Artwork: Twisted Records

Here is some artwork from various releases on Twisted Records. Twisted is probably my all-time favourite EDM record label in small part because it was founded by Simon Posford. :)

Shpongle - Tales of the Inexpressible (2001)

 
This probably my favourite Shpongle artwork. While all of Shpongle's artwork tends to feature similar imagery, this one stands out in the way it combines psychedelia and a feeling of serenity. Sometime I wish I was shaman staring into the sea of blissful awareness. :)

Younger Brother - The Last Days of Gravity

This cover was made by Storm Thorgerson, he also made the artwork for Pink Floyd's albums including "Wish You Were Here", "Dark Side of the Moon" and "Animals". You can definitely feel that Pink Floyd vibe.

Ott - Skylon

 
As someone who was born in the USSR, I can't help but smile at this artwork's strange mix of Soviet nostalgia and retro-futurism.

Review: Younger Brother - Vaccine

Younger Brother's third album represents a departure from the duo's traditional psytrance influenced sound, however this change in style will not bother true aficionados of psychedelic music. While most of the songs in this album have song structures and vocals that are inspired by 'traditional' rock music, you can hardly call this album an imitation of Coldplay. Make no mistake; this is an attempt to push the boundaries of psychedelic music and not an attempt to "cash in" by using a more "accessible" sound.

Before you begin listening to this album, I'd like to emphasize the importance of experiencing this release as a continuous whole. This is one of those albums that grows on you with each successive play-through. I will admit that when I first heard this album, I was a little bit surprised by the 'rock-inspired' sound, however, I was careful to not make any quick judgements. After listening to this release on repeat for a few days, I realized how naive my initial reaction to "Vaccine" had been. Beneath the seemingly unexceptional 'rock sound' lies an ocean of psychedelia that will make you think about both personal and cosmic matters.

Tracklist
1. Crystalline
2. Shine
3. Pound A Rhythm
4. Safety In Numbers
5. Night Lead Me Astray
6. Train
7. Spinning Into Place
8. SYS 700
9. Tetris   


When it comes to bringing out emotions in the listener, "Vaccine" presents us with an mixture of subtlety and explicitness. Tracks (or should I say songs?) such as "Night Lead Me Astray" have a very traditional 'rock' structure that emphasizes the chorus and the accompanying music. While "Night Lead Me Astray" is not a bad track by any means, I feel it could have been much better if YB made it a little more low-key so you wouldn't get that "too explicit to be authentic" feeling that predominates the mainstream music world. To some degree, all the tracks on this album have parts that suffer from this flaw, but it doesn't really distract you entering a good headspace when listening to this album.

I have to make a special mention of "Crystalline". It's in this track that YB utilize the power of lyrics to the fullest. "Crystalline" is a love ballad that manages to evoke both feelings of intense love and a sense of profound distance and confusion that can take over your mind when you feel that you are in love. It takes a very special group of artists to make a love song that also makes you contemplate the duality of existence.

In another time
We would meet
With the worlds colliding
At our feet

I look through the air
See all the lives
I can see your eyes
They're so bright

Posford does a very good job at inserting his trademark synths and twisted samples in all the tracks in the album. The electronic elements always complement both the vocals and the guitar work. Posford typically uses synths and samples to add a trippy ambience to a track or to emphasize the vocals or 'guitar breakdowns'. While the rock vibe predominates this album, there are moments such as the second part of "Spinning Into Place", that almost sound like a "Ineffable Mysteries..." era Shpongle track.

The final two tracks are purely electronic and do not have any vocals. Personally, I never found these two tracks particularly inspiring. It almost feels like Posford & Co felt that they had to throw a bone to their core audience and that's how "SYS 700" and "Tetris" became a part of this album. Tetris does get better when Ru's vocals appear towards the end of the track, but I still feel that some more work would have made this a better song. 

This album is really about combing 'rock methodology' with the trippyness of psytrance inspired music to make something new. Something that can appeal to both fans of psytrance and people who are not that big on electronic music. Bringing more people into the fold of psychedelic (whether it's purely electronic or hybrid such as this release) music is always a good thing in my book. While I would say it's a little early to call Younger Brother the Pink Floyd of the 21st century, this is an excellent release that reminds us that we should always encourage experimentation and not be too conservative in our expectations and desires. :)

Review: Michael Dow – Ascent / Orbit

Michael Dow's "Ascent / Orbit" brings us a quality trance release without that manages to be uplifting and euphoric without entering the realm of formulaic cheesiness (That's you Armin!). This is exactly the kind of trance that I wish more producers would embrace.

