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Astral Projection - Ten (Phonokol 2004)
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moondancer
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
32
Posts :
69
Posted : Aug 30, 2004 11:27
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1. Chaos (Bizzare contact rmx)
2. Nilaya (Melicia rmx)
3. Dancing galaxy (Dynamic rmx)
4. Powergen (Space cat rmx)
5. Let there be light (Atomic pulse vs Perplex rmx)
6. People can fly (Delirious rmx)
7. Visions of Nasca (BLT rmx)
8. Auorora borealis (Deedra rmx)
9. Liquid sun (Star X rmx)
10. Mahadeva (John 00 Flaming rmx)
hehe for once I get to review something before DP :blah:
So let me start this review with an analogy. Imagine you wake up one day, it's sunny outside, you feel good and all, then you pick up the local newspaper and see that your favorite painting will be on public display in your hometown art museum. You feel all enthusiastic about it so you rush to be among the first to see it. And when you get there, you realize that some idiot teen sprayed a graffiti on top of you beloved painting!!! You can see that underneath there used to be a perfect painting but you can't stop feeling angry at just why the hell would some youngster spray some paint on such a beautifull work of art. Did he somehow think that it would look better that way? WTF??? Well that's more or less the feeling you have when listening to this album! OK, I guess you can see it coming when you see the track list (including a mix by eurotrance popstar-DJ John 00 Fleming?!? but more on that later). Then, you might also have had the same experience back in 2000 when buying their In the Mix album. Or when listening to the Alien Project remix of People Can Fly. Or if you've listened at some recent party one of the hoards of unreleased remixes of some classic AP track. Well, all in all, you can't say that you haven't been warned...
But enough with the generalisations, how does it sound? Well, you know the basic "full-on formula": rolling bassline with random swooshes and squelches untill minute 5:00. Then silence, a killer meoldy starts, then rolling bassline pics up again, melody lasts for about 2 minutes, then track fades away and it's the end. The variation of this being that you also add a smaller climax around minute 3:00. Well that formula was applied to the classic AP songs, basically everything was stripped away and replaced by random swooshes and a rolling bassline and the "classic" AP melody that reminds you of the original track is used as the climax melody at minute 5:00 (or 3:00). Need I say I don't like this one bit?
OK, there are a few exceptions (well duh, out of 10 tracks there had to be a few that were slightly better than "as-average-as-you-can-get"). The Space Cat remix of Powergen is very nice, very dreamy melody drifts all through the track. Of course, Space Cat is one of the few here that has actually MADE oldschool back in the days, so he still knows how to make em 
The remix of Let there be light is also quite enjoyable, although not as good as the original. Still, I think this one will work well on the dancefloors, the climax is very well made.
BLT's mix of Visions of Nasca is the one that impressed me the most. They basically made a progressive version of AP's oldschool track. At first it sounds surprising but it all sounds so good that you end up enjoying it. To make yet another parallel, if you see the Porsche Cayenne it first strikes you as odd (or even blasphemous) that a sports car manufacturer makes a big sloppy 4x4 but then when you notice that it's a damn good 4x4 you think "well, why not?". That's more or less the feeling I had with this track which ended up being my prefered one on the album 
AND this one will surprise you but the track that I expected to be the worst of them all, Flemming's mix of Mahadeva (basically I thought this was going to be a cheezy remix of an already-cheezy track...), but no! It's pretty damn good!! The synthlines and funky progression are very hypnotic. Almot nothing is left of the original Mahadeva tune, instead you have another very nice melody. Then around 4:30 you have to put up with the progressive eurotrance ultra-melodramatic wind down and pick-up again that lasts for about 2 minutes (which is actually little by progressive eurotrance standards). Then a little reintrpretation of the original Mahadeva melody. It all works out very nice!! And to my ears this sounds MUCH less commercial than the other full-on remixes here (although my ears are more used to listening full-on than eurotrance so I don't know, maybe for someone used to eurotrance it's the other way around?).
