one definitely qualifies as a featured pick. The Soulcatchers mix of “DJ Asylum” completely blows me away. Doesn’t sound anything like the original although in the middle of the track is a recognizable hint from the original. Medium to fast tempo, steady beats, light synth chords in the distance. Three deep bass hits in each measure, steady four-four time on a nice sounding kick. A prime example of the breed of trance that really floats my boat.
“Blue Room” never quite rolls into that groovy bassline that I dig from the original. A bit more sparse and wandering, still really cool. It possesses a more refined feeling of being alone on a desolate hilltop on a starry night.
“Mickey Mars” is still new to me, this remix is as fresh as the original on the first disk.
“Pi (Part 2)” is a continuation of the first version, warps into the Vesta Mix of “Montagne D’Or (Der Gvte Berg)”-a dramatic goodbye as we get launched off the edge of the album straight into digital anihilation. This is where all those pesky lost packets on the internet end up. Simply blistering.
Damn, I say. What a trip. I have a feeling this collection will occupy my domestic rotation for quite some time.
Overall Rating (1-100): 88