1. Ascent
Whenever I listen to this track, I always imagine that I am on a journey that will take me from the ground and into the heavens. I see myself anxiously waiting for lift-off on the launch platform. I feel the power of the rocket engines sending me into the sky with unimaginable force. I imagine myself looking down upon the beauty of our planet from low earth orbit. This track is really that good.

In terms of structure, Michael Dow combines a relatively standard trancey build-up/breakdown structure with ambient melodies from Brian Eno's "An Ending (Ascent)". You could almost call "Ascent" a remix of Eno's track. The 'original' track is a mellow ambient piece that is more suitable for a film ending than an ascent into space. Michael Dow's take on "Ascent" bring us the best of both worlds by combing the raw energy and euphoria of trance music with the contemplative sadness of Brian Eno's ambient classic. The trancey elements keep you upbeat and exponentially increase the impact of Eno's ambient melodies.

As I mentioned earlier, the structure of this track does indeed mirror that of a rocket launch. The first part of the track provides us with a "countdown beat" that is mixed in with short samples from Eno's track. You can just feel the tension in the air and yet you can also feel the excitement. Something big is about to happen. Towards the middle of the track, we are teased by a short section featuring an unmixed version of Eno's track; that's just the calm before the storm. In no time the uplifting melody is supplanted by energetic beats that proclaim: lift-off!!!! And so we are flying into the heavens. And just as you're starting to feel completely intoxicated by the euphoria, you suddenly realize that you are in orbit; which brings us to an outro that is very reminiscent of the slightly anxious beginning of this track. This is really a perfect trance track. A special thanks to Brian Eno, without whom this track would not have been nearly as good as it is.   

2. Orbit
If "Ascent" makes you feel like you're on a rocket that is launched into space, "Orbit" feels more like a space race against aliens on the orbit of the earth. The mood in this track is definitely darker and more suitable for the dance floor. The main beat will keep you banging away on the dance floor while the sinister sounding samples and synths will have you guessing whether there are aliens among us. "Orbit" is a decent B side that stands well on it's own, but pales in comparison to "Ascent".

Note: This is not the full version of the track, you'll have to purchase this release if you want to listen to the full version of "Orbit".

Artwork: BT

This series of posts will be dedicated to various artwork used by EDM producers. Here is collage of made our of artwork from the following four releases by BT:

1. Rose of Jericho
2. Every Other Way
3. Suddenly
4. Forget Me
   

Review: Ott - Mir

Ott's third album brings us a mixture of his trademark dub basslines, far-out samples and ambient ethos mixed in with toned-down dubstep and even occasional glitch. While this album is in many ways different from his earlier works, it will not disappoint fans of good downtempo/psydub music.

Perhaps the most noticeable thing about this album is that it's generally more upbeat and energetic than his previous works (with the exception of In Dub, for obvious reasons). While Ott does not shy away from using melancholic melodies and even includes a pure ambient track, listening to this album is likely to make you feel as if you are at some sort of tribal celebration as opposed to feeling like you're sitting on a sunny meadow and contemplating life. While this album is influenced by a rather wide variety of styles; from ambient to dubstep, I always prefer to listen to Mir from the beginning to the end. It just feels better when you listen to Mir as a continuous work of music. :)


1. One Day I Wish To Have This Kind Of Time
Mir begins with a nice dubby track that features multiple samples from the lectures of the late Alan Watts. These samples set the stage for the upbeat, yet cerebral, vibe that predominates the whole album.

"Don’t let yourself or your ears be offended by improper or unscheduled sounds. For example, if the record is scratching you wouldn’t object to it if you were listening to it sitting by a fire. Simply close your eyes and allow your ears to hear all sounds around you." - Alan Watts

This track will make you feel like you are walking around a beautiful park on a nice summer day. It's a celebration of the beauty of life and music. The dubby bass and squelchy acid synths combine perfectly with Mr Watts' deep, but happy musings on life. A great opener for an awesome album!

2. Adrift In Hilbert Space
The first part of this track has an almost mellow ambient feel that's reminiscent of "Jack's Cheese And Bread Snack" from Ott's first album. Don't be deceived by the soft vocals and spacey synths, by the time you'll pass through the midpoint, this track will morph into Ott's own proprietary version of dubstep. I'd like to emphasize that this is nothing like typical brostep or even Burialesque low-key dubstep. This is Ott's own unique take on dubstep that always feels in line with the Twisted Records schools of electronic music. You'll definitely be moving around on your chair when you hear the second part of this track.