Now for the dissapointments: I expected MUCH more from Dynamic and Melicia which impressed me a year ago with their debut albums. I thought they'd have a bit more tricks up their sleeve than just blindly applying the full-on formula. I also expected MUCH more from Deedrah after hearing his remix of Shakta's Lepton Head which was better than the original and is one of THE top goatrance tracks ever IMO. However none of this here. It seems like the dude's getting a kick out of ruining good tracks with stupid cheezy remixes lately... just look at what he's done with his older Transwave songs!! And the BIGGEST disspointment of them all: the People can Fly remix!! I should probably warn you that this is THE track that got me into psytrance in the first place years ago so for me it's something very special. And I just can't stand to see it butchered like that!! Alien Project have already done this a few years ago. So my message to all artists: STOP BUTCHERING THIS TRACK!!!
So my conclusion: well, like I said, I was expecting this (and I think most of you did too), this is a bunch of mediocre full-on versions of prefect oldschool tracks. Who'd want that? Well, apparently the fans and modern day psytrancers... maybe I'm getting too old for this stuff?
Exceptions from the rule: 4, 5, 7 (!!), 10 (!!) so I guess 4 good remixes still is better than I anticipated (I thought they would ALL suck when hearing about projects of having an album full of AP remixes by full-on artists). So I give this a 7/10.
HOWEVER if you're new to psytrance and don't have the original AP albums, PLEASE PLEASE buy their older stuff instead!! (especially Trust in Trance and Dancing Galaxy) Believe me, it will be money better spent.
(moondancer aka lemmiwinks from psynews and sonicblend) |
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pr0fane
Multiphase
Started Topics :
418
Posts :
3816
Posted : Aug 30, 2004 15:17
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Very nice review!
I haven’t heard this one, but I certainly had the same thoughts as you, when they announced the “album”. With the exception of J00F (progressive, more mainstream trance) and BLT (nice progressive, but still with a big twist of full on), this looks like pure full on hell. Don’t get me wrong, I like a lot of full on, but come on: 8 remixes in the typical Israeli full on style (perhaps with Deedrah as an exception though) is just too weak, when it should be a celebration of Astral Projections 10 biggest hits.
What they, in my opinion, should have done was to make a much more diverse release. Some more progressive, and perhaps even some ambient remixes. Try to look at Son Kites “On Air Remixes” CD single – 5 remixes (even of the same track), and I’m sure there’s much more diversity than on “Ten”.
Anyways, I might consider buying it only for the BLT remix, as I was blown away by his collab album with Danni Makov. DJ pr0fane (Iboga Records) | Multiphase
www.sunrisesupplies.com | www.iboga.dk | www.soundcloud.com/pr0fane |
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ND
ProSect
Started Topics :
44
Posts :
919
Posted : Aug 30, 2004 16:48
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ooopsss...
didn't saw the tracklist, i'm dissapointed... well except that BLT, John 00 Flaming And Space Cat shown here i don't see any other interesting thing for me here, oh yeah Deedrah, i can't believe he did something lame, have to hear it...
need to warn MFG...
ND.
Without Deviation, Progress Is Not Possible.
www.andivision.com
Sound Field / ProSect / Sonify / Radio Mess |
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Dibu-Tonic
Started Topics :
5
Posts :
48
Posted : Aug 30, 2004 17:23
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Great Review moondancer
and the disc is Awesome!!!
10/10 |
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scraper
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
10
Posts :
452
Posted : Aug 30, 2004 18:57
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You read my mind, moondancer. these were exactly my thoughts on the cd before I got it and after i got it.
I believe the J00F is the best on this list. powerfull club tune.
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dj nadav
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
21
Posts :
316
Posted : Aug 30, 2004 23:03
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i rather die than listen to astral playing full on |
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Naiman
Started Topics :
0
Posts :
17
Posted : Aug 31, 2004 01:06
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Very weak cd imo, couple of good tracks, rest you know gonna suck as soon as the fullon bass comes in. Could be an ok album if you never have listened to the original tracks, these remixes do no justice to the original tracks.
Fullofshit era has to stop. :/ |
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I.D.a.N
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
21
Posts :
270
Posted : Aug 31, 2004 06:17
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A killer release!
I love the space cat remix, deedrah's remix, and bizzare contact rmx
A good old school sound in a whole new way, !@#@ beautiful!
In god I trust, everybody else pay cash!!! |
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raider
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
22
Posts :
491
Posted : Aug 31, 2004 11:23
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I've actually heard it, and it's better than most full-on compilations released lately. Recommended. |
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Dot Kite
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
35
Posts :
431
Posted : Sep 2, 2004 04:14
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Hello to everyone,
Well, i would like to give my 2 cents about this release! I don't hide from all of you that just i heard that a CD like this was ready to be realeased, i got bit scared !
And after listening to the whole CD several times i felt really sad listening to all theese CHEESY "trancy" tracks! Well, I m really curious how Yaniv, Avi and Lior gave their permission for such remixes !!! It's so sacrilege those remixes !
Who started listening to trance at the early stages can understand!
"Let there be light". Who remembers the original and went partying with that amazing track for sure will be pissed off with the "SuperCHEESY" meaningless remix of Atomic Pulse and Perplex. I have nothing with those artists though! But with this remix they confirm their low level !
"Dancing Galaxy". Same story as well here!
"Power Gen". Perhaps is the only rmx that someone can listen to! Ofcourse, behind this remix is Mr. Space Cat that knows this scene better and can provide a better quality in his music.
...and so on for the other rmxs....I m sorry guys if i was little bit negative...but i really felt like there was a big nihilist movement over here !
Respect the routes of this scene....that's all!
My best wishes to all of you !
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Acidhive
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
76
Posts :
2014
Posted : Sep 2, 2004 18:47
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Yep, this is shit... But most of the copy paste full on is like this nowadays. Protoculture is one of the stars in full on at the moment... He's very good! But most of the rest... bland and uninspired... all sounding the same! But as I said, there are some exceptions! Most of the South African scene anyways...
"Subconscious unravels at the point of death, and all time it has known erupts into a moment. As death extinguishes us, so we become it."
[Esoteric: Subconscious Dissolution Into The Continuum] |
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Hodi
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
114
Posts :
1212
Posted : Sep 3, 2004 00:06
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only the BLT and Space Cat remixes are standout
the others are the regular fullon.
u can find "Anything U Want" using the search... |
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The Journey Man Project
Inactive User
Started Topics :
128
Posts :
931
Posted : Sep 3, 2004 04:32
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Hmmm I have only listened to the 4 minutes samples as Saikosounds, but it sounds ok to me... yes it is typical full on but it doesn't sound as bad as Alien Projectes lame attempts at remixing, and as a die hard fan I like to think of such things as this as a bit of fun, and wait to see if they can redeem themselves with their new album next year... I'm sure many of these will bus t the dancefloor tho |
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goa-ganges
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
66
Posts :
594
Posted : Sep 3, 2004 16:53
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Being an AP fan since their start, I agree completely with Moondancer's review. Almost all the tracks got a full-on touch that spoiled the original tracks. So sad. I think AP was buried alive, how could they let this be done? And moondancer, do you know why Flemming's remix is the best in this album? Pay attention, and you will see that it's the only one that got a non-full-on-formula remix. It indeed sounds a litlle fluffy, but it's better than the 9 previous tracks. And I can't think that Space Cat and Deedrah did a good job. Actually, I think this CD is horrible. Awful.
Peace and Love. |
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EYB
Noized
Started Topics :
111
Posts :
2849
Posted : Sep 3, 2004 18:57
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Nice review...
...but people are not the some
I like the cd, i think almost more than some of the origin tracks (don't ban me from the forum)
For me the cd fits good together till the BLT remix, i don't say it isn't good, but when i listened the cd it was like an break of the flow. Ok when i put cd in player and listen direct to BLT mix i like it a bit more.
Anyway a good full on release
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