3. Owl Stretching Time
This track is the highlight of the album for me. While the intro sounds pretty typical for an Ott track, the main part of the track provides us with some more of Ott's unique take on dubstep mixed with ethnic samples, some weird instrument that I don't know the name of and trippy-ass squelchy synths. The sample of a mysterious-sounding woman talking about a key to the door of sex/power only adds to the sinister trippyness of the track. This track will make you feel like you are a starchild flying through the depths of the galaxy while hitting on the bong with some aliens who happen to like dub music. Ott does it again!

4. Squirrel and Biscuits
The intro brings us more funky dubstep which is soon mixed in with a nice spaced-out melody. Suddenly out of nowhere comes the voice of strange, rambling man whose voice is distorted to the point of sounding like some language that was not invented on planet earth. This brings a nice a nice contrast with the "world music" inspired lead female vocal. There is quite a lot of variety in this track and it never fails to morph from one style to another. A quick ambient outro assists us in landing back on planet earth. :) 

5. A Nice Little Place
A nice little place, indeed. This track is the only pure ambient track on this album. It's definitely the most melancholic and "floating" track on Mir. This track will bathe you in soft, warm waves of ambient synths, backed up by an introspective, yet optimistic, melody. Even if you're not a big fan of ambient music, you'll find it difficult to not appreciate the tranquillity of this track. The outro complements the low key nature of this track, by gently dropping the listener into near silence that's punctuated by noises of what sounds like a person walking and going through a door.

6. Mouse Eating Cheese
Whenever I listen to this track, I can never get rid of the feeling that this is the closest Ott's has come to making a track in the vein of Shpongle. The deep male vocal is almost reminiscent of vocal from "Divine Moments of Truth". There is quite a lot of variety in this track, some parts have a more dubby feel to them, while the parts towards the end have an almost sounds like Ott decided to make his own laid-back version of psytrance. We are even treated to a sample that sounds something like "Take loads of acid and you'll see the truth." :) 


7. The Aubergine of The Sun
What a way to end this album. Waves of ambient goodness bring us a soft, mellow melody. A vocoded vocal will tell you that  "we'll be here to care for you and help you find your way..." :). As this track progresses, you'll be enveloped by conflicting emotions of happiness (because you experienced the whole of Mir) and sadness that this journey is coming to end. A playful tribal-style vocal will keep you upbeat and guide your towards the final outro of this album. Quite ambient slowly fades into minimalistic noise to bring an end to the journey that is Mir.   

Review: Minilogue - The Leopard Rmx

This release features Extrawelt's and Roel H's remixes of the track "The Leopard" by Minilogue. It's a perfect release for anyone who likes cerebral techno and feeling subtle, yet meaningful, euphoria. :) This is truly deep techno/minimal at it's best.

I originally discovered Minilogue when I heard Max Cooper's remix of "Seconds". After listening to Max Cooper's tracks on repeat for several weeks, I decided that I need to find some more artists to satisfy my deep techno cravings. A quick search for Minilogue on youtube brought me to Extrawelt's remix of "The Leopard", I knew I that this would become an all-time favorite as soon I heard the intro.

1. Minilogue - The Leopard (Extrawelt Remix)

This remix by Extrawelt takes the best parts of the original and makes them even more intense. Unlike the original, Extrawelt's remix is a little warmer and features a slight tinge of meloncholia. The remix begins with a melodic sample that evokes images of childhood. This is just a rehearsal for what will come later. Extrawelt adds a lot of subtle layers and sounds that disappear just as quickly as they were introduced. This playfulness keeps things interesting throughout the length of the track. The beats in this track have a progressive feel to them, providing a nice build-up to the drop. And what a drop this track has. The childhood melody returns to hit you like a brick wall and send your mind into a emotional trance. I would say this remix is far more focused than the original, making it a lot more effective at bringing out emotions from the listener. This is truly a pinnacle of deep techno.


2. Minilogue - The Leopard (Roel H. Remix)

This is the first time I've ever heard anything by Roel H. While this is definitely a good effort, it pales in comparison to the Extrawelt remix. In many ways, this remix stays true to the original. While the Extrawelt remix always connects me to my own internal world, this remix by Roel H seems to be more suited for the dance floor. The beats sound a little more generic in this remix and the various synths and sonic layers are less subtle. For some reason, I can't get rid of the feeling that I am listening to progressive trance whenever I play this track. Don't get me wrong, I would definitely enjoy listening to this track on the dance floor, but it just lacks that little something that makes Extrawelt's remix an essential addition to any deep techno lover's collection